S3E13: The Reality of Dyslexia - How Schools Fail Our Kids

Do you want to empower your child with dyslexia to thrive and succeed in education? Imagine implementing inclusive education strategies and support to help your child reach their full potential. I'll be sharing the solution so that you can achieve that result.

The key moments in this episode are:
00:00:02 - The Impact of Sleep on Functioning
00:01:25 - Adapting to Time Zone Changes
00:07:20 - Educational Policy and Dyslexia
00:08:13 - Legal Loopholes in Education
00:10:44 - Advocating for Proper Diagnosis
00:12:58 - The Importance of Clear Diagnosis
00:13:26 - Impact of Diagnosis on Education
00:15:13 - Lack of Understanding in Education System
00:18:20 - Flaws in Standardized Testing
00:24:11 - Challenges of Teaching Different Learning Styles
00:25:46 - The Fascination of Being Good at Something You Don't Like
00:26:21 - The Complexity of Self-Esteem and Skills
00:28:21 - The Struggle and Suppressed Strengths of Dyslexia
00:29:54 - Understanding the Journey of Individuals with Dyslexia
00:33:11 - Empowering Others Through Knowledge 

Transcript:

00:00:02
Welcome back to Word blindness Dyslexia exposed. This is Juliet Hahn here with Brent Sopol. How are you? Wow, that was awful. How are you?

00:00:12
If anyone's watching this on YouTube, they can say like, I mean, my eyes are like, almost closed. I do not do well on little bit of sleep I used to do. I was like the queen. I could five hours I didn't need anymore. And I was always on point.

00:00:31
So you think off. I 100 know I was on point. It didn't affect anything. It didn't affect anything. It probably made me a little bit spazzier, but whatever.

00:00:41
I mean, I was really good at it. Now. Holy. If I don't get at least seven hours, like multiple days a week, I look like this. And I am like, instead of working all weekend, partying all weekend, that doesn't help either.

00:01:01
Okay. I did not party. But I was up late. I was up. So we were.

00:01:05
The group that we were with is actually really like, oh, none of you guys. And I was like, sorry, I had a lot of fun in my younger years. I'll just stick with my seltzer and cranberry and pretend I'm having a vodka in there. But we were up until midnight. Like, after dinner, we would go back and be like, okay, let's like break down the day.

00:01:25
Well. And you're in Texas. So that was a different time zone too, right? Yeah. Midnight is what?

00:01:30
That's 1am Your time. Thank you. And I kept saying that. Well, at like 8:30, I'm like, what time is it? I'm like, oh, it's really 9:30.

00:01:38
And everyone was with me. They're like, no, it's 8:30. Look at the clock. And I'm like, oh, I do this at daylight savings time too. I'm like, but it really feels like this.

00:01:46
My husband Hahn goes nuts. He's like, oh, my God, it doesn't. I was like, no, I have to like, condition my brain to like. Okay, yes. So I was up so Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then I didn't get home until midnight Sunday.

00:01:58
So that's four days not working out. I was eating cookie dough like it was my job. So it was so good. Yeah. So I used to travel.

00:02:06
When I traveled, I never get. I never got jet lagged because whenever I'd get on the plane, no matter where I was going through, you know, obviously east coast or it was going over to Russia or Europe, when I got on the plane, I moved my watch to that time zone. So then I was able to figure out what I Can do on the plane. Go. If I'm leaving at, you know, 9:00am, you know, Russian time, you know, I could have a quick nap, you know, two hours.

00:02:35
Right. Couldn't sleep in it. But if I'm leaving at 1:00 in the afternoon, their time, I had to fight it. Couldn't sleep because as soon as you, you know. So when I would land, would it be the first battle to get through it?

00:02:46
Yes. But then as soon as you'd land, you'd be right on their time zone. That's smart. So I. I cannot really nap in other places, like sitting up.

00:02:57
It just doesn't work that way. I know. I'm like, though. I. I'm like, no, because you don't stop talking person next to you.

