“GOD” and “DOG” Essay

Growing up, my summers were oft quantifys spent at my uncles ranch. My mom would drive me up and leave me for ab verboten 2 to 3 weeks. Those were the most fruitful and fun-filled summers of my life. At the ranch, I would be far remove from city life and its hectic schedule. Instead, I would spend my mornings in bed, a great deal waking up late to develop a very totally right breakfast pre tallyed by my aunt. My cousins were very accommodating and my friendship with them stay to be part of my most-treasured memories. We still keep in touch by E-mail, and some quantify agree each hurler(a) when our schedules allow.Idyllic and fun as it was, the most haunting and persistent memory I halt of those summers at the ranch is that of Evan. Evan is one of my uncles levy pass alongs son, and although he was scarce slightly older than we were, he had already started working at the put forward since he was eight or nine. His friendship helped shape the personal manner I am now, and made a positive impact in my life. His drool and friendship became a personal cause for me, and I am hoping I could lay it down to make it into a much public advocacy. * * * At first I thought his name was Moe, because my cousins called him Slow Moe. He was unsure and kept to himself, and never went out of his way to talk to us. Mon, my eldest cousin, had a nonher, and simpler, knight for him Stupid. I felt sorry for him. And whitethornbe that was why I move my best to befriend him. It was not easy at first, only if hence he cracked a smile and the conversation went smoothly afterwards that. One thing that struck me nigh Moe was that he was actually intelligent. He knew his work, and was really passionate about the horses he tended to. He knew a rophy of things about their nature, how to keep them, and how to pacify them if they were agitated.His bopledge overly applied to new(prenominal) animals. We had a great conviction talking about a can of other things about h is life, my life, current events, the news, and even the gossip around town. ripe about anything and everything was up for discussion. Moreover, he had his own opinions about a mountain of issues and I found that really admirable. Some times he taught me things like how to travel a horse, or how to jump into the lake without landing so painfully on my stomach. He as well as taught me about constellations, their names and how to identify them. I too found out his real name was Evan, only when he had wise to(p) to live with Moe.One night, I ventured asking why he was not in schooldays. Evan just chuckled and said that those kids were evil. I later found out that Evan attended up to the first grade and then refused to go back. His put out day at school was an ugly episode wherein some kids in his class called him all kinds of names and beat him almost to death. My cousins initially resented the time I spent with Evan, and even the few times I brought him on with us. He was a n exteriorr, they protested. And they were ashamed to be seen in town with the farm hand with no lights on up there. notwithstanding Evan eventually won them over, and with my cousins realizing that they have been wrong with the guy, they substantial a better relationship with him. Soon, his nickname was r arly mentioned among us, and we started using his real name. Evan is a dyslexic. During that time, however, he was just plain stupid. I doubt if his parents ever knew his condition or cared about it. Evan was taught at crime syndicate by his mom, who used pictures and drawings to get herself understood. Evan was alright with verbal explanation, but not written ones. I learned about his condition when we ventured into town with my cousins and stop by a bookstore.He was looking at the sign outside the store and read the sign as bokos. I laughed and he promptly fell silent. I sensed something was wrong, but I kept reticent about it until we reached home. Because we were alrea dy close friends by that time, I asked him about it.. He admitted that he couldnt read, and I told him I could not believe that. He seemed to be a smart and intelligent person, there is no way he was illiterate. He shook his head and insisted that he could not read. He explained that when he read, he always read it wrong. Evan explained that to him, E, M, and W all looked alike, as well as G, O and D.So he reads GOD and red hot as OOO. He further said that there are times that he could see the letters, and know what they are, but that they danced around. Like if he sees the word CAT, he can identify the letters C, A and T, but he could not string it together. Sometimes hed see it as C, A and T, sometimes its A, C, and T. * * * Dyslexia is a disability that affects an souls reading and writing readinesss, a condition that is present in 10% of the general population in various forms and degrees (Dyslexia Action, undated, online).Today, an estimated 15% of American students suffer f rom dyslexia, and up to half of all Americans have some form of undetected learning disabilities. Other studies also report that as some as 2. 9 million school-aged American shaverren have learning disabilities (Edwards, 2006, online. ) eelpout Hardie, citing dyslexia expert Sylvia Moody, writes that dyslexia is simply toughy with writing and reading, which may stem from short memory weakness, faulty information processing, and weak perceptual, spatial and motor skills. A dyslexic, therefore, can have problems with poor concentration and poor memory.It may apparent(a) subtly, like when a child is slow in reading certain(a) words, but reads them correctly or it may be severe and plain like in Evans case. Dr. Moody adds that a dyslexic may exhibit other symptoms and problems like bouts of forgetfulness, difficulties in organization and in memory time. (Hardie, 2006, p. 26). The overall effects are dramatic. To a child suffering from dyslexia, school work may suffer. Reading i s such a basic skill thats required in nearly all school subjects that a dyslexic child is put at a great disadvantage, and often reaching to problems with learning. The child usually fails in school.It can also lead to low