Iain Hinchley blogs about teaching with dyslexia

I’ve never been one for doing something the easy way. Which is convenient, since it often feels as if nothing is straightforward when you’re working with dyslexia. Teaching is exhilarating and rewarding at the best of times, perhaps with a healthy dose of frustration thrown in for good measure, and these are feelings that I have become familiar with ever since starting my own education.

However, I’ve long since moved past the stage of perceiving my dyslexia as a hindrance. Despite certain stigma’s attached to it, I stand here today very honest, very proud and, just sometimes, a little lucky to call myself dyslexic.

 

Why? Well I’m not going to claim that it has always been plain sailing.  There have been more than a fair few last minute running around in circles moments trying to make a blasted sentence just make sense, and how many of us have been there in a class using the white board only to have the entire class pull you up on some glaringly obvious mistakes? “Yes, well spotted everyone ‘Versialles’ is spelt incorrectly, good use of peer assessment!”  But honestly, these things don’t matter, not in the grand scheme. After all, I get to design the sort of creative lessons that I as a student would enjoy and get something from. Trust me during my own time at school these were few and far between at times. What is more, there has never been a better time to be dyslexic.  You only have to look at the multitude of technological and innovative opportunities which are accessible within schools these days.  So many can really make a positive impact on the learning of all students, especially those with dyslexia and other literacy and processing difficulties. 

Ultimately, the main reason I am proud and lucky to call myself dyslexic is because of the help and advice it allows me to bring to students. And I’m not just talking about useful strategies or clever uses of technology here.  Thankfully we work in a country where excellent teachers are trained to create teaching and learning strategies accessible to all groups of students. The help and advice I am referring to here comes on a more personal nature. As I mentioned earlier, being dyslexic can come with its own set of frustrations and I understand that, for some students, these frustrations can quickly feel like burdens when faced with a curriculum that, quite frankly, feels like it was never designed to support your strengths, but is ever so keen to highlight your weaknesses as constant failures. This can be highly demoralising, and is why I strive to promote to students that dyslexia does not have to be ‘put up with’ but is something that can be mastered. I am honest about my dyslexia, and I am supportive to those with it, because I truly believe that for individuals who do persevere with it, who are given the help to find coping strategies and methods to utilise and understand their strengths, dyslexia can become a blessing. Overcoming obstacles and learning from past mistakes becomes part of the daily course for dyslexics through education. As a result, you will find that for some students with dyslexia, perseverance, a never say die attitude and an eagerness to think outside of the box are traits which almost come as a second nature. When provided the personalised strategies, and the opportunity to understand and practice their own way of learning I believe every dyslexic student can learn to master their skills and unlock their potential.

The only failure comes from giving up, and I look forward to a career where I can help instil students with confidence in their ability and encourage them to think that despite dyslexia, or any other specific learning difficulty, they can achieve success inside and outside of school. For me that is the thrill of being a dyslexic teacher, that’s the possible reward.

Iain Hinchley

York PGCE History student

2012-13