Words on a whiteboard

I noticed something this evening whilst teaching that actually filled me with a real sense of pride and joy. I looked at my handwriting on the board (for a word I had been asked to spell) and I knew it was the right spelling, it was legible and I had helped a student progress in their knowledge of English.

Why was this such an achievement for me a now professional English as a foreign language teacher? Well I am Dyslexic and have had major problems with spelling and handwriting for a long time. I was certainly a slow starter at primary school, not helped by my glue ear and in ability to hear what people said for many months at school. After being issued with handwriting classes whilst at primary school and then being given English as a foreign language lessons before school whilst I was at secondary school (with a load of Korean students) I managed to not only achieve a C in my English Language GCSE, but then continue to take essay based subjects right up to degree level.

Admittedly my handwriting was (and can still be) shocking and I do have to use google chrome as my browser due to its in built spell checker, but I have come a long way since the days of my year 6 teacher being determined to insure that I could use paragraphs by the time I left primary school (I could, I subsequently immediately forgot this vital information when I went to secondary school). This evening I realised how far I had come in actually being able to teach English and I was so thankful for all the people who have helped me to achieve this.

Anyway, I just had another set of lessons and I can safety say they have definitely become much easier to plan and deliver, I am much more able to anticipate problems that will arise and to help students deal with them. Sometimes things don't go to plan but it doesn't seam to bother me as much any more. It really feels great to know that I can actually do this, despite what nature may have set against me. I thank God for all the people who have helped me over the years and for his assistance during all problems I have faced.