My struggle with math

When I first found out I had dyscalculia, it all suddenly made sense. Dyscalculia is a number-related disability, also known as math dyslexia.

Starting in the sixth grade, my math grade started to drop. My parents and teachers always put it down to not paying attention in class or working too fast on problems. But I was triple checking my work and constantly asking questions in class. I had no idea what I was doing wrong. Until that faithful day in my senior year of high school.

Mrs. Whipp asked me to come to her class after school that day, saying that she needed to talk to me about the Algebra 2 test we had recently taken. She knew that she had probably done it wrong, even though I was the last person to turn in a proof and triple checked my work. I sulked in her class after the last bell. I wanted to end this. She called me to her desk and showed me my exam. Purple pen marks throughout the page. I knew she was going to tell me that she wasn’t trying hard enough, that I would never pass her class, that I needed to see a tutor. But that’s not even close to what she said.

Instead, he told me that I looked like I had math dyslexia. He was so confused, he wasn’t dyslexic. He had been at a college reading level since ninth grade. I was always the best in my English classes. How could he be dyslexic? But the way he explained it to me made a lot of sense. My brain scrambled numbers, no matter how hard I tried. No matter how many times I could check my work, the numbers would still change. The three looked like eight. The fours and the nines were basically the same thing. I had to cross my sevens in the middle to avoid thinking they were ones. And it wasn’t my fault at all.

At that time I took all the precautions I could. Ms. Whipp allowed me more time to take tests. I switched seats so I could sit in the front row, right in front of her desk. My weekly extracurricular math sessions were done daily. I bought yellow lined paper to rewrite my notes after class was over and I was home. Once I figured out how to help myself overcome my disability, my grade skyrocketed from a near fail to a B. Even to this day, I continue to use all the techniques to help me with my math.

I guess what I mean is that they don’t all work the same. And it’s very sad that our school system is stuck on this cookie cutter test assessment issue. Starting in second grade, you are required to take a state test that is supposed to measure how well you are doing in school. But everyone learns differently, no two people learn exactly the same way.

And that’s my job, to help your student discover how they learn and help them learn on their own. I am not meant to replace you or a teacher, I am only meant to guide the student to make their own decisions to study. You’ll still need to help them when I’m not around, and you’ll still need to check with your students’ teacher that they’re progressing well. You are the ultimate teacher for your students.