12/11/18

I walked into 2nd grade as a 7 year old above their years in mind, fluent in math, a artist, a school lover, and almost completely illiterate. Great start, am I right?!?

My parents knew I wasn't normal most normal kids didn't speak like 8th graders as second grader, but could read like I had just started learning a week ago. My kindergarten teacher thought I would be fine with time. My 1st grade teacher thought I was just a late bloomer as well. My 2nd grade teacher saw that something was up after my first week of school.

So when for the 3rd time my parents talked to my teacher about getting me tested for a learning disability, she immediately agreed.

Mrs. Larson was amazing. I love that lady. She was always cheerful, funny, and excited to tech us. And she made learning even more fun than I thought it already was. All while I was getting settled into 2nd grade, my parents and teacher were evaluating me.

I didn't know yet, even when I passed for the next session. So I kinda just went with it when they kept pulling me out of the room for tests one on one with other teachers. I was 7, if I did my best on the test I got to play a game, what was there to complain about!? I didn't know anything tell my parents sat me down and told me.

I was told I had ADHD (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder) I didn't really know what it was, not did I care to much at the time.

The word now seems to be apart of me, then it was just a sticker I got to wear.

I was also told I was gifted. Meaning I placed in the top 2% on a IQ test. I didn't care to much about that either, I got to go to a class with another kid named Andrew, where we learned challenging math and played learning games.

*(Don't even freaking get me started on the awfulness gifted kids are subjected too, and the stupidity of testing it with a IQ test.)

What really made me notice that those words meant something was when they put me on ADHD medicine, (Don't tell me it's awful it saved my life.)

It's like I woke up and my head was clear, I could hear the tapping of my mom's shoes on the floor, but it didn't make it hard to think. I cleaned my room that day in 10 minutes. That's compared to the 3 intense days it used to take. I had a playdate that day. My mom has told me, that after it was over I came up to her and told it was the best playdate I had ever had.

I was able to play with the kid, not just jump around from activity to activity next to them. I was myself, but with what I needed to reach my full potential.