Horse Gods: The Dressage Rider’s Betrayal

We All Learn at Our Own Pace

Ever struggle with a troublesome word or grammar rule? For most of my early life, I struggled with every word and all the rules because I simply could not learn to read. By the third grade, my teacher told my parents it would be a miracle if I graduated high school. Quite a dire prediction at such an early age! I was sent to a reading specialist, having to do the "walk of shame" leaving the classroom during fun periods of art or music to sit in an overheated room with a decrepit woman who tortured me for an hour. Elementary school was tough. But I did not give up and fulfill that teacher's prediction. When I finally discovered stories I loved, I started reading, then devouring books. Eventually, I graduated high school, went to college and earned a Master's degree, and can read in not only English, but also Russian, Persian, and some Italian. So, don't lose hope. Don't listen to people telling you you'll never be able to do something! Instead, find what you love and pursue it no matter what.