Post by ellyodd on Dec 6, 2004 16:17:33 GMT -5
My name is Mette, and I’m the one who has made this website and forum.
I’m 22 years old and from Denmark, a small country next to Sweden and Germany – we are the ones with H.C. Anderson (HE HAD DYSCALCULIA!), Lego, Aqua (Barbie Girl) and Viggo Mortensen
In March 2004 I found out that I was not alone with my problems with math. The Danish dyscalculia association was mentioned in a TV program and suddenly I understood myself so much more than before. I now know that I’m not lazy, stupid and alone with this.
Now I volunteer for the dyscalculia association. What I know of, it is the only one in the world. And that is sad, since 5% of the world is said to have this!
I could write a loooong story about my school experiences and problems in my daily life, but I think ill save that for when other people write about their experiences and are looking for help. But… the basic story…<br>
When I was about 8 years old, I discovered that math was more than difficult to me. I went to a normal school. My problems with learning also affected science, gymnastics, music and classes were you have to use your hands – like sowing and shop - I have motor skill problems with the dyscalculia.
In grade 7, I had enough. I had a teacher who verbally abused me for a couple of years, and no one understood what was going on. Meetings with teachers and parents was all about me being “lazy” and quiet in the classes I had trouble in, and no one ever said anything about me being good or very good in all the other classes. Then I got transferred to a special school for about 6 months, were I was tutored alone in all classes. In math, I did division 90% of the time, over and over and over again – I never understood anything. Oddly enough, I didn’t mind doing division all the time – but that was because my teacher wasn’t mad at me at any time for not understanding this. Since then, I really think she should have understood that something was really wrong, but I think she just didn’t know anything about being math disabled. For me, it was a break; I could breath, even though I did the same division over and over again.
After that, I went to another special school, and there I had a lot of different teachers in math. No one good, and two VERY, very ignorant people. I left that school in 10th grade and went to cooking school after that. Didn’t know that included math, deadlines, organizing and all the other things I have problems with. Had to stop. Then I went to a school were I took layout-classes, but that was no success-story either. After that, I went to a “folk high school” which is a Danish thing, for people in all age groups, were they can study what they want and there is no exams etc. – and you live on the school.
After 6 months there, I tried to pass 10th grade in an adult school, but since I'm on 3rd grade level in math, I wasn’t able to understand anything. And then, just my luck, I got two slipped discs in my back, and since the beginning of 2002 I haven’t been able to do anything. I’m getting better as we speak though, and I plan to study pedagogy from the beginning of august 2005.
Dyscalculia has really become something that I want to work with, since I found out that it exists. I hope to be able to volunteer for the dyscalculia association for the rest of my life, and I want to learn everything there is to learn about dyscalculia.
I’m 22 years old and from Denmark, a small country next to Sweden and Germany – we are the ones with H.C. Anderson (HE HAD DYSCALCULIA!), Lego, Aqua (Barbie Girl) and Viggo Mortensen
In March 2004 I found out that I was not alone with my problems with math. The Danish dyscalculia association was mentioned in a TV program and suddenly I understood myself so much more than before. I now know that I’m not lazy, stupid and alone with this.
Now I volunteer for the dyscalculia association. What I know of, it is the only one in the world. And that is sad, since 5% of the world is said to have this!
I could write a loooong story about my school experiences and problems in my daily life, but I think ill save that for when other people write about their experiences and are looking for help. But… the basic story…<br>
When I was about 8 years old, I discovered that math was more than difficult to me. I went to a normal school. My problems with learning also affected science, gymnastics, music and classes were you have to use your hands – like sowing and shop - I have motor skill problems with the dyscalculia.
In grade 7, I had enough. I had a teacher who verbally abused me for a couple of years, and no one understood what was going on. Meetings with teachers and parents was all about me being “lazy” and quiet in the classes I had trouble in, and no one ever said anything about me being good or very good in all the other classes. Then I got transferred to a special school for about 6 months, were I was tutored alone in all classes. In math, I did division 90% of the time, over and over and over again – I never understood anything. Oddly enough, I didn’t mind doing division all the time – but that was because my teacher wasn’t mad at me at any time for not understanding this. Since then, I really think she should have understood that something was really wrong, but I think she just didn’t know anything about being math disabled. For me, it was a break; I could breath, even though I did the same division over and over again.
After that, I went to another special school, and there I had a lot of different teachers in math. No one good, and two VERY, very ignorant people. I left that school in 10th grade and went to cooking school after that. Didn’t know that included math, deadlines, organizing and all the other things I have problems with. Had to stop. Then I went to a school were I took layout-classes, but that was no success-story either. After that, I went to a “folk high school” which is a Danish thing, for people in all age groups, were they can study what they want and there is no exams etc. – and you live on the school.
After 6 months there, I tried to pass 10th grade in an adult school, but since I'm on 3rd grade level in math, I wasn’t able to understand anything. And then, just my luck, I got two slipped discs in my back, and since the beginning of 2002 I haven’t been able to do anything. I’m getting better as we speak though, and I plan to study pedagogy from the beginning of august 2005.
Dyscalculia has really become something that I want to work with, since I found out that it exists. I hope to be able to volunteer for the dyscalculia association for the rest of my life, and I want to learn everything there is to learn about dyscalculia.