Dear Nitzan,
If you remember, 11 months ago I wrote to you the long path I went through which at the end I got to be an honors student in the merit of the early assessment I received at Nitzan. So, I'll go back and mention what I went through and who I am today.
The first assessment that I did was even before 1st grade. At this assessment it was decided that I wasn't mature enough to go to 1st grade and that I would need to stay in kindergarten another year.
The second assessment was when I was bit older, in 6th grade. It started with an informal assessment by my parents and teachers. I was against doing another formal evaluation and the subsequent leniencies that I would be given. I didn't understand in the beginning why this is good for me and I just thought that this isn't for me, even though I had so many difficulties in writing. Nevertheless, my parents decided to continue making efforts that I do an assessment and they continued pushing for my success in my studies.
Here, I'd like to address parents who are worried about taking their children to an evaluation and assessment. I want to tell them that there is nothing bad with a child with a learning disability. There is no need to worry about taking the child to an evaluation. The evaluation will only help them and it will even raise their self confidence which is currently so low, since they're not succeeding in exams, projects, or other things in which they would like to succeed. If you will only do the evaluation and show them that it's not a big deal and give them complete support, they'll only blossom and even achieve excellence.
My parents supported me and turned to your wonderful association which received me in the most pleasant and sweet way that could be. I won't say that this was easy, that my classmates saw I was getting leniencies in class; however, in the merit of my parents and teachers who explained and supported me and even staff and graduates of Nitzan that I saw they did, in fact, make it to university and excellence, I understood that I have no reason to be embarrassed. Only someone who is embarrassed because of his leniencies won't advance further.
I made it to high school and there my teacher helped me with everything I needed as far as learning. On the bagrut (graduation) exams, I received leniencies like a vocabulary list in English, oral exam, extra time, etc... and in the merit of these leniencies and with the support of my teachers and parents, I made it to be one of the top students in my class, so much so that I would help tutor other students without learning disabilities to prepare for the bagrut and other exams and to help them get through the exams.
Currently, I have been in the army for a year now with a complete graduation certificate and a grade average of 80. I plan on learning in university to be a geography teacher.
In summary, I'd like to address:
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Parents of learning disabled- don't be embarrassed of your children, help them because they need this help. Also your support is vital, because without the support of my parents, I wouldn't of gotten anywhere and I would have even dropped out of school.
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Learning disabled- don't be embarrassed of who you are because you can only gain (by not being embarrassed). Always remember that we are equal and even better than someone without learning disabilities. Remember too, that with this disability you can get everywhere, even to university and to earn degrees.
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Teaching staff- I hope you will always treat the learning disabled equally, because we're in need of your support more than anything else and we hope you will not discrimanate against us. Here, I'd like to thank two teachers who helped me in everything I needed help with. The first teacher who helped me and my parents to reveal that I am learning disabled and I am in need of complete support and leniencies that helped get to where I am today. The second teacher, my teacher in high school for three years, she supported me not only in my studies but also in my personal life and therefore I would like to give her a big thank you, that in her merit I passed the bagrut exams and other crises that I had.
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Staff of Nitzan-"Stay the way you are, always smiling, pleasant, and always fun to come and tell about..."
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