When I was a young third generation Polish American girl growing up in a small town in Central Wisconsin, I learned that I was very different from every one else. They had abilities and strengths. They seem to be more intelligent then I. Of course, I felt worthless and had low self esteem because of that. I had a disability or two that had not been acknowledged until young adulthood. I had no idea that someday my disabilities would turn into triumphs.
Kindergarten through eighth grade at the same school, had left me no options to figure out why I was different. Why did I struggle so? I told great stories always but my reading and writing were very poor. I would score high on standardized English test but be failing English. I was told I was not trying hard enough. I was lazy. Many of times I sat at the principles office because I did not have my homework done. They thought I was lazy and I thought I was stupid. Who was right?
It took into adulthood to figure out that I am neither. I am not lazy and I am not stupid. I am a narcoleptic dyslexic young woman, who although received grades of D's and F's in school for English and in Speech class, does a lot of writing and public speaking. I have strengths in my weaknesses. I have weaknesses in my strengths. But I know now that I am not stupid or disabled. I am differently abled and thankfully as abnormal as can be....That is me!
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