00:03:05
The whole plane knew you were there. I did not, on the way home, have any plane friends on the way there. Yes, I did meet a plane friend, and it was the plane friend that initiated the conversation. I was listening to my music. I promise you.

00:03:18
Oh, my God, don't bullshit me. I promise you were literally. There was no WI fi. I can't. And you know what?

00:03:24
The thing that was actually funny is I was like, he was trying to get on WI Fi and I was like, oh, he's a little tightly wound. I was like, this guy is a little bit like, he's annoyed that he can't. I mean, he tried like 30 times. I was like, okay, something's wrong with the WI Fi. I'm just going to put music on and not like, listen to whatever I was listening to.

00:03:39
And then when the lady came to give us our drinks, I was getting a hot tea, he was getting some bourbon. He gets a hot tea. Are you out of your mind? I get a hot tea and I get hot. Teach.

00:03:55
Are you out of your mind? Well, I think anybody who wants to go get a hot drink on the planer. Out of your mind. You're one bounce away from McDonald's in your lap. Yeah, like, I got.

00:04:07
I got my. I got my Raya gel, just in case. I always get. I get a hot tea because then I'm like, okay. Because I'm always freezing on the airplane.

00:04:17
You're one bump away. I like living. What's. What's the term? What do you always say?

00:04:23
You're one question away from a different life. Change your different life. You're one bump away from the different life. That's so funny. Okay.

00:04:34
No, but I used to get like. I would used to get like a. Or whatever, a vodka that was like my Thing I loved getting on the plane to get to get to drink. No, I was always drunk before I got on the plane. But that's difference.

00:04:44
Now I get a hot tea because I'm like, okay, you're one bump away from a different life. I swear to God, if I get burnt, the next time I'm on an airplane, I'm going to curse at you. I've not. I've been drinking now hot tea for a couple years on the plane and I haven't had one bump. And I don't even pull my tray down.

00:05:00
I just hold it. Oh, you're. You are smart like stick. No, I have a top on it. There's a top.

00:05:11
Did you say I'm smart like stick? Listen. Okay, so anyways, he started talking and he's like, I gotta get a bourbon because I can't get on my WI fi. And then I was like, what's today's topic? Oh, this is not today's topic.

00:05:29
Okay, I need attention. Where's your hat? Okay, I'm gonna come through there and poke you in the eyes if I could. Okay, I don't need attention. You're the one who said I talk too much on the plane.

00:05:45
I wanted to tell you that the man next to me is the one that talked with his wouldn't be so defensive if it wasn't true, right? Because I do talk, but I know when not to. Anyways, off. Okay, so today's topic. So we had a dinner and I did get to talk a lot about a lot of things.

00:06:06
And one of them was with the gentleman from California. We started talking about. We started talking about dyslexia, actually. Fun enough. And I don't remember how that was brought up, but then he was saying, actually we started talking about something else that we're not going to talk about on here because it's whatever, it was a little bit more political stuff.

00:06:29
And I was like, oh, are we. But then I was like, oh, oh, he's not what I thought he was. Then I was like, okay, this is interesting. So now we can have a conversation. I thought he was going to go down.

00:06:38
Like, yeah, yeah, then. And that could lead into the conversation I had with the principal, you know, last week, too.

00:06:47
Do you want to do that first? No, you go ahead. You go through. I. I would like to let you speak because I don't always talk.

00:07:00
I'd like to say, does a duck dick drag weeds? Yes. Okay. Okay. So it goes to, you know, you know, obviously, the abolishing of the Educate.

00:07:20
You Know, not political, obviously. That's what Trump signed the executive order to get rid of the education.

00:07:30
And everybody thinks you're up in my arms. That, you know, now everybody. Everything is going, going hell bent. No, you know, obviously it's already helped now it's just, it's just going be being put on the state, you know, on each state to make the, make the decision. What goes on.

