Thank You For Seeing Her And Helping Her See!
When I was teaching third grade, I had a student who struggled with reading. This was back in the olden days, when it was unusual for an eight-year-old to be functionally illiterate. She was particularly quiet and hesitant in class, and when I talked to her, I realized why: previous teachers had somehow convinced her she wasn’t very bright. I could see how [Student] had flown under the radar; she was, after all, a very quiet and well-behaved child, and I’m sure her previous teachers had matters and students and behaviors that seemed more pressing. But I liked to check in with my students individually when able to, and after one conversation with [Student], I could tell that she was incredibly intelligent. The way she thought things over and the way she was able to make many logical connections in her head was like some of my more typically intelligent students.
One day, during a semi-private conversation, [Student] opened up to me in frustration. The way she ranted to me all made sense, but something about the way she spoke about reading seemed off.
Me: “[Student], have you ever had your eyes checked?”
Student: “No, I haven’t.”
I’m sure she must have done it in kindergarten, but the state I was teaching in at the time only mandated eye tests in kindergarten, and I’d heard of children falling through the cracks. I encouraged her to ask her parents about getting her vision checked. From the sound of it, they were a bit reluctant, but to their credit, they followed through.
The next week, [Student] burst into class with a huge grin on her face.
Student: “During the eye test, I could see clearly for the first time!”
It turned out that I was correct. [Student] had horrible vision. Apparently, her vision was so poor that the new glasses she got the following week were only half of the prescription needed to fully correct her vision, and she would get the full prescription in a few months, so as not to overwhelm her brain with the sudden clarity!
Within days of getting her first pair of glasses, [Student] was practically a different child. She was more outgoing and confident, engaging with her classmates, raising her hand to answer questions, and even laughing more.
I have never forgotten this incident, but I thought to share it here after getting an email from [Student] a few days ago with a PDF attached. It was a scientific paper she had written in grad school, which was in very technical jargon that I couldn’t understand, but she also thanked me for seeing the intelligence in her when everyone else had dismissed her.