The US Department of Education & YouTube are hosting a “I Am What I Learn” video contest. Students across the US are requested to create and submit videos explaining why education is important to their future. The common theme of all the videos is that education is key to their success. Some of these videos are quite entertaining, while others are rather inspiring (To view these videos go to: I am What I Learn).

As a dyslexic, if is very easy for me to identify with the slogan “I am What I Learn”. It is much more difficult for a dyslexic to learn to Read and Write. Reading and Writing are fundamental skills for a proper education. To gain knowledge you must be able to Read, and Writing is a key skill to demonstrate that you have knowledge. If you do not have full control on these basic skills, then your chances of succeeding in the future are much lower.

For non-dyslexics being able to Read & Writes does not appear to be the biggest challenge. You go to school, and though you may not turn out a scholar, at the minimum you will be able to Read and Write. But for us dyslexics, we know that Reading and Writing is no trivial task at all. The struggle begins from day one in school. A regular student needs to sit and learn the alphabet letters and then how to construct sounds and words from these letters. A dyslexic student needs to learn the alphabet letters and how to construct words while having these same letters play tricks on him, by visually moving around on the paper…

The struggle of learning to read and write for a dyslexic is hard one. But it is a struggle that must be won. “I Am What I Learn” is a proven fact of life. Young people who are just entering adult life, and adults who have lifelong experiences – all understand the importance of Education and Knowledge on one’s success and quality of life.

You do not get any discounts or benefits on being dyslexic. You must fight your way like any other person. You must find the way to read, write and gain knowledge. It may require more time and effort, it may require different learning techniques or supportive software programs, but at the end of the day you must remember: “I AM WHAT I LEARN”.