"I'm Dyslexic and Proud!"

This week’s post is about owning and taking the shame out of dyslexia. I could write an entire story about how I came to terms with my dyslexia and stopped being shamed, but I think my students are actually better examples of this. One of my Barton graduates, Kailey, wrote an incredible poem that I want to share with the world. This young lady has overcome a lot in her life, and she so beautifully put those struggles and her emotional evolution into words. As Kailey would say, “I’m dyslexic and proud.”

Sparrow

By: Kailey Osborn

Fourth grade first diagnosed

Not ashamed and do not care

Fifth grade teasing and jokes

The touting past yet to be let go

Still trembling forward

But have not forgotten

Embarrassed and insecure

I can’t let go

I am like the sparrow tossed in the storm

The present has become my past

For a second I believe in myself

But can never push through

A falling Sparrow I am

Too much hurt to move on

A falling Sparrow without confidence

And courage to say what’s on my mind

Four years later I still believe I am

The same person in the reflection

It is me I see

But then I see myself confident

I see the accomplishments I have made

The struggles I have beaten

I see how far I have come

How the journey has changed me for better

Life’s too short to waste time falling

A flying Sparrow I must sore high

Never look back to the ground

Be courageous and confident always

For I am who I am

I am dyslexic and proud.

I hope you enjoyed Kailey's poem as much as I do.

Thank you,

Laura Busby

#dyslexia #dyslexicandproud