Growing Up Stupid | Teen Ink

Growing Up Stupid MAG

By Anonymous

     Kids yell as they ride their bikes down the street with water guns. The Oklahoma sun makes it hot enough to cook an egg on the ground. Sweat pours down a little girl’s face and mixes with her tears. Why am I so stupid? she wonders. Why can’t I read? She tells herself she can’t play until she reads 10 pages but as she struggles, she only cries harder.

All summer long the little girl works at trying to finish a second grade text, though she will be entering third grade.

When school starts, her classmates make fun of her, calling her stupid. Her teacher tells her she will never be anything and that she might as well give up. The teacher even goes so far as to tell the whole class that they should work harder to make sure they aren’t stupid like her. She only has two friends; one girl’s family works with handicapped people, and the other is a black girl, one of three in her school. It gets to the point where her parents demand she be tested to see if she is mentally retarded.

So, one day a man comes and takes her out of class. He gives her a reading test. She can’t do it, and she starts crying harder than ever. The man stops the test and asks her about some pictures. Some are ink blots and when he asks what they look like, she starts to tell a story. He asks her lots of questions, all of which she answers. He gives her some math problems and she solves them easily. Then he returns to the reading test, this time telling her what sounds different letters make and she doesn’t have nearly as much trouble reading.

That night her parents, teacher, principal, guidance counselor, the man, and she have a meeting. They conclude that she has never been taught phonics and has a slight case of dyslexia. The man even says that she is one of the smartest little girls he has ever met, that she knows all about art, and her oral skills are amazing.

Still, as the year progresses, things get worse. Her classmates call her stupid and retarded; they push her and shun her, and so does her teacher. She runs from class every day to see the guidance counselor. By the end of the year her mom starts taking her out of class early so kids can’t beat her up after school.

Then, the family moves from Oklahoma to Illinois. Every time somebody tells her she’s stupid, she tries not to think about it. Every time somebody calls her a retard she says, “Nope, I’ve been tested for that.” But still, it hurts. The past makes you who you are, but it doesn’t determine who you will become. What happens can make you strong, if you let it. Otherwise, it can pull you down forever.



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This article has 5 comments.


i love this so much!

on Mar. 29 2013 at 7:33 pm
This was an amazing article! I love how the man told the girl  she was the one of the SMARTEST little girls  he has ever met!!! Just HATE the fact that despite this the children( or more so brats) still bullied her, and teacher did nothing to stop it!

on Mar. 11 2013 at 8:58 pm
PrinceHansismyworld SILVER, New Bedford, Massachusetts
7 articles 0 photos 28 comments

Favorite Quote:
"a villain and a victim should never be the same person”

I thought it was sad and patetic how the teachers actually encouraged the bullying instead of being responsible and stopping it. 

on Jun. 11 2010 at 5:19 pm
Rock_Starr96 BRONZE, Somewhere, California
1 article 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Growing older is mandatory, growing up is an option." - Heather Brewer

i dont have any disorders or anything but at the school i went to last year the teachers thought i was stupid and should be held back.  at the end of the school year my parents switched me to a different school, now that that years over, even though i didnt do my work, my test scores were considered proficient or advanced and instead of being considered stupid im smart.  dont let those people push you around because they dont know what you go through. i was considered dumb because i cant do my work and for you its because of the dyslexia but everybody has a waek point at something.

Bethani GOLD said...
on Mar. 23 2010 at 11:23 pm
Bethani GOLD, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
10 articles 0 photos 508 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is perfect until you sit back and realize how boring it is without risks.

my friend has dyslexia. she loves to read now that she has received help. i have a learning disorder but i get mainly a's and b's in school. i don't let my disorder stop me!