Are school days the best days of our lives?

 

Hello all.

SATS testing of primary school kids

Welcome to a new dyslexia blog from myself

Before I became an inclusion and dyslexia specialist I wanted to become a primary school teacher. 

Whilst I was at university I became a volunteer mentor with the East London Connection for a couple of years. I basically went into primary schools to mentor and support struggling kids. It was such a positive experience I decided to become a primary school teacher.

So after I past my 4 year Hons degree I decided to take a one year full time teacher training course in inclusive education.  I totally loved the course and the teachers and all the others on the course.

As part of the course you have to go into a couple of school for work experience and to put what you have learned on the course into practise.

On the second work experience I was told to sit with a six year old girl when she was doing her SATS test. The girl was sat in a room by herself. 

I could see just from looking at her she was in distress even before the test was taken. As soon as she started the test even I could see,  even as a trainee teacher, that she was going to really struggle with this. For example she was mirror writing, she was really struggling with her spelling and writing and everything just took her a long time to do.

By the end of about half an hour the child was in deep distress. She was in tears and I just wanted to cry myself. It put me off of primary school teaching as a career completely.

Now as an inclusion and dyslexia specialist I would have been better prepared to work with this child. But back then, as a trainee novice teacher, I was put into a situation I was totally unprepared for. It was after this experience I decided I didn't want to be a primary school teacher.

I went to on take, and pass, a PGCE in Inclusive Education. PCGE Post Graduate Certificate in Education.

Today I work with dyslexic young people and adults, for many school was a nightmare. All the testing did for many was to prove to them as kids that they were stupid and educational failures. I, like many other dyslexia specialist, are left to pick up the pieces.  

For me there has to be a better way to find out how well kids are doing at school.

School should be a fun place to be. It should be about encouraging kids to learn. About enabling and supporting kids to achieve according to their abilities. The main focus of any school should be on the children and about doing the best for them. 

I read somewhere that primary school kids are tested 14 times between the ages of  6 and 11. School has become a place where teachers are forced to drill kids for tests so a school can get a high place on a league table.

Were you aware that kids are now cheating to pass these tests. Over 40% of kids have sleepless night worrying about these tests. Nobody knows how many dyslexic kids are failing at these tests and at school because they have not been assessed as being dyslexic and are not receiving any support for their dyslexia.

They used to say school days were the best of your life.Today, for many to many kids they are not. Were they ever?

That's it for this blog.

#PeaceLoveGrooveyness from me

Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

Walking up Ben Nevis Scotland

 

A Bee from the Isle of Mull

Hello all hope everything is ok with you.

Just a blog about one of my experiences of being dyslexic at University. I did a BSc is Geography. 1991 to 92. Which I passed with a 2 / 1. I studied elements of physical and human geography. One of the best this about the physical geography was I went the the highest mountain in Scotland, Ben Nevis, to a deep coal mine in Wales. I also clambered up to the top of Snowdonia. 

I did have a collection of rocks that I picked up and saved from my physical geography course. 

Clambering to this top of Ben Nevis and Snowdonia were challenging and hard work. 

At the time I had no mobile phone and I did not think to take a camera. Managed to reach the top,

But I have found a video of You Tube of somebody climbing the route wee took.

Clambering Ben Nevis Steve Marsh and friend

 Thanks to Steve Marsh for sharing his video on his your tube channel

Ok, that's it from me Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

One of our success projects called Unique Dyslexic Get Creative

 

Hi my Name is Steve McCue and I am a dyslexic and dyslexia and inclusion specialist. I am also the founder of Dyslexia Pathways Community Interest Company. We are a registered social enterprise and company limited by guarantee. This means we must have social aims and are a not for profit organisation.

Dyslexia Pathways Community Interest Company is a Fife based organisation focused on dyslexia. We were founded in 2009 and have been working with universities and other clients across central Scotland. We were the first dyslexia focussed social enterprise to be founded in Scotland.

 One of the projects we initiated was Unique Dyslexic Get Creative.

The objectives of Unique Dyslexic Get Creative are to:

·  Support, promote and celebrate the creative talents of dyslexic and neuro difference individuals across the full range of creative spectrum.

·  Promote a more positive social model profile of dyslexia and neuro difference

·  Develop a global community for all things creative and dyslexic and neuro different.

I have secured funding from a number of sources for the Unique Dyslexic Get Creative venture, including: The Big Lottery, Fife Creative Learning Network, Scottish Community Foundation and Fife Cultural Trust. 

We are inviting anyone who is dyslexic, or thinks they are dyslexic or neuro different, to join Unique Dyslexic Get Creative and share their creative talents and ideas on our dedicated Unique Dyslexic Get Creative web page and social media: So all you aspiring, amateur or professional:

actors, animators, sculptures, artists, comedians, chefs, dancers, dreamers, engineers, entrepreneurs, games designers, improvisers, information technology geeks, inventors, film makers, musicians, photographers, poets, song writers, story tellers, writers and visionaries.

Get involved share what you do and support other creative individuals like yourself. We already have some very talented people sharing their work on our Unique Dyslexic web site and social media

You not have to be diagnosed as dyslexic and we welcome people from other neuro difference communities to come and share their creative talents. Or just visit our website and social media and see what we can do.

As part of Unique Dyslexic Get Creative we are running four free to access creative workshops across Fife over the next 8 weeks. Unique Dyslexic Get Creative have already run one workshop earlier this year and have organized workshops on visual art, music and furniture revamping.

