Learning was difficult for me from the very beginning. It took a long time to finally get things to make sense. I was a slow learner in the primary school. The spelling board above is one of the learning tools my parents gave me to help me spell my name and other words. The board was forgotten until a couple of weeks ago my sister-in-law contacted me and wondered if I wanted it. My name was scratched into the center of the board in cursive. You can see how poor my second grade handwriting was at the time. I am one example of students who learn at a slower rate than average , but if given a chance can end up at the same place as others who learned faster.
Slow Learner
Back in 1954
Learning just starting for me was a chore
Second Grade just as hard as First
Trying to learn to write was the worst
Writing co-ordination did not exist
Making a D was a major twist
Compound curves and loop-t-loops
Sent me into a tizzy left me pooped
Spelling not much better just didn’t stick
A game in my toy box just might do the trick
Spelling abacus board red letters in a track
Sliding round and round to the middle and back
My name and words arranged in place
Giving me practice pushing my pace
Math did not click numbers did not jive
They came up wrong no matter how hard I tried
In Third and Fourth I struggled along
Not understanding why it took so long
When I got to Fifth things began to make sense
The numbers finally didn’t seem so dense
Mrs. Vilseck my teacher seem to understand
She helped me along and gave me a hand
My writing got better my spelling progressed
I finally began to keep up with the rest
I struggled with learning all through school
Compensations adaptations and repetition were the rule
Helping me make it from one step to the next
Life’s a continuous learning process at best
I’m grateful to all my teachers and friends
Who finally helped me learn in the end
After all these years creativity at its best
Art music and writing poetry with the rest
Computers opened doors to learning beyond pen
My writing shared round the world to the end
With you who read my blog and share your thoughts
You make my day every day with your talk
Inspiring me to carry on
*************************************
Game Board Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Roth Poetry 