You have heard me say this before…my oldest sister is resourceful, curious, adventurous, analytical, and intelligent…and these adjectives just popped into my head. If I took the time to think more about it, I would probably come up with more glowing descriptors.

In our early years, she appeared to be able to learn letters and words and read without any struggles. Since this was the focal point for parents and educators for future success, she was someone I aspired to be.

From Sun Dials, Hourglasses, and Pendulum Clock to the current technology of Apple Watches, telling time has improved its accuracy. Throughout history, the development of clocks has played a significant role in improving various fields, from astronomy and navigation to science and industry. But in this crazy busy world, knowing how to tell times impacts our daily lives. Unfortunately, teaching time to grandchildren has become more challenging than ever, especially when those children are dyslexic thinkers.

No entiendo Española.  Je ne comprends pas le français. Nie rozumiem. Non capisco. This is the extent of my rigorous training and immersion into various languages: Spanish, French, Polish, and Italian. I can confidently say I don't understand in all four languages. It isn't as though I didn't try. My schooling started when I attended Head Start at three years old. I came home spouting all sorts of Spanish words from what I was told. But my linguistic talents went downhill after that. While playing a language game with my sister and cousin, I mistranslated a picture of someone pointing to their teeth as "How are your teeth."  Yes, an absurd translation that they never let me forget. My forte wasn't languages. I muddled through my language and English classes, but I excelled in math, leading me into engineering. Nobody questioned my language challenges since; overall, I was a good student. But this isn't the case for children with dyslexia. The inability to learn a language besides English should be a red flag for parents.

Did you know that 35% of dyslexic children don’t graduate from high school? 70% of the people in prison cannot read? It is speculated that the majority of inmates are dyslexic. Learning to read is essential to the well-being of students, not only being successful contributing adults but in their emotional well-being. Not being able to read hurts children’s self-esteem leading to depression or worse. These facts alone should have the educational system advocating for the well-being of dyslexic students, but instead, this invisible disability goes undetected. How can parents and teachers support their dyslexic children to avoid a path to failure?