00:07:46
Basically, all, all the education department was, was a funnel through, of, of funding which. And then the state makes a decision where it goes. But so I talked to a principal where my actually my kids went to elementary school. She's been there, you know, eight years and her daughter's in, in one of my hockey classes. And we were talking about how they call them not dyslexia, right?

00:08:13
They call it learning difference. So it's not a big deal. I'm like, yeah, it's a massive deal. I said the difference between the learning. What is the learning difference?

00:08:21
There's a million, you know, obviously there's a. Tons of different things that fall in their bracket. Dyslexia. And her response is, oh, but I put it in the notes.

00:08:34
What the does that have to do with a diagnosis? Oh, a learning difference. But in the notes on the side, I put dyslexia. Oh, really? So it's not, it's part of the diagnosis, but then you won't put it in there.

00:08:55
In the state of Illinois, passed in 2024. If you're here in Illinois, listening, they no longer accept neuropsychs. The school's got to do their evaluation. But this, this is just kind of what we're talking about of how they find ways around the legal system. So by putting it learning difference, you can maybe pick 20 different ways that you can supposedly support a kid.

00:09:29
Now, dyslexia. There's only two. Two different reading programs. What's cheaper, what's easier, what's more accessible? 20 or 2.

00:09:39
They go with 20. So. Oh, yeah, yeah, we're doing a good job, you know, and people are talking about 504s and IEPs. You know, things are gonna happen. It doesn't fucking matter.

00:09:51
What they're doing now aren't helping, right? It's actually hurting what they're doing. So all these people that want to be in social media saying all the 504s are IEPs, it doesn't fucking matter. Just as this principal where my kids went to school said, oh, we put it in the notes. No, it's a diagnosis.

00:10:09
You put it in the 504 the IEP. And you leave it there. You don't put it to the notes. Where does the note go? Does the note travel with you?

00:10:16
No, no. Goes in the fucking garbage. So, okay, so I want to talk on this because I have two things to say on that. Which one of them is that's where she has a little bit of awareness, because the notes. That's like what I had to fight for New York to get it in the notes.

00:10:35
So this is like a tube. This is. Oh, I like this. Okay, good. One, two things I could say.

00:10:44
You know what? She actually has some awareness and knows that that needs to BE in an IEP or a 504 for the teacher to be able to understand. So she, she's like, okay, yes, I know there's something wrong with just saying specified learning disability, right? So she's like. So she's.

00:11:02
She's one. She's like, when we talk about when some people are actually knowledgeable and they do try to help, right? So she's like, okay, which is a good thing? That's a 1B, 1B or 1C, right? Not 1A.

00:11:13
What? Not a 1A. Right, exactly. I love that. So she at least have.

00:11:18
I agree. I agree with you 100%. So, like, if a parent doesn't know that, right. I had to fight because I know. But a lot of parents don't know it and they just leave the specified learning disability with no notes of like, actually what it is.

00:11:30
And so great. That's a, that's a great thing. However, as you said, is going traveling. When they redo it, if the parent doesn't realize, oh, wait, this needs to keep going. Like, does she educate the parent afterwards?

00:11:44
And like, you know what? You need to always fight this. No, because they can't do that because it's a business. Right? And they're not going to do that.

00:11:50
Go ahead. Right? And you think, you think of a note, think of a white piece of paper on top of a file. So how many times if you're, you know, in the office building, right? You all that note fell down, right?

00:12:01
Now it's gone. So when you, if you get the diagnosis in elementary school, right? That and you're taking that note to middle school, you know, now, then the high school, is that note ever going to fall off? 100%, it's going to. So go ahead.

00:12:18
Now the thing is, in depends on where she's putting. So like with Montgomery's, it was his specified learning disability. And right underneath it was like, and I don't remember the wording. But it was in the. In the actual.

00:12:30
It wasn't like a sticky note. It was. No, no, no. And so I wasn't saying a sticky note. I was using that as a reference point for a thought process.

