The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Flutters run through me as static from the speaker slips into outdated pop music. My chin up, core engaged, and arms relaxed, I head to the center of the stage and ground myself on the little gray X. Before dancing I check my position, glancing over to my friend waiting for me in the stage-right wings.
At an early age, I discovered that I could not perform dance sequences accurately as a result of my ambidexterity. I would turn counterclockwise instead of clockwise when dancing, and often executed choreography as a mirror image of the original movement. Thus, I began training myself to associate movements in choreography with different sides of the room: leaps toward the window headed to stage-right and runs toward the clock ended in stage-left. After learning ways to define the space, I could move more confidently and gracefully.
I encountered similar challenges in the classroom. Though my ambidexterity offered me the freedom to write, brush my teeth, or play sports with either hand, mixed handedness has also been linked to learning deficits. While I was never diagnosed with any kind of learning disorder, I found myself struggling in the classroom. In the middle of third grade, I sensed that I could not keep up with the other students. I often struggled to finish assignments before time was called and looked quizzically at the board even after the class had moved on. I could never remember whether to subtract from the right or the left side of the equation, nor could I recall the details of a paragraph I had just read. My struggles in the classroom quickly translated into believing I was “not as smart” as other kids. Performing below grade level in reading, writing, and math caused me to withdraw both socially and academically.
Realizing my ineptness in class compared to other 8-year-olds diminished my self esteem, but also drove me to find new ways of teaching myself. I started simply, training my brain to associate writing with my left hand and using scissors with my right hand. As the complexity of subject material increased, I built a mental library by connecting images and page layouts to details. I explored new ways of learning and processing information, and eventually found myself performing above my age group.
Only recently did I discover that my elementary school teachers recommended that I take lower level courses to ease my struggles in the classroom. Knowing this, I am grateful for those challenges which taught me to persevere. I now use my experiences to guide me in teaching others to do the same. When tutoring, I use patience and understanding to help the students fretting over undecipherable phrases and equations. Similarly, when teaching dance classes, I relate to students who learn through kinesthetic and visual cues over auditory directions. I manipulate my teaching style to best help a variety of struggling students. I will always be a learner of learning. Studying how the brain functions fascinates me and has inspired me to become a learning specialist for children with processing difficulties. I aspire to be a teacher who focuses on problem solving skills, no matter the student or the subject area. Ultimately, my challenges proved to be gifts, and I hope to show others the value of their obstacles as well.
Now, as I stand on stage in an unfamiliar theatre, I still envision the window and the clock in my childhood dance studio. I look out at the seemingly endless rows of chairs and I move with confidence, knowing that I am heading in the right direction. The warmth from lights and the metallic smell of hairspray are forever engrained in my brain: a lasting reminder of experiences that began with jitters but ended with gratitude.