We would also accept any donations to help us with the costs of running this venture. As a social enterprise Dyslexia Pathways is a not for profit organization.

If you would like to find out more about what we do, or about any of our free creative workshops being held in Fife.

Please call me on 01592 756 187 or 07828741473 to discuss this further or arrange a meeting.

Link to Unique Dyslexic website:  http://www.uniquedyslexic.com/

Link to Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Unique-Dyslexic-Get-Creative/1431413910440768

Link to Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/unique.dyslexic/

Link to my blog: http://sdyslexia.blogspot.co.uk/

Link to Twitter: https://twitter.com/SteveMcCue1

We would also like to hear from anyone who would be willing to volunteer their time to support Unique Dyslexic Get Creative. In particular we are seeking anyone with experience of web mastering to help us with running the Unique Dyslexic Get Creative web site.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this blog.

Below are some examples of the work created by participants at the first Unique Dyslexic Get Creative workshop.

 

 

Many thanks to all the directors of Dyslexia Pathways CIC who have volunteered their time and support to Dyslexia Pathways CIC and Unique Dyslexic Get Creative. With out their support we would not been able to achieve what we have achieve so far.

I would also like to thank everyone who has shared their talents with us so far.

Steve McCue (BSc Hon, PGCE Inclusive Ed, Cert Adult Dyslexia Support, MEd Cert Multisensory e Learning and Dyslexia) 

Being an entrepreneur who is dyslexic

 

On a good weather day i like to work in my garden

Hello from me here in Glenrothes Scotland, hope you are all well

Being an entrepreneur who is dyslexic

A while back I have read an interesting article about dyslexic entrepreneurs. There are more of us that you think. Here is a little of what the article said:

Professor Julie Logan’s research at the University of Bristol in 2001 reported that 1 in 5 of the UK’s entrepreneurs she surveyed was dyslexic, twice the rate expected for adults in the UK. 

In 2008, Prof. Logan’s research at Cass Business School in London made business headlines when she reported that dyslexic entrepreneurs make significantly different decisions compared to non-dyslexic entrepreneurs in two key respects: 

The number of businesses they choose to set up, and how many people they employ. 

Dyslexic entrepreneurs did significantly more of both. This means that the actions of this group are important for economic growth.

Yet, there is little to no dyslexia specific support for dyslexic entrepreneurs.

As a dyslexic entrepreneur I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to secure dyslexia specific support for my self as an dyslexic entrepreneur and as a business owner. 

Questions for you to ponder? 

Are you a dyslexic or neuro diverse entrepreneur? 

What is your experience of support for yourself as a dyslexic or neuro diverse entrepreneur / business owner? 

Ok that's it for this blog.

#PeaceLoveGrooveyness from me Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

I am back after a break from all my dyslexia and inclusion academic work and social media work.

 

Never a truer word written. Something all dyslexics need to think about when giving our selves a hard time. Something I learned a long lime ago. We can all learn from the past, but not use the past to condemn ourselves with for life with.

Hello to all my blog followers and subscribers. Hope all is well with you.

I have been taking a break from all my dyslexia and inclusion academic work and social media after a very busy time academically and personally. Hence, I have not been doing very much on my Unique Dyslexic Eye social media channels. 

People will know I am a dyslexia and inclusion specialist supporting university students. Received an email from a student I supported struggling with her mental health and fallen behind with her Masters Degree. There was a good chance that she would fail.

She said," Thank you once again for giving me strength when I needed it the most".

She passed her Masters degree and sent me some photos from her certificate ceremony. She had also invited me to attend with her but due to circumstances I was unable to go.

I have been thinking of making a new podcast for a while but was not keen to get back into the saddle so to speak lol. Her feedback will help me get my arse into gear lol. Excuse my language.

Also been thinking about starting my of dyslexia auto biography. I have done some writing, some research. But I need to start getting in organised.

Ok, thanks for reading, many thanks to all my social media subscribers and followers. Thanks for all the positive feedback and supportive words.

#PeaceLoveGrooveyness from me, Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

Me and my wife Anne, without her support I would never have achieved anything with my social enterprise, Dyslexia Pathways CIC

Unique Dyslexic Get Creative movie

Unique Dyslexic Get Creative movie that shows some of the work people created at the five Unique Dyslexic Get Creative workshops. There is an introduction from myself an introduction to project and being positive about dyslexia. Filmed, scripted, edited and music put together by myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRKHaX42I2k

Comments are invited and much appreciated. Why not sign up and join our Unique Dyslexic clan.

#PeaceLoveGrooveyness from me

Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

When Learning is Trauma: A podcast with Steve McCue interviewed by Lois Letchford, & Lisa McCarty

 

We dyslexics cannot change the past, but we can always work for a better future

Hi every one, hope all is well for you and your family.

Here is a podcast I did on Trauma, dyslexia and learning at the start of COVID..

Trauma is deep-seated and easily occurs in the early years of schooling. When Learning is Trauma" and dyslexia. Emotionally safe learning environments? What are they? How can we provide them for our most vulnerable, dyslexic learners? The impacts of not learning to read can be life-long!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk8hTLnBd0Y

Hope you enjoy the podcast as much as I did being interviewed.

#PeaceLoveGrooveyness from me

Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue.

Comments and question will be responed to.