00:12:38
Because a note is just a note. It's not a part diagnosis. So you're right. It wasn't a sticky note. It doesn't have to stay.

00:12:46
So that was kind of. That was. That was my bad explanation for. Yes, it will be typed in there or written in there, but as visual purposes, I was saying to think of a sticky note. Yep.

00:12:58
Because it's not part of the. The formal diagnosis. It's not part of it. So, yeah, that note could be falling off like that piece of paper at any point in time is. Is what I was saying.

00:13:09
So I agree. No, and I. And I'm glad that you clarified because you know that we're gonna have people being like, it's not a sticky note. And missing the whole. The whole concept of what you're saying.

00:13:19
So that's why I just wanted to explain what. Well, because. Right, exactly. But I was thinking. I was like.

00:13:26
And that's. That's the, The. You're right. She's a 1B, 1C. But that's the difference from being 1B or 1C to 1A.

00:13:35
And that's life changing. Right. If that, you know, if that parent doesn't understand, isn't fully aware of what this all means and the information isn't out there. Right. Even if she does, you know, how many parents have we talked to?

00:13:49
And we talk, get comments and people sending us, oh, yo, we thought this would happen. We thought, you know, we thought that this was going to pass long. We thought this was good. Right. They don't know the, the.

00:14:03
The gruel. Ins and outs of what this is and how, you know. So maybe 10% of the people have the depth of understanding that we have. How many people, Weaver. Just as you did.

00:14:18
Oh, I trusted the school district that this would continue. Yeah. And then now, oh, no, you know, so. Right. Oh, I'm going to a new school.

00:14:29
Where's that? Like, right. And then the new person comes in and they change the words. Just like when we came from Connecticut to New York, they took those words out and it was like, I had the knowledge, so I fought. Right.

00:14:41
So, like, is this. Is this principal. Which is great, she's 1B. But is she educating? No.

00:14:46
So the parents are still, like, going and being like, okay, well, I'm seems like I'm getting what I Need to get right because it's in there. So they have some sort of trust. Because it's like, well, no, they're doing some things that happens all the time. Because we have talked to many people. They're like, no, no, my school district did this and my kid is okay.

00:15:04
And it's like, you know what? You got a good one. That's awesome. But the majority of people don't. And if you move or do anything, like, you have to.

00:15:13
You have to have some knowledge about it. And that's why we're always talking on things, talking in different. Sometimes the same subject, but different experiences. So it clicks for people because you need to hear it seven times, right? You need to hear it before all of a sudden it's like, wait a second.

00:15:27
And I, you know, I had a call with a mom last week.

00:15:32
Her daughter, dyslexic, obviously, was getting services. You know, it helped get her scores up to whatever they were, but she was still bottom 10% of. I don't. I can't remember. She said if it was a class, the district, whatever.

00:15:58
And now they want to take the services. So they're still at the bottom 10, but now you want to take them away. So always schools like, oh, yeah, good. You know, she went up five points or six points or whatever that she's out here. You're still missing the point that she's still at the bottom 10% or bottom 5% or about 8% of the whole school district, whatever.

00:16:20
Whatever that is. So now you want to take the services away. So again, you got, you know, you got me. You got her up 4% or 5% or 10%, whatever that is, she's still in the bottom. So now why are you trying to take it away?

00:16:37
So tell me how the 504s or, you know, the IPs or the 504 are helping. Great. You, great help for a year. Now you want to take it away. And we're not saying, like, we, like whenever.

00:16:49
When people are like, oh, my gosh, right? I'm like, it's a shit show. I'm not saying I think that it's a great idea or not a great idea. I don't know. But I know something needs to change in the education system.

00:16:58
So, like, let's. Let's pray that this could be it. Yes. Is it going to get really messy? I mean, look at South Carolina, where, right the day.

