| My Experience with Dyslexia | | | | 6……… I also started taking special tablets |
| | | | | including cod liver oil pills. They say fish is brain food. |
| My name is Nick Cooke and I was diagnosed with | | | | |
| dyslexia when I was 9. All through my educational life | | | | Throughout secondary school I worked hard putting |
| I have struggled. Throughout Primary school before I | | | | the different learning techniques into practice. Despite |
| was diagnosed, my parents were told that I was a | | | | my efforts I was still told by my teachers that I |
| trouble maker and that I needed to be disciplined | | | | won’t get any GCSEs and to start looking at |
| more. | | | | other options. My parents were not happy at the |
| | | | | lack encouragement I received from my teachers. I |
| I would never do my homework, I couldn’t | | | | put lots of effort every night to get me up to |
| concentrate in class, my grades were never above | | | | standard. When it came to my GCSE exams I was |
| average, my spelling and punctuation was poor and I | | | | told that I would not be entered into any exam |
| very quickly started to fall behind. At this point my | | | | where I could achieve a grade C which is the |
| parents decided to get me tested for dyslexia. After | | | | minimum I needed for my career in the RAF. Both |
| a couple of hours of fun games my parents were | | | | myself and my parents were furious at this and |
| told that I was dyslexic. | | | | demanded I was entered into the higher exam. I |
| Myself and my parents were told of different learning | | | | work hard both with my parents and in after school |
| techniques that would slowly help me improve in | | | | classes to get my self ready for my GCSEs. |
| school. | | | | |
| | | | | When my results came I had achieved exactly what |
| I had always dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot for | | | | I needed for my GCSEs. The feeling I had when I |
| the RAF. However I was always told by friends that | | | | saw my results was like nothing I had ever |
| I would never make it. Despite my academic | | | | experienced before. I was able to carry on with my |
| problems I have always been exceptional at | | | | education and continue to aim for my career as a |
| hand-eye-foot co-ordination and special awareness | | | | fighter pilot. |
| which are two of the main attributes required to | | | | |
| become a pilot. | | | | I believe that this story alone proves that a lot of |
| | | | | teachers don’t know enough about dyslexia and |
| Despite what everyone one said I still had my heart | | | | need to be trained to higher standards and be more |
| set on being a RAF pilot. Taking a number of | | | | understanding about the disorder. This story also |
| techniques which my parents had been told about, | | | | proves that if you are dyslexic you can still do what |
| my teachers started to notice a small improvement. | | | | you want in life. All you have to do is try harder than |
| The techniques included learning things in threes such | | | | everyone else. |
| as my times tables e.g. 1 x 2 = 2, 2 x 2 = 4, 3 x 2 = | | | | |