"My name is Brandi! When I was in elementary school, I struggled with every subject, except for English! I exceeded average in reading, writing, and grammar. I ended every school year with a perfect 600 English SOL score, which caused my mother and teachers extensive confusion considering I failed every other subject. My mother was a woman with very little patience, and she would dedicate hours of her time more...
"My name is Brandi! When I was in elementary school, I struggled with every subject, except for English! I exceeded average in reading, writing, and grammar. I ended every school year with a perfect 600 English SOL score, which caused my mother and teachers extensive confusion considering I failed every other subject. My mother was a woman with very little patience, and she would dedicate hours of her time attempting to help me understand simple math homework. She would get so frustrated with my inability to understand, by the end of the night we were both pulling our hair out. My mother paid for me to attend summer school each summer during middle school to save me from being held back, which I appreciate immensely! My mother went crazy trying to figure out what my problem was. How could I maintain an A in English so easily, yet fail every other class? I always looked at the teacher during a lecture, I read along when my class took turns reading paragraphs out of our text book, I copied down the notes, and I even read the study guides! I could sit in complete solitude, read the study guide to myself multiple times, and still be unable to explain anything about what I just read. During my first year of high school, I finally got the answer to all my problems; I couldn’t actually read. I could read an article aloud without a single mistake or stutter to an audience, but I wouldn’t be able to discuss what I had just read because I wasn’t actually retaining the information. How could the one subject I always excelled in actually be the one I was truly failing all along? Recognizing my problem during freshmen year helped me soar across the stage my senior year. I did it! Soon after, I began to work towards my dream of becoming an English teacher and started attending college to pursue a degree in liberal arts and social sciences. I believe reading and comprehension are the most vital in the entirety of academics and have been able to see my students progress in all subjects by helping them perfect just one! Who knew?" less...
