Someone who inspires you

by Kate Davies, a guest contributor

A combination of self-belief and the belief of others was the foundation Kate needed to get on in education and life

When you are dyslexic, you definitely need a very strong support system. You need allies and inspiration. You need someone who inspires you to try to achieve your goals, and someone to walk beside you on the road to get there. I was very fortunate to have both.

I had two inspiring teachers who walked my road with me, picking me up when I stumbled and lost my way. One even taught my whole class for two years in a row (P5 and P6) just so I had the continuity of her teaching.

The greatest gift these teachers gave me was putting me on the path to becoming my own ally. They gave me techniques and self-belief that I could do the things I found hard. I still draw on these today and it has served me well in education and employment when my support system was thin.

My two amazing teachers gave me the time and confidence to be relaxed enough to learn and enjoy my education. They did, however, have a good foundation to build on.

My mum had filled me with a love of reading as well as art and science. She never let me think I was not going to have a successful education. It was the utter confidence these three women had that I was going to succeed that gave me the resilience to continue when things got unbearably hard. Also, I think I wanted to do it for myself. As the daughter of two academics, education is my family’s stock-in-trade, but I didn't consider I couldn't be like everyone else. It was this strong foundation of good self-esteem and knowledge I was supported in all my endeavours – as well as a lot of teathat has kept me going through many, many struggles to get the support I needed.

All these things considered, I would not change anything about my dyslexia. Although it may not be the most useful thing when trying to remember facts for exams, it enables me to see things differently. I tend to take a different, usually more winding road to get, sometimes, to a different conclusion. This is also part of what keeps me reading and learning - the enjoyment of walking those winding roads through the dyslexic world in all its glory.

So I would say to anyone else with dyslexia: don't stay silent, find someone you trust to help you build up the support network you need to reach your full potential.