The child isn’t lazy, he’s dyslexic

When I was at school, I was told I was obviously bright, but lazy and didn’t try hard enough. I was told this again and again throughout all my years in school. The teachers told my parents this and convinced them, too.

If everyone you know and trust tells you something, tells it to you again and again, eventually it becomes true for you. I accepted that I didn’t work hard enough. I accepted that I found studying hard because I was lazy.

Oddly, for a lazy guy, I didn’t give up. I worked rubbish jobs and went to night school. I got into university as a mature student, and in my third year, I was identified as dyslexic. I was 27.

Finally, I was shown study methods that suited me and software that helped me structure, organise and proofread my work. I went from getting 2:2 grades to solid firsts. I was given glasses with prisms and a colour filter that together tripled my reading speed. I realised something: I was not lazy, I liked working hard, and I had been told things about who I was that were not true.

My dyslexic traits were easy to spot for anyone who knew what to look for and bothered to do so – as my teachers should have.

If you would like to know more about dyslexia, there is an event on Wednesday, 16th October at Hull University Business School that includes a pre-screening of The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia before its London premiere the day after.

Oh, and there will be cake too!