Piper

Assignment: Using your princess for inspiration, talk about a time you’ve had to face a fear or overcome an obstacle standing in your way.

I guess I should thank my lucky stars that I’ve never been turned into a frog. At least that’s one thing I’ve got going for me. But I have a feeling I’m supposed to dig a little deeper (Ha ha! Get it? That’s a song from The Princess and the Frog!) with this assignment, huh?

Maybe you’ve read my school file and already know this, but I found out in second grade that I have dyslexia. I guess that’s sort of an obstacle that stands in my way. I sometimes mix up my letters, and I’m a slow reader and writer (I should get bonus points, since getting these journals right takes me forever, Ms. B!).

It took me a really long time to learn to read, and for a while I worried that maybe it was because I’m not very smart. I thought my brother had gotten all the brains in the family and there weren’t any left for me. But then I learned more about why I have so much trouble reading and writing, and now I know it’s not my fault.

Did you know there are some supersmart and creative people who had dyslexia? Like the artist Pablo Picasso, Apple founder Steve Jobs, movie director Steven Spielberg…And no one’s one hundred percent sure, but there are lots of articles that say Agatha Christie did, too (it’s crazy to think that an author could be dyslexic since her whole job was working with words!). They are all really important creators, so I’m in some pretty good company.

Dyslexia is the reason I started playing around with my own inventions in the kitchen. I’ve always liked to cook, but it was hard for me to follow written recipes. So I started making up my own. I like figuring things out for myself, and when I’m in the kitchen, I get to do just that! That’s one way I’ve worked around my challenge.

I try not to let my reading and writing troubles get me down. But I hate that I have such a hard time in school. My brother, Dan, is a total smarty-pants, and it seems like everything comes easily to him. And Finley, my little sister, is already reading, and she just started kindergarten. I hate messing up in school, and I really don’t like having to ask for extra help. And knowing my brother and sister are super perfect makes things even worse.

At my house, it sometimes feels a little bit like I’m competing with my siblings. Every time I bring home a report card or test, I know my parents are going to be disappointed it’s nothing like my brother’s. And my sister is always saying and doing funny (or naughty) stuff that gets everyone’s attention and makes people laugh. It sometimes feels like it’s me against them. Whoever stands out more wins. So that’s why I need to win The Future of Food. Then everyone will see that I’m the best at something, too!

Whoa. I wrote way more than a page this time. Go, me! (Does this mean I can skip next week’s assignment?)