"I hate this class. I don't want to go," protests Greg everyday just before English. His friends were getting tired of hearing him complain.

"Why don't you just pretend that you are sick or something?" offered his friend Cynthia. "That way you can miss the class."

"That will never work. The nurse will know that I'm not sick. I'm just gonna sit in the back of the room and hope that I don't get called on," Greg looked proud. He didn't realize that teachers look for the kids that never raise their hand or slump down in their chairs to avoid being called on.

"Class, today we are going to start reading the book Catcher In the Rye, and I would like…hmm…Jessica to start reading chapter one, and we will go right down the row so everybody will have a chance."

Greg got really nervous but nevertheless, took his turn. As he stuttered his way through the first page, he began to hear laughing and whispering around him. He lost his concentration, which made it worse. He had trouble reading simple words and sounded to the other students, like a robot, using just one tone in his voice.  Greg was so embarrassed that he stopped reading. After class, Mrs. Lee pulled him aside.

"Greg, I didn't know that you had trouble reading."

"I'm just stupid and I hate to read. I can't focus on the meaning unless someone else is reading, so I miss the whole point. I am good at other stuff, like drawing," he said to cover up the shame he felt from not really being able to read.

"Yes, but Greg, it is important to learn how to read. It helps with other subjects as well," she explained.

"Nah. I don't need reading. I haven't needed it yet. I am going to be an artist."

"I am surprised that you have made it to the seventh grade without knowing how to read. Your other teachers should have noticed. You are not the only one who had trouble. Lots of kids have the same problem. You just need to read books that you are interested in, like a book about art. I see that you change words around and have problems sounding words out. There are things that you and your parents can do to improve your reading skills."

"Well. That's ok. I can read to myself, just not aloud and in front of people. I just get nervous." Mrs. Lee knew that he was lying and was too ashamed of his poor reading skills to get help.

"I have to go," Greg said suddenly. Just talking about his reading was making him very upset. He was tormented by the fact that he could not even read as well as his six- year-old brother. Mrs. Lee called and let his parents know that she could recommend a good tutor that specialized in learning disabilities so they could catch the problem before it was too late.

Learning disabilities, like dyslexia, are very common and nothing to be embarrassed about. You don't have to hate reading forever. There are many ways to improve reading and math skills so there are not more problems later in life. You will get better grades and have more self-confidence when participating in class. The pain experienced by having such a learning ability is well worth learning skills that best fit your learning needs and abilities.