the writer went on to reflect how much it had effected him when he was younger, how people had treated him like he was stupid and he was so discouraged he didn't even learn to read properly until college.

it made me think. i never really took the time to reflect how my own learning disability had effected my self confidence, especially in school. i was discouraged and told i was hopeless so many times that i stopped caring very early on because it hurt way too much to give a fuck. or to even try. it also made me angry. i'd antagonize the teachers, because i wanted them to feel how angry i really was. for them to be just as angry as i was. i was a little punk because i already knew what they thought of me. worst of all, they treated me differently.

and the whole thing just made me think how un-supportive my teachers were in grade school. i remember those tests you have every year that show where you stands in reference to the rest of the class.

and i always remember the teachers being shocked (every year) that i scored high. like it was always such a fucking surprise i wasn't an idiot.

and most of all i remember in 4th grade when my teacher humiliated me in front of the whole class. she stopped class and yelled at me for always "losing" my homework. she dumped out my entire backpack in front of the class. right there, on her desk. the yelled, "WE ARE ORGANIZING THIS RIGHT NOW." and went through the contents of my backpack while the whole class just gaped at us.

people i knew then, still bring it up whenever that teacher is mentioned.

it may not sound too horrible now, but as a fourth grader it was pretty traumatic. and only one point in a long list of similar incidents throughout the years.

only recently, within this last year (at age 23) have i started to re-claim my confidence within school, and my actually ability to succeed at things.

i still surprise myself when i get anything above a C. I did what I had to do just to get by, for so long. (i thought it was funny the best-selling author used this same phrase.)

while there were a few teachers who did support me (and yes, i will remember you for the rest of my life with warm feelings.) The majority of grade school teachers treated me like i was nothing. and once people treat you like that long enough, you start to believe them.

now that i'm older and am able to fully understand the extent that teachers made me doubt myself and my own abilities, it finally explains why i was angry towards school for so long.

so if you are a teacher, please realize that your actions can affect a kid positively or negatively for a long time. you have the ability to build a child up with confidence and love! please do. having a child with a learning disability can also be very frustrating and confusing for the parents. sometimes, a kid (and parents!) need extra support.

and if you have a kid that just seems hopeless and rebellious, maybe they just need someone to encourage them in their struggle.

you can be that person.