HOPE!

Ever since I can remember, I have had trouble in school. The teachers always told me to try harder even though I was trying my best. All the time I was close to tears. I hated school!

Then when I was in second grade, my mom took me to get tested, and it turned out I had ADD and that I was smart! I was so exited and really happy! Then my mom told the teachers that they needed to help me and take me aside when I was having trouble. Since I had two teachers for the class, one was usually teaching and the other was grading or something.

I was still having trouble and I just couldn’t get it. Apparently the teachers didn’t see I was struggling and looking exhausted until I just gave up. Right there and stopped, just put my pencil down and stared at my paper.

Then the teacher that wasn’t teaching, tapped me and took me up to her desk and kept on telling me the problem in the same way over and over and I said, ” I just don’t get it.” I don’t know why but this was something that just stuck in to my head and I have never forgotten. She said to me ” Amanda it’s not that hard to get!” in a VERY mean and frustrated voice. At the time I thought that, that was the meanest thing you could ever say to me, ever! At that second I looked at the door and was literally about to run out of the room and start crying. I was miserable.

I remember one night I asked my mom to stay in my room so we could talk, (it really started out as a stall so I wouldn’t have to go to bed) and she asked what I wanted to talk about. I started to talk about how I hated my school and how I thought that I was just the dumbest person ever. I remember the whole talk I was crying so hard that I couldn’t breathe. That’s when my mom asked me if I wanted to move schools and I remember saying, “I don’t know!” (We had short days on Thursdays and I didn’t want to miss those :-) No, but seriously I didn’t).

Well, by this time I was in 5th grade and we found another school that helps with LD and I moved there. Now I’m in 7th grade and about to move on to a high school when the year is over. I feel this school has helped me in ways you can’t imagine, like extra time on test, no overwhelming work, and many fun activity’s (except for running the mile!). I love that I have ADD and that I’m only a few steps away from being an Einstein! So if you have a learning disability don’t live your life hiding from it! Embrace it! You are special in your own special way.

AMANDA