Blog Number #2 – My Dyslexia…
I have dyslexia. I find writing by hand and spelling very challenging. I have been extremely lucky to have a mum who is a primary school teacher. She was always there to keep an eye on me and noticed my literacy difficulties at an early age. I plodded through school, not really having any support. I was seen as a “bad speller”. It was that simple. However, when I attended college I was offered a basic test. Low and behold they found that I had a slower than average writing speed and literacy difficulties. I was then allowed to use a computer and have some extra time in exams. What a difference this made. Such simple differentiated strategies yet the confidence boost I had, and the grades I earned, demonstrated how effective simple changes can be.
I was then fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go to university at 18. I was told that to get the same exam concessions I would need an official Educational Psychology report. I met with a hugely influential man, Mr P. Parkhouse! His assessment showed that indeed I was dyslexic. Finally… the answer to my struggles, handwriting, spelling, poor memory! It all makes sense now. On his recommendation I got all the support I needed, and achieved my Psychology degree from Plymouth University. From then on I knew I wanted to help others to learn. I just didn’t really know how.
After university I entered the world of work. My first job was working as a support worker in a home for young adults with learning disabilities. I absolutely loved my job. It gave me great job satisfaction, and I think I was quite good at it. There were however a couple of problems, primarily the unpredictable shift patterns, which made it impossible to plan a routine. I knew I wanted to study more, but with the mix of shifts it would have been impossible. A tough decision, but I thought it was time to move on.
I volunteered at a local further education college, supporting people with learning disabilities with their education. I loved this too and there were no shifts to worry about. I signed up to a PGCE, and within a year I was a lecturer in foundation learning. I worked at the college for four years and had a truly brilliant time. The staff I worked with were fantastic and so dedicated to their roles in helping others. However, I now believe both social care and education have things that the other needs. Social care needs more of a development and educational focus, yet education sometimes lacks the real life context and environments to foster learning and independence. Hence, Burley Inclusive, a support provider that brings a teacher into social care… let’s see how it goes!
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