Today, I downloaded an audiobook by Daniel Quinn titled “If They Give You Lined Paper, Write Sideways.” Because I’m familiar with Quinn’s work, I have an idea of his direction, but the title intrigued me because it reminded me of something that happened to me in kindergarten.

I loved school, and one of my favorite things about kindergarten was that my great-aunt was my teacher. Aunt Opal made school so much fun! My parents are retired educators, so I don’t have to tell you that school was always in session at my house. By the time I went to kindergarten, I could read and write, so kindergarten was playtime. I was elated to attend the 1st grade when the school year ended.

I will never forget that first week of school. People always seemed to look at me funny when I was doing my work. I didn’t have the vocabulary to express my feelings, but I felt I was doing something wrong. I remember how slowly the teacher would walk by my desk as she watched me do my assignments. I don’t know my first-grade teacher’s name, but I remember how she made me feel.🥴

About a week into my 1st-grade year, the principal came into the class and talked to the teacher. She then came to my desk and told me to get my things. Apparently, there’s a rule about how old you have to be to start school, and I was a November baby, so I wasn’t old enough to be in first grade. So, you guessed it, I had to walk the green mile back to kindergarten. I was so embarrassed. I waved to all my friends as I left the class and returned to Aunt Opal’s class. Except this time, I was going back to kindergarten with the “babies” when I was supposed to be a “big girl.”😩

So, I’m sure you’re wondering how Daniel Quinn’s book reminded me of this. Well, not only did they send me back to repeat kindergarten, but they also told my mom that I had a learning disability and would probably need to be in a special class. What they really told my mom was that I was the “R” word, but I don’t want y’all writing me because I used the wrong word. 😁 They told my mom that when I wrote, I turned my paper upside down and wrote from right to left. But when I finished, you could read it from left to right. True story. In fact, if you hadn’t seen me write it, you would have no idea what my process was. 💥

My mom didn’t give their recommendation a second thought. She knew my process, and she also knew it was perfect for me as an ambidextrous, left-dominant, dyslexic child. But it was flawed to a right-handed teacher who always managed to land her printed letters on the double solid line perfectly and never made her lower-case letters smaller than the middle-dotted line on the pages of my Big Chief Tablet. It should be noted that she had a #2 pencil. I had to use the big fat jumbo pencil. If you ask me, my process was exceptional, given what I had to work with.😏

Anyway, that day, they sent me back to kindergarten with a “learning disability” label. I felt like I had flunked kindergarten. Like…really? Who flunks kindergarten?! It was terrible, but I couldn’t change my birthday, and my parents couldn’t get around the law. So…I went to kindergarten two years in a row. I was humiliated, and I was five.😭

Despite the initial setback, I overcame the humiliation, made new friends, and found my stride in school. I promised myself in primary school to catch up and graduate with my actual class. I went to summer school to catch up and kept my promise. I graduated high school a ‘year early’ to everyone else, but it was ‘right on time’ for me. To this day, I have two high school reunions. The one I was supposed to be in and the one I was forced to be in. This journey taught me the power of resilience and determination.

Reflecting on my journey, I shudder to think what would have happened had my mom listened to those who tried to tell her that I could not learn in a mainstream class.😱 My life would’ve been predicated on who someone thought I was based on their perception of me. The truth is, I do have a learning disability called dyslexia, but I wasn’t diagnosed with it until I was in college. Before that time, my mom worked with me and taught me to pay attention to how I needed to learn. Let me be clear: The only grade I had to repeat was kindergarten. 💪🏾 This experience underscored the importance of individualized learning and the need to understand and accommodate different learning styles.

My mom taught me that if I need to turn the paper upside down and write right to left, then that’s what I need to do. That’s precisely what I did. Guess what? When my teachers and professors saw me doing it, they were fascinated. It was like anyone else if they didn’t see me do it.😉

Listen, the universe is vast, and there are countless ways to do things. Don’t let somebody put you in a box so they can understand you. If they can’t catch up, let them keep going. 👉🏾 You were meant to be you, and only you can be the person you were meant to be. Embrace your uniqueness, for it is what makes you special and valuable.✨

Hey Siri, play “Different” featuring Clyde Carson by Goapele.