Overcoming Learning Disability
31 January 2021
I was struggling as a child with a learning disability. I actually quit school in grade 4, because I was badly bullied. It was my grandmama Ati who saved me from illiteracy. She did it by telling me stories.
Every night before I go to bed, she would be telling me stories about fairies, princesses, and knights. But they’re not typical bedtime stories. I remember that the knight never “saved” the princess. But they save each other and work together. Many different stories, but always the same theme.
About a couple of weeks after I quit school, one night she told me a story, a fable, about an ugly rough stone, a lump of useless coal, who turned out to be a diamond. The story went like this:
“The stone was sitting by the river, crying because she felt so ugly and worthless. Then came a wise Owl, who said to the stone that he could make her beautiful and worthy because of all the things she would be able to contribute to the world. But the stone must have faith because it was going to be a long journey, the wise Owl said.”
The story goes on.. telling how the stone must go through many obstacles, pressures, and hurtful cutting processes and polishing periods before it becomes the precious diamond.
I remember Ati said this to me,
“You are like this stone. Your brain is. Right now your brain is a rough diamond.
But still, a diamond is a diamond, no matter how dirty it looks now.
A diamond can fall into a mud puddle and looks dirty, but it will still be a diamond that can have the potential to shine, only if someone works on it.
We need to polish your diamond.
We need to polish your brain.”
I agreed to go back to school, but I asked my parents to transfer me to a different school so I can have a new start.
It took about 7 months before I started to catch up with my other classmates in the new school. During that period, Ati worked with me, tutoring me every night.
Not long after, I started showing great progress and ended up graduating as one of the top students.
Later in life, I constantly won awards and scholarships and it dramatically changed the course of my life.
P.S. Today, January 2nd, 2021 would have been Ati’s 101st Birthday. I still miss her every day. I like to imagine that she’s watching me from heaven, smiling, watching me now help other students to shine, just like she did for me.
