As a kid I grew up in Carolina, Puerto Rico in the early 90’s and much like other kids around this time I loved playing video games. Besides playing sports( Basketball and Baseball) and doing arts, I wasn’t good at anything else. I always struggled with getting good grades in any other subjects. My math skills were lacking and I always copied from other students and that’s how I was able to get through most of school. To give some context, the education system and budget in Carolina(Villa Cooperrativa y Villa Fontana) wasn’t anything comparable to the schools I attended in continental US.
Even with the education system at this level there was groups of kids with excellent grades in different classroom’s but, I wasn’t one of the lucky ones. Thinking back during my childhood and my experiences, all the signs were there. But, when I was 3 years old nobody could figure out why I wouldn’t talk or had a hard time learning to read. Even after attending numerous https://www.ser.pr/en/[SER] sessions. Perhaps the techniques to find this disabilities weren’t the best? or the doctors dint had the knowledge or believed to be anything? I thought about this a lot due seeing how some kids in the states around this time got help( I researched it as an adult of course).
I always had a hard time with school assignments, tests anxiety, focus and concentration. They only thing that stimulated my brain was playing video games. Playing any video games instead of doing my homework or helping around the house. My family started fixing the kitchen changing the tiles and what did I prefer to do? play Goldeneye on the N64. Shooting bad guys and be the savior was more interesting. Playing countless hours of Star Wars Shadow of the Empire on the last stage shooting down tie fighters was better than cutting the grass outside. Playing Ken Griffey Jr and creating an all star team or creating my family members as players. I would strike out twenty batters with Randy Johnson than strike out the trash. The other thing that I was great was playing sports.
I started by running in field day and winning most but loosing some. The exciting thing was that the times I won, I took home with me a turkey and my family dint had to purchase one. For a couple of years, I would come home with a turkey. Later on when we finally moved to the corner house, I got exposed to baseball. Baseball was one of the other sports I was really good at. Being a lefty and playing CF gave me some advantages. I would get grounded when I got bad grades or dint do my chores. The only way I would be able to play video games again is during baseball games when the game was tied and my mom would yell “If you get a hit you get to play nintendo again” and that’s exactly what I did. Remembering now, offering me something in return was the only way I would get motivated to do said tasks.
I never knew or understood why I dint want to do any of this things or was so terrible at school. I would rush trying to finish homework or quick study sessions so I can go back to playing Ocarina Of Time. I couldn’t concentrate for more than 15 minutes trying to do homework or test. Even after asking for help or after yelling because I dint get it.
I was mostly told I was lazy and I needed to try harder. But, in the schools there was no nurse or doctor or specialized worker that can catch or find students with learning disabilities. If a teacher dint show up for class then we dint had class for that period. Some teachers would combine classes so we can leave school sooner. All of this was different when I went to high school in Fort Meade MD. Better funding, nurses in school, substitute teachers and actual help for students. Although this was true, no one really tried to see if I had any learning disabilities. Even after having bad grades in high school and to the point that I graduated a month later after taking summer school.