Andy Hallowell is a seventh-grade student with dyslexia in Bergen County. He titled this essay, “My Life Cake.” His mother, Jennifer Hallowell, wrote, “My Son Is Dyslexic And My School District Refused To Help.” Andy’s story is part of a series collated by Meghann Bierly, founder of Keel Services and mother of a struggling reader who uses her personal journey, experience, and expertise to improve literacy for all children

Life is like a cake because cakes have many different ingredients and layers just like life. The beginning of my life was one of my most difficult times. I was miserable . I didn’t know why at the time, but it was all because of my old school. 

Ever since first grade I felt stupid. I wasn’t in the class everyone else was in and I felt like I was in the misfit class because they didn’t know how to teach me.  The other kids in my pull-out class were struggling like me  and  I got close to and even became friends with them. My friends made school more fun but I still wasn’t learning, which made my self-esteem disappear. Meanwhile my loving parents were trying to get me into a school with people all like me and teachers who knew how to teach us. 

My parents have always had my back by loving and caring for me, I didn’t make it easy on them, though.  I eventually took a test to find out that I had a learning disability called dyslexia.  They got me into a new school that was specifically for kids with dyslexia. I was still young and did not understand why they were taking me away from my friends. I remember crying on my last day of school.

On the first day at my new school I did not say a word. I was so shy that I just sat in my chair looking blankly at my work. I felt even more out of place because I knew no one. Teachers tried to talk to me but I just didn’t respond. After a couple more days had passed, I still had no friends and I started to get a mixture of mad and sad. I had no idea why my parents had decided to take me away from my friends. In my mind they were the reason why all of  this was happening. I started to get mad and often yelled at them for bringing this upon me. But in the new year I met some new people around my age. Still I kept to myself, barely talking to others. The positive part was that I was learning for the first time and starting to feel less out of place. I was starting to actually read and it felt good.

This is where my life started to turn around because I made a friend. When next year arrived I was in fourth grade and it was not a good start. I was in a class of people I did not know. I wanted to change classes to be with my friend. In the end I decided not to and that made me meet more friends.  All of these changes— being able to learn, learning to read, and making a group of friends— started to change my attitude. I was no longer feeling sad or angry. 

Now I am happy at school and I know that dyslexia isn’t something that has to hold me back  All of my happiness is caused by my parents believing in me and being able to send me to a school that could really help me. They are the light of my life and I am positive that they will guide me through the rest of my life.

The individual ingredients of a cake tasted separately are bitter, just like I was before I got the instruction I needed. But now that all the ingredients are mixed together, life is so sweet.

Photo courtesy of the Hallowell family.