self-assertion, delinquency, aggression, behavioral problems, and social withdrawal (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2007, online). This was clearly seen in Evans case. He was extremely shy and preferred to work away from us and mostly kept to himself. This was unfortunate, because his friendship made my summers at my uncles farm more(prenominal)(prenominal) memorable. I hate to think how many friendships were not developed because of dyslexia. How many children had complimentsed to reach out and say hi, but was stumped by the fear of being laughed at. The moniker and label dyslexic is bad enough, but being thought of as stupid is a million times worse.A child with dyslexia needs a patronizeive environment twain at home and at school. A parent should explain to the chi ld that it is not his or her fault, and patiently explain the condition to him or her, this entrust enable the child to cope and compensate for his or her disability. Parents of dyslexic children should also get in touch with teachers, and it might help if they find support groups that can provide both emotional support and good information (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2007, online). Dyslexic students grow up to be dyslexic adults, and in the workplace, dyslexia is not much kinder to those who suffer from it.In fact, Linda Goldman and Joan Lewis (2007) writes that information processing disorders, like dyslexia and charge deficit hyperactivity disorder, are considered legal disabilities, giving the suffered adequate legal rampart against discrimination and requires employers to ensure fairness by making reasonable adjustments in terms of recruiting, training, employing and promoting employees with dyslexia (p. 16). Often a dyslexic worker produces below par work output, manifests poor tim ekeeping, and often fails to remember instructions.This puts him or her at greater risk to be terminated from work, especially if his or her condition goes unknown and unrecognized (Goldman and Lewis, 2007, p. 16). Even so, most employees with dyslexia need only more time to do their work and to correct problems related to concentration and coordination. This is what reasonable adjustments are all about (Goldman and Lewis, 2007, p. 16). However, I take heart in the stories of a lot of people who have succeeded in spite of having dyslexia. Pamela Coyle (1996) chronicles the travails and successes of three of them Sylvia Ann Law, David drinking glass and Jonathan Pazer.All of them are noted dyslexics, yet each one succeeded in their fields. Sylvia Law became a professor of, appropriately, law. She also teaches medicine and psychiatry. She is the author of several(prenominal) books and has served as lecturer, as well as strong influence in the fields of civil rights and poverty law. David film over and Jonathan Pazer are both practicing lawyers. (pp. 64-67). eelpout Hardie (2006, p. 24) adds businessman Richard Branson, comedian Eddie Izzard and architect Richard Rogers to the list. Their lives are shining examples of how dyslexia could be overcome, if only one does not give in to low self-esteem and engage in self-pity.More than that, a child with dyslexia should grow up in a supportive environment that would not only hold dear his development, but also instill in him or her the confidence inevitable to grow and live life. * * * The last time I saw Evan was more than two years ago. He had become a handsome and sure-footed young man, and has a steady girlfriend who, along with Evans mother, is portion him study for a high school equivalency test. At the time, he was also working at a local fast food range of mountains as a janitor, and at the local school doing odd jobs. But Evan still shies away from contact and conversation with strangers.For my part, I am capable to have met him at a time when I was growing up. He made me think and realize that people have their own problems, and it is difficult to judge them by what we see. Moreover, he made me realize that whats more important is what we do not see. If I had not scratched below the surface, I would still be one of those kids who continue to call him Slow Moe, and that would have deprived me of a friend who had made my summers at the farm richer and more fulfilling with his stories, tips, and jokes. In a sense, I know I could never convey Evan enough for the impact he had in my life.But I know that I am thanking him with every child, dyslexic or not, that I coach on reading and writing as a volunteer for our neck of the woods pre-school. I am thanking him by not being mean to other people when they show a kind of weirdness or stupidity. I am thanking him by not judging people I get hold of right away. I wish I could do more. I want to tell Evan the next time I see him all about Sylvia Law and other people whom I think would influence him to do better with his life despite his disability. In fact, I hope to be able to tell people just how wrong they are at labeling dyslexic people stupid. What they need is love and support. They need all the margin they can get to help them overcome their disability. They have all the capability to succeed in life, if wefriends, teachers, fellow students, employers, colleagues, and parentsonly give them the chance. Acknowledgments First of all, I want to thank (name of teacher) for giving us this assignment. This exercise has given me the hazard to think about my life and appreciate a person who I never really thought much about before. Alvin John for proofreading all those drafts and giving suggestions that helped shape this paper.And of course, Evan for the friendship and the insights.References 2007. Dyslexia Complications. Retrieved July 11, 2008, from Mayo Clinic, Web site http//www. mayoclinic. com/ health/dy slexia/DS00224/DSECTION=complications 2007. Dyslexia Coping and Support. Retrieved July 11, 2008, from Mayo Clinic, Web site http//www. mayoclinic. com/health/dyslexia/DS00224/DSECTION=coping Coyle, Pamela (1996). What Sylvia Law, Jonathan Pazer and David Glass confront when they read or write. ABA Journal, 82, 64. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID 10121349).