Most kids learn to read and write by the time they’re 10. Due to dyslexia, Jonathan Mooney did not learn to read until he was 12.
He wasn’t dumb or even a trouble maker. “I was one of those kids who grew up chilling out with janitors in the hallways; one of those kids who were always on a first-name basis with Shirley, the receptionist in the principal’s office; one of those kids who grew up hiding in the bathroom to escape reading out loud,” Mooney recounts on his website.
Jonathan was punished for moving around so much and it really didn’t have to be that way because he wasn’t the problem. It turned out that his strengths were just different from what teachers expected and required. This “severely learning disabled” kid went on to graduate from Brown University and holds an Honors Degree in English Literature.
Jonathan says he “did best in preschool and in college, when I was allowed to learn by exploring my interests and working with my strengths.” He encourages parents and teachers to observe their children and how they learn. Before you start labeling a child with terms like dyslexic, ADHD or any number of diagnoses, it’s best to understand who they are, what they love to do, and help develop their passions. Mooney’s advice is to “shed your expectations that he or she will learn and develop like the rest of the pack.”
The National Institutes of Health estimates that 15 percent of the population is dyslexic. There is no cure for dyslexia, but that doesn’t stop people from leading successful lives. Mooney is a co-founder for Project Eye-to-Eye, which is now in its 12th year, and is a widely duplicated mentoring program.
Project Eye-to-Eye is “a grassroots public service project run by and for students with academic labels such as learning disabled (LD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The program has one simple goal: Match LD/ADHD adults with labeled elementary students as role models, tutors, and mentors as a means to empower their learning and give them hope for their future.”
If your child is bright and eager to learn, but seems to have extreme difficulty with learning to read and write, then check out Project Eye to Eye. Jonathan Mooney regularly tours the country giving inspirational lectures to students, parents and teachers. From my understanding he’s a pretty funny guy, and he’s pretty smart for someone who rode the short bus.