From Struggle to Know-How: Why I Do This

   On one of my last days at school, aged 16, one of my closest mates turned to the English teacher and said,

“Miss, I can’t read or write and I’m about to leave school.”
 She replied,
“It’s like a disease.  It’ll come to you as you go through life.”

That statement stuck with me, not because it offered hope, but because it showed just how little understanding there was about how to teach.  There was no disease, no label needed.  What was missing was a proper method; one that works.   Teachers just didn’t know how to help us learn.

A few months later, I joined the British Army.  I did well for six years but not through intelligence, just brute force and determination.  After leaving, I hit a wall.  Again and again.  I wasn’t lazy.  I wasn’t unwilling.  I just didn’t know how to move forward.  It was frustrating.  It was dark.   And it felt like I’d been left behind.

Then something changed:  I learned how to learn.

Once I understood that, everything opened up.  I now write books.  I write computer code.  I can read about anything and make sense of it.  It’s not hard.  In fact, it’s fun.  It’s empowering.  And it’s incredibly rewarding.

Now, I dedicate myself to helping others find that same switch, because once you know how to learn, you can become who you want to be.