I love to write but I’m partially illiterate on the side.
Teachers, tutors and lectures alike sang from the same hymn sheet when it came to my grammar. That it was down to laziness, stupidity or –the best comment on an essay- “are you doing this to test my sanity?”
The wonders of dyslexia.
I can read over my work a myriad of times and while the errors may seem glaring to others, they seemed hidden to me. The obvious fades into oblivion when grammar is introduced. Even with someone leaning over my shoulder tutting away they would pass by me undetected like Where’s Wally at a knitted jumper convention.
Sometimes it helps cut the frustration of dyslexia if you can just find a way to laugh at your situation. Although who ever decided to call it dyslexia had a horrible sense of humour. I used to spell it Disexica but it sounds more like an erotic planet than a learning disability looking back at it now.
But whilst twenty something years have passed with my own personal enigma of English thwarting a well dressed sentence help is finally at hand. I call my grammatical saviour, my Punctuation Pirate.
I shouldn’t tease, as my pirate’s work has been crucial in the past whether it be essays, job applications or –yes- even blog posts.
After I’ve posted a blog post a few hours pass, then the phone call.
It begins with a sigh, a hushed swear word then the corrections commence. Thick and fast they come; the ‘I’ve told you about this a thousand times’ or the ‘I really don’t understand what this sentence means’ and the unsurprisingly echoes of my school years, ‘are you doing this to test my sanity?’
Dyslexia should not be something to be embarrassed about I struggle with grammar and spelling, always have and maybe always will. So to anyone else out there reading this; be proud of your dyslexia it can be hard and incredibly frustrating but you are never alone. We can’t all have our own pirates fighting our battles but smile at your silly mistakes and remember they are what make us human.
Terrific post!
I try my best hehe
Nice blog! 🙂
Thanks!
Sounds like you’re making the best of it, James. At least it’s identifiable now, and there’s some help for it in schools. And you can’t go far wrong in anything with a sense of humour! Keep up the good fight.
I am, just making sure it doesn’t define you is half the battle!
I am dyslexic so this piece really spoke to me. Thanks James youve made me see it in a completely different light. Youre better than a teacher ever was
That is very touching to hear Luke. The best thing about dyslexia is that its a fantastic excuse to make silly mistakes
I so admire those who not only cope with a ‘disability’ but who also excel in it. Well done. Extraordinary is so much more interesting than ordinary.
I love that statement, ‘extraordinary is so much more interesting than ordinary’. Thanks for the encouragement!