00:17:06
Or like a week before school started, they pulled all. Anyone that got a certain score on their standardized testing or their special Education, testing. If they got a certain score, they got all of their services taken away out of nowhere that like, I couldn't even, that would have panicked me. Like there's so many things, as you said, the services. And you've heard the last number of podcasts gone out, we've talked about that.

00:17:32
Like the services level the playing field. But one of the things that you kind of, we seguate into this is the testing. Right. The standardized testing. This school is.

00:17:45
I mean, there's so many, there's so many things that I, again, because I was a struggler, that I really hate about school. So, I mean, so, so many things. There's things that I'm like, oh, you know what I enjoyed. I know you didn't, but like, I enjoyed my friends, I enjoyed the sports, I enjoyed things that I did do. But when you think about school the way they teach, they teach you how to take a test and standardize testing, there's nothing in life that you're really learning in school unless you struggle and you're trying to figure out, you're critically thinking, trying to get out.

00:18:20
So that is why sometimes, you know, you think of someone that's really, really book smart. I mean, I am. There's a couple different conversations that we got into that I thought were really fascinating about book smart people that are critical thinkers, the education system. This is like the conversations I was having at dinner at this conference. And when you really think about it, someone that's book smart is great.

00:18:44
Someone that gets their PhD, that's great. That's great for them. I'm saying great meaning like that's, that's, you know what? Perfect. Everybody's got their, their strengths.

00:18:53
Yep. But a lot of times and I was talking to a couple PhDs that didn't mean to go and get their PhD. It wasn't their plan. They were like, it just kind of happenstance. It made sense for my career.

00:19:06
I did it. However they had the critical thinking because they were, they maybe, you know, there was a different path that they went. But then you talk to some PhDs that IT school they were good at. So they were like, I'm not going to go venture out here and struggle. I'm just going to stay here.

00:19:24
This is comfortable. Stay here where I'm good at. And they're, and they're book smart. I'm, I'm not knocking at all. If you're listening to this and you're like, that's so mean.

00:19:32
No, I'm not. That's not what I'm saying it's just, it is, it's another skill set. But real life, you need that critical thinking. And schools, I mean, they don't teach you any of that. And the standardized testing, right, so to your point, right, Those people are good at tests, so they have good scores, right?

00:19:53
Yeah. Are we good at tests? No, we can't take, we can't take tests that way. Way. So now, so now they're good at taking tests that way.

00:20:03
That's their strength. So we're playing to their strengths, right? Are they playing to our strengths? No. Right.

00:20:10
So those standard testing are completely unfair, biased, you know, built by, because that's their strength. And of course, if that was my strengths, that's the place where I would stay all day long, right? We look for self esteem. That's all we talk about on this plate in this pod is self esteem and what we're good at, right? So we, I would stay there too.

00:20:33
So God bless that they found it. But a hundred percent they're not playing to, they're not playing to our strengths, right? How now if we could do standardized testings, you know, that way for them and the way we need it for us now, you'd get true numbers of, of what? Because you're trying to find out in those standardized testing what information, you know, right. Not how you take the tests, right?

00:20:58
Information. No. So now if we did standardized testings our way, you know, so if we took them all the great taking those standardized tests and let them take tests our way, what would their scores be the way we need to. Right? If you flip flop those, what would that, what would that be?

00:21:19
I, I mean I think that they would be fine because they have a book smart. And I, I actually think that they, I think people that are good in school and good at books and good at that, they can figure out how to study and, and take a test. Oh good. Oh, I like that. Well, poked at the school.

00:21:34
No, no, no. You know Penelope, right, she said to you, I've learned, right? I've learned how I need to study, correct? Yeah. And she.

00:21:44
That's not how, that's not how she's right. That's not how she studies. So if she's studying her way, right? You already went through this with her and that teacher wasn't, you know, sitting in, you know, was fitting into those confines, right? And she figured out what would she do?

