When someone misspells something or messes up a math problem, they'll often say, "I'm so dyslexic!" Little do they know that dyslexia isn't what caused them to make their math mistake.

Dyslexia isn't a disease that causes you to make mistakes; it's a reading difficulty. Really smart people can have dyslexia, not just "stupid" people. One of my friends (not on Whyville) has mild dyslexia, and he is a geography and history genius. He is very kind and responsible, and makes friends easily. Dyslexia doesn't affect him, other than making him read a little slower.

Another mental 'extreme' is "giftedness". How can this be bad, you might ask? It's tough because other people don't always understand you. How would you feel if you could play the violin really well, and people kept asking you to play for them all the time? They might not see beyond your musical talent to your soccer skills or your kind heart; they might only care about your violin playing.

You would soon find you play only because you want recognition, but each time you performed would be a knife to your heart because you felt that was the only thing anyone liked about you. Other violinists would be jealous and competitive, so you would have trouble making friends in your social circles.

Now pretend that your violin ability was academic intelligence. See?

Even people who are smart and successful face challenges. Check out this list that I got from my sources:

John F. Kennedy received constant reports of "poor achievement" and was a lousy speller.

Beethoven's music teacher once said of him, "As a composer, he is hopeless."

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade and finished last in his class at Harrow, England.

Sally Jesse Raphael was fired at least 19 times before becoming the host of her own TV and radio shows.

Paul Orfalea, founder of the successful Kinko's Copy Centers chain, was placed in a class for retarded students after he failed second grade due to dyslexia.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because he had "no good ideas" and he "doodled too much."

Singer-dancer-choreographer Debbie Allen was turned down by a dance school.

Isaac Newton-who discovered calculus, authored the theory of universal gravitation, originated the three laws of motion, and formulated the binomial theorem-did poorly in grade school.

Dr. Robert Jarvick was rejected by 15 American medical schools. He later invented an artificial heart.

Madeleine L'Engle's book, A Wrinkle In Time, was rejected by almost every major publisher before Farrar, Straus, and Giroux agreed to publish it -- after warning that the book would probably not sell. It went on to win the Newbery Medal, and is a treasured classic of children's fantasy novels.

Tina Brown -- former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker -- was expelled from school.

So was swimming champion and former host of public radio's The Savvy Traveler, Diana Nyad.

So was Roger Daltrey -- composer, musician and lead singer of the rock group The Who.

Babe Ruth struck out 2,000 times on his way to becoming one of baseball's all-time greatest home-run hitters.

Albert Einstein failed math.

I hope I have helped you to understand people who have slightly different brains from the "norm."

Off to practice my violin,
Nimril

Sources
Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz.
The Gifted Kids' Survival Guide, A Teen Handbook by Judy Galbraith and Jim Delisle.

Editor's Note: I still have that second book on my bookshelf, from my own fifth-grade days....