Having a learning disability (缺陷、障碍) doesn’t mean you can’t learn, but you’ll need some help and you’ll need to work very hard. If you have a learning disability, remember that you are not slow.

Learning disabilities can be genetic. That means they can be passed down in families through your parents, even your grandparents.

“Dyslexia” is a learning disability that means a kid has a lot of trouble reading and writing. Kids who have trouble with math may have “dyscalculia”. Other kids may have “language disorders”, which means they have problems understanding language and understanding what they read.

How do we tell if a student has a learning disability? Reading, doing math, and writing letters may be difficult for lots of kids at first. But when those early troubles don’t fade away (逐渐消失) after they have grown up (长大), and they can’t deal with (处理) them and to make any progress (进步), it’s possible the kid has a learning disability.

Finding out you have a learning disability can be sad. You might feel different from everyone else. But the fact is that learning disabilities are pretty common. And if you have a learning disability, you can start getting the help you need to do better in school. But to make this special help really work, you’ll need to practice the new learning skills. It may take a lot of practice every day. That can be a challenge (挑战), but you can do it. Soon, you’ll make progress and enjoy the results of all your hard work: more fun and success at school.

It was Christmas Eve. I was feeling sad because there wasn’t enough money to buy the dress I wanted. It was a cold night, and there was ice on Dad’s hair when he came back home. He asked me to help load wood. I was upset. Not only wasn’t I getting the dress; now Dad was dragging me out in the cold.

I asked what he was doing.

“Have you been to the Clark’s recently?” Dad asked.

Mrs. Clark lived two miles from us. Her husband died a year ago, leaving her with three children. “Yeah, why?”

“They’re out of wood.” Dad then carried a bag of food over his shoulder and a smaller bag in his hand.

“What’s in the little bag?” I asked.

“Shoes. They’re out of shoes. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without some candy.”

We rode to the Clarks place in silence. I tried to think through what Dad was doing. The Clarks had closer neighbors than us. Why was it our concern?

We knocked on the door. A timid voice said, “Who is it?” “James Cotton, and my daughter. Could we come in?”Mrs. Clark opened the door and lit the lamp.

“We brought a few things, ma’am,” Dad said, and set the food on the table. He handed her the other bag. She opened it and took out the shoes, a pair for her and three for the children. She bit her lip as tears ran down her checks. “We brought wood,” Dad said. He turned to me, “Elizabeth, go bring in. Let’s get that fire.”

The kids giggled when Dad handed them candy, and Mrs. Clark looked with a smile. She said. “I know God sent you. We prayed that he would send one of his angels to us.”

At the door, Dad invited them for Christmas dinner tomorrow. With a look of deep thankfulness, Mrs. Clark said, “Thank you. I don’t have to say ‘May God bless you’. I know he will.”

On the way home, Dad explained why he didn’t buy me a dress. “I spent the money on shoes and candy for those children. I hope you understand.” he said.

I understood very well. My father had given me a gift much greater than a dress.