1 . We never talked about school as the ticket to the future. I was in the classroom, but I wasn’t there to learn how to write, read or even ______. When it was my turn to read, I wanted to ______. I was 13 years old, _____ I already hated being who I was.

I had a(n) ______ teacher, Mr. Creech ,who knew I couldn’t read. And he found it _______ to make my secret known to others. He ______me and said, “Anthony, why don’t you read the next paragraph?” I didn’t even know what the paragraph was. I ______ to read what was in front of me, but the only sound of my voice ______ resulted in laughter. From then on, I never gave up practicing reading.

Now I am 41 years old. One day, I planned to ______ back to Texas to visit my family and friends. On my way from the airport, I saw Mr. Creech _______ himself a drink. I rushed over and reached into my ______ to pay for him. “Do I know you?” he asked. “Yes, sir, you do know me,” I answered_______. “My name is Anthony Hamilton. You taught me English.” The look on his face told me that he remembered the ______ he’d once shamed. “I’m so ______ that I had a chance to see you again,” I said. “And Mr. Creech, I have great ______ to share.” I had learned to ______. But that wasn’t all. I had become a published ______ and an active speaker. “The next time you get another Anthony Hamilton in your ______, please encourage him to read as well,” I said.

The experts say what once ______ me has a name: dyslexia(诵读困难症). But I can tell you it was a lack of ______ for education.