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Teachers Have Learning Disabilities, Too
Four Woodlynde teachers talk about what it’s like having a learning challenge, how they have dealt with it, and how it helps them be better educators.
By Matthew Rueter
News Editor
Even though it was decades ago, Ms. Van Den Acre can still remember how much she struggled in first grade to read aloud to her class.
“When it was my turn, I got halfway through and I came upon a word that I hadn’t memorized yet, and sat in silence. The boy next to me made the comment, ‘What’s the matter, are you stupid or something? This is so easy.’ ”
“Well it was for him, but not for me.”
That’s because she has dyslexia. Ms. VDA, now a middle school science teacher, is one of several Woodlynde teachers who have a learning disability. They dealt with many of the same challenges Woodlynde students face. These teachers have been able to manage their difficulties through a combination of hard work, learning strategies and determination.
In fact, several of them attended Woodlynde themselves. Among them are Physical Education teachers Mrs. Price (Class of ‘99) and Mr. Purdy (Class of ‘95), and Building Substitute Ms. Williams (Class of ‘10).
All three of these teachers experienced great difficulty before coming to Woodlynde.
Mrs. Price was diagnosed in second grade with ADHD and Skewing Disorder. Skewing Disorder “is when it is easy to retain information, but recall is very difficult,” Mrs. Price said.
Mrs. Price struggled in school until she was able to find methods to help her recall information. She was held back in second grade and remembers that in elementary and middle school, “there were a lot of arguments and tears over homework.”
She almost failed school before coming to Woodlynde in eighth grade.
Mr. Purdy, who believes he has ADD and dyslexia — but has never been formally diagnosed — struggled with English class. He was pulled out of classes and recess at his public school for extra instruction.
Despite excelling in math and science, Mr. Purdy said that, “Because they didn’t understand my disability, the school district wouldn’t allow me to take classes in the high track.”
Ms. Williams, who has been diagnosed with auditory processing disorder and ADHD, struggled to keep up with her classes in all subjects at the school she attended before Woodlynde.
WOODLYNDE HELPED
Attending Woodlynde helped all three of these teachers.
Ms. Van Den Acre, however, did not have the opportunity to attend a school for kids with learning disabilities. In fact, she was not diagnosed until her junior year of college.
While in elementary school, Ms. VDA struggled with many subjects. She could not read words she hadn’t memorized, and she had difficulty with subtracting numbers from left to right as if she were reading.
“I would feel dumb. I know I was repeating stuff I should have learned in school during summer school… the information was familiar, but I didn’t have it ‘set’ in my memory yet. Very frustrating.”
To make matters even more frustrating, she said, “I have two siblings that didn't have any difficulty learning new things.”
Spelling was another issue: “World’s worst speller,” she said. “I never could ace a spelling test in elementary school, no matter how many times my mother quizzed me on my words.”
STRATEGIES TO COMPESATE FOR THEIR LEARNING DISABILITIES
Despite all of her challenges and frustrations, Ms. VDA still found ways to deal with her learning disability. She says that to learn something new, she must hand write it multiple times. “If I can read and rewrite the material, I do it over and over again and apply it to something I already know, [and] it is easier for me.”
Mrs. Price also uses this method, as well as asking people for help or to rephrase questions or instructions when she needs it.
For Ms. Williams, one strategy that helped was to listen to a book being read out loud, while following along. She also stressed not giving up.
Mr. Purdy used Learning Ally and made notecards to help him learn. In college, he would get one of his classmates’ notes to check against his own.
MANY CHALLENGES AS A TEACHER
Being a teacher with a learning disability can present many challenges.
Ms. Williams said that when she reads what students are assigned to do in a class she is covering, she has to first make sure she understands it herself before she can explain it to her students.
Ms. VDA said that in the constantly changing field of science, she always has to learn new information, something she struggles with. But now she has the tools to help her. “I feel blessed to have the technology available to me to help me learn the material (WYNN, Google Read, etc.), tools I didn’t have growing up or in college.”
Mrs. Price says that she has to work harder to recall information to share with her students while in class. “I have learned some techniques of learning and being able to recall the information effectively without stressing out and/or drawing a blank when in class,” she told The Informer.
ADVICE TO STUDENTS ON HANDLING
A LEARNING DISABILITY
There are also advantages to being a teacher with a learning disability, particularly at a school like Woodlynde. All the teachers interviewed for this story said they can better understand students’ needs and challenges.
“When the students are struggling, you have been in their shoes before and can talk to them and understand exactly where they are coming from,” Ms. Williams said.
Having dealt with a learning disability, these teachers can also share some advice with students on how they can approach their own challenges. “You have to be your best advocate,” Mrs. Price told The Informer. “No one else is going to know what and how you need things done unless you speak up for yourself.”
“Not all techniques work for everyone or each class,” Mr. Purdy advised students. “Be willing to try different things and be open to other people’s suggestions.”
Ms. VDA suggests using the technology available to help you learn, saying: “Using WYNN is part of my homework rubric! With my broken wrist, Dragon is my fingers!”
For Ms. Williams, the message is all about willpower.
“Never give up, and keep fighting. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different. If you believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything you put your heart to.”
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Woodlynde School is a private, co-ed college prep day school located in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that serves intelligent, talented students with learning differences in grades K - 12. Woodlynde provides a comprehensive, evidence-based Kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school program in a challenging yet nurturing environment for students with average to above average cognitive abilities (IQ) who have language- or math-based learning differences (such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia or Dyscalculia), Executive Function Challenges, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Auditory Processing Disorder. Even for those students without a diagnosed learning disability (LD), Woodlynde offers expert and caring teachers in small classroom settings that support academic success. Woodlynde School also offers a post-graduate (PG) program in partnership with Rosemont College as well as a regional Summer Camp for students who learn differently.
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