00:22:03
Well, well, in the beginning. Yeah. Well no, in the beginning she was struggling, right? And so she, and she took it on upon herself to be like the way you're giving the information, it's not, you know, that's right. You.

00:22:14
She got back to her. But that point I'm making is that she was struggling. Right? Yeah, no, you're right. Okay, but would they do, would they still do pretty good?

00:22:25
I agree with you. I still agree they're, they're, they're book smart. They'd still probably pretty good. But I don't think they'd be as good as the other way because that's plays to their strengths. The other way doesn't completely.

00:22:39
Yeah, so I hear you. But I, and I, but I think, and this is where I think why school is so backwards. I actually think that the way we learn and the way we need to take a test that people that are good in school could adjust to do it and that they. And then it would equal. Just like when I always yell like, okay, so there are reading programs, right, that everyone can learn.

00:22:59
Like why aren't they doing that? That's so stupid. Like why wouldn't they teach? Because they're expensive. We know the costs and stuff.

00:23:05
But like if there's a way that everyone can learn to read, why wouldn't everyone just do that and not do like this curriculum where they know dyslexics can't. Like they're going to have some kids that can't do it, you know, and to that question is do we know that? No, that's just always been a speculation in my head. Like that's, you know, I was always that that was one of my arguments. Yeah.

00:23:25
And I don't think there is. Right. You know, because now you're talking about two different sides of the brain.

00:23:34
So left brain, right brain. You hear this conversation. We have these conversations. Left brain, you know, they're different. Right, right people are different people.

00:23:42
Right brain are different people. So is there a program that brings the two of them. I again, I'm not a teacher, I'm not a PhD and outside, I don't know of one right there, the big buzz is science of reading right now. Big buzz. You know, there's no proof of any of that.

00:24:02
Right? How is it? It's. This is the biggest money, money, money grab out there. So yeah, to that point, what you just said is there.

00:24:11
I don't know of one. There could be. I don't know what, you know what that whole. I'd be curious and to, you know, doing it so that both people can read. People say there is the, you know, dig deeps, you know, there's money.

00:24:32
So that's that's the. All the ultimate. But you're dealing with two different brains. Yeah. A left brain and a right brain.

00:24:39
And there's also a third different brain in there.

00:24:43
You're not a guy. How would you know?

00:24:51
Now, okay, there is people that are way stronger on one. People are way stronger that also. I've come across people that are, like, strong on both. They're very fascinating. Like, I'm like, wait, you're creative and you're like, you know, like.

00:25:07
And now. Now we're getting a whole nother, you know, 100, you know, just for, you know, time. Like, we, you know, dyslexics. Whenever we start reading with our right side of the brain, right. Everyone's left.

00:25:20
Right. So it's, you know, it's. It's. Well, how I always describe it is we start reading the right. It goes up and take a bowl of spaghetti.

00:25:31
Mm. That's all our wiring. That's why everything's just all over the place. Right? Just.

00:25:37
And people over here, you know, left brain, it doesn't move. Right. Stays there. Right. You're reading here so you don't have to go through the bowl of spaghetti.

00:25:46
The bowl is good. Right. Which is very interesting. And you said something in the beginning, and this is something that has been fascinating me on many different levels. But when you're good at something, that's what you gravitate for, too, right?

00:26:03
I've come now across and, like, gotten into conversations with a number of different people that are good at something. However, they don't like it. And it boggles my mind. I'm like, how can you be good at something but not like it? And they're like, how.

00:26:21
Why don't you understand? I'm like, because anything I'm good at, I like anything I'm not good at. What? That's the truth. That's a true definite of.

00:26:29
Of a dyslexic. Right there. We talk about self esteem, right? Right. Yeah.

00:26:33
They. They're good at something. They don't like it because they have other skills. A lot of things, right? Oh, yeah, it is.

00:26:43
And. And I will say it's. One of them recently was my daughter, who was, like, such an athlete and is like, what's the purpose? And I'm like, what do you mean, what's the purpose? Like, what.

