“You will never graduate high school…”
These are words that no sixth grader should ever hear.
And yet these were the exact words that were hissed at little sixth grader, Danny McFadden, by his English teacher. These words pierced right through him as he sat there, weeping, during his parent teacher meeting. To this day, he remembers this memory crystal clear. It is difficult to forget a memory as bleak and life changing as this one.
Young Danny had his dreams of going to college and having a successful future destroyed. However, he was lucky to have parents who had an extreme commitment to their children. Driven by their dedication to allow Danny to determine his own fate, his parents got him tested and officially diagnosed with multiple learning disabilities. The most significant diagnosis was that he doesn't understand phonics. Danny’s brain works differently than most so he can’t sound out words. When he learns a new word, he has to learn the word for its entirety. While he was able to sneak through the earlier grades, it was during sixth grade that he started struggling greatly in reading because he was unable to learn the bigger words by just looking at them. Danny also has impaired hearing in his left ear. With all his disabilities combined, it was difficult for Danny to construct the pieces of English grammar.
Today, with his Bachelor’s degree in legal studies in one hand and his working Master’s degree in college student affairs in the other, he has often times reflected with me about that very moment when he was told that he would be a high school dropout. "My learning disabilities kept me behind. They made me feel like maybe I wasn't meant for success. I was always afraid that I would end up nowhere. All 3 of my brothers are so intelligent in each of their own rights. The thought of not being able to graduate, which was an unquestionable expectation from my brothers, simply made me feel stupid and ashamed."
This is Danny’s adversity, which will always serve as his reminder to continue working hard. The grief from the times he was picked on and made fun of during English classes, especially when he had to read out loud, serve only as his continuous source of motivation. Although at first he was too embarrassed to admit to his friends why he left to a different English class (for students with learning disabilities), he now embraces his unique learning needs. He has learned that he can never erase his learning disabilities but can instead focus on learning and laughing through the tough times.
Danny overcame his adversity. He found ways to learn that work for him. He beat the odds stacked against him by his teacher and keeps pushing beyond that, every day. He has also learned to never take himself too seriously and has developed a balance between confidence and humility.
Danny’s learning disabilities make up part of who he is, but they do not define him. Those with learning disabilities may have to work harder but we should never lose our patience with them. "If it weren't for my parents and everyone else who did not give up on me, I would not have the drive to be where I am today. It is much easier to give up than to keep pushing hard, so having a support system is crucial." Discouraging those who are different is an injustice to the world.