00:26:52
What are you talking about? How. How is that on purpose? You're so good. But she's also really good at other things.

00:26:59
And Montgomery and I would always say she's like, anything she does, but then she would get pissed. She's like, no, I have to work like that. Like, it's not. Doesn't. Everything doesn't come easy to me.

00:27:06
And I'm like, to us, looking from the outside, it looks like it comes easy to you because we couldn't even tackle that. The fact that she taught herself, you know, adjusted herself in this biology class to the teacher, even though she talked to her, and she's like, she's still not making it. Then figured out how she needed all these things that just I at her. And I'm like, you fascinate me. She's like, mom, it's kind of.

00:27:27
And I'm like, no, no. You're like, she now gets it and sees some. Especially with the work I'm doing. And I'll, like, ask her a question or she'll read something and she'll be like, oh. Like, she does get it.

00:27:37
But there's still not like a sympathy or not sympathy. I shouldn't say that. There's like, it's a different understanding. So it's a really interesting thing for me to have raised three different kids or raising three different kids. It's crazy how different they, you know, they all come from the same spot and how different each, you know, each kids.

00:27:54
And it is. Is a fascinating thing to think you're good at something, but you don't like it. Like, I. When talking to that one scientist, remember math? She was like, three levels above in math.

00:28:07
And everyone was like, you're going to be a math. She's like, I hated math. And I was like, but you're right, you were good at it. She's like, I was so good at it. And I'm like, okay, well, what.

00:28:14
I want to know what. There was some. Something happened in that little pot there, right? She's good. Other places she's good at go, we don't.

00:28:21
Again, for the most part, we don't usually. Right. But it's also, if you break it down, if you're dyslexic, just think how many times a day you read. If you're listening to this, just think, try struggling every single time. So we may have other strengths.

00:28:40
You know, we may have two or three other strengths, but they're wiped away. Or two. Two out of three are wiped away. Because how many times we struggle, we. We don't even see our strengths a lot of times because we str so much.

00:28:55
So there's usually only that one thing that we're good at that we see because the other ones get covered up. By how many times that we struggle and how many mistakes. And you know, had one yesterday, you know, going to make a text message and you know, again, flip flop the numbers. I'm texting the wrong person, right? What didn't I just say to you?

00:29:18
I was like, I know I responded to that email. I like, I know I was walking, because I was walking through the conference and I was responding to the email and it's not in the email chain. I was like, it isn't in my drafts. It's not my drafts. It's like, okay, maybe I sent that to someone else.

00:29:31
There might be another Alex. And that is, I think that was part of the conversation I had at dinner as well, was like the interesting facts of when people are like, oh, I know someone with dyslexia. Dyslexia, but they're really, you know, really smart. They're really good. They're the smartest person I've ever known.

00:29:54
But they're seeing them here. And I said like, this one guy was like, you know, one of my really closest friends is dyslexic. And he's like, you know, he's, he's so creative and he's so this and that. I was like, when you go home, ask him how school was like, just ask him and see what, see what his reaction is. And he's like, no, I will.

00:30:11
Because he really only talks about the good sides. And I can, he's like, I know the struggles because I, you know, I could see some of the, you know, some of the stuff and, you know, and I think he even made an example of like going out to dinner and being like, you know, oh, I got, I'm going to do the tip or whatever. I was like, he's probably a little calculated there too. I was like, you know, and so there, there's those little things that as you say, and we talk about that we do all day long or that someone doesn't struggle, like at the conference talking to doctors and then being like, hey, take my email down now. I have a great counterpart that's like, I'll take it down because I'm like me putting it my notes, I'm going to misspell it.

00:30:50
Like, it doesn't matter. What's that business card. You can, on your phone, you can touch their phone and transfer it over. Oh, yeah, yeah, I used to have that, but yeah, so there's a link. LinkedIn does one thing, but there's like a little patch and I forget the name of it.

00:31:06
There's a Couple of different companies that do it, you can touch and it, like, goes. And then you get all this, you know, swap the information or whatever, so you don't have to, you know, type it out, you know, and that's the thing, you know, a great. That he recognizes that he's very creative. Right. And.

00:31:21
And he's probably like, oh, I wish I was that creative. Right. So there's a part of that admiring him, which is great, but how many of us never get to that point? Right? And that's where we talk so much about, though, and why we bring these things up time and time again.

00:31:40
Because it depends on where you are in your life, in your world. If you know people with dyslexia, if you don't, where you're like, oh, it's not that big a deal. They're the smartest people I know. Right. But you don't go back.

00:31:52
They. They've had a journey. They've had the shit they've had. They've got walls right. Where they've dug themselves out, right.

00:31:59
Where it's like. It has. Not always. You're just catching them at this time. We all go through that, right?

00:32:04
We all go through ups and downs. I mean, oh, life. Life isn't easy. I think we have a Berlin Wall built around us, and I think a lot of dyslexic or non dyslexics have Berlin Walls with doors that you're able to walk through. Right.

00:32:26
We have to climb over. Right. Because we've built them so up with all our struggles. That's a pretty good scenario. Yeah, that was.

00:32:34
That was. I was like. I actually saw myself climbing up the wall. Right, right. And then, you know, you know, non dyslexic.

00:32:41
Oh, I'm just gonna walk through that door. But I can open the door and walk through and get to the other side and not. And. And show that I'm okay with doing that. Yeah, no, that was.

00:32:50
That was actually a great. We're gonna leave it at that. I mean, it's just. It's again, things to think about, things to as just as life and education and all of the messy stuff that's happening in the world. But why every.

00:33:11
You know, every day we're talking about this. Not only that, but why we do the podcast. Because there's a lot of things that you don't think about. And you might have heard us talk in different scenarios, but we always make it different. And it's just some of the things that it's like, okay, now it's Going to click.

00:33:27
Oh, and then you might find different analogies, like, you know, the, the. The yellow piece of paper. Right. Just trying to. Trying to paint a different perspective and view for other people.

00:33:40
Because you don't see it our way. Your brain's not wired that way. So maybe I can, you know, the Berlin Wall with the door, you know, can paint a different viewpoint so somebody else can see it in a different way. Exactly. We're going to leave it at that.

00:33:56
Thank you for joining. Word blindness, dyslexia exposed. You guys know, I say it every single time. You do not know who needs to hear this. You do not know who is struggling.

00:34:06
You do not know who is all of a sudden having a grandkid, an aunt, an uncle, someone that is having a kid that's like, wait, I think that they're struggling. I've seen them do X, Y and Z. It's those things. Knowledge is power. And that's why we do this podcast.

00:34:20
So, like, rate, review and share. And don't forget to go. Sopal foundation.org there's some shop. I know some people have been asking about the green sweatshirt. It is there.

00:34:29
Some people have been asking about the hat. There is a shop button on there. If you haven't subscribed to the newsletter, go to LinkedIn, because we have a LinkedIn under Brent at. So it's Brent. So on LinkedIn.

00:34:42
And we talk about all the different events that are coming up. That's something that's really important because we people are always like, well, when's that happening? We want you to put that in your calendar. Now, do you want to really quickly mention the golf event when, what that date is? Yeah.

00:34:56
September 15th, Riverside Country Club here, South side of Chicago, will be the same place you had last year. September 15th. All locked in. I get to finish up the sponsorship package and the whole sponsorships and the foursomes. So that'll be done here in the next 10 or 14 days.

00:35:14
Perfect. All right, so that's when you want to be on the newsletter, because these are the kind of things that we talk about. And then the cup dinner, that's going to be happening in October. Yeah. Once all that solidified, then we'll announce that.

00:35:26
Yes. All right, guys, thank you again.