My Journey with Dyslexia: Mackenzie’s Story
“My name is Mackenzie, and I am dyslexic.”
Some of Mackenzie’s earliest memories of school weren’t filled with excitement. Instead, she remembers frustration, confusion, and loneliness.
She recalls how hard it was to memorize math facts. While her memory for song lyrics, conversations, and pictures was strong, letters and numbers slipped away. To cope, she built her own tricks, like using song lyrics to remember spelling patterns.
Struggling to Keep Up in Class
By 5th grade, Mackenzie’s class was assigned the book Tangerine. Reading it felt impossible. When asked to read aloud, she wanted to participate, but the words looked “like spaghetti” on the page, jumbled, tangled, overwhelming.
She dreaded “popcorn” reading (where the teacher would call on different students to read aloud). She wanted to be like her peers, but instead, she was pulled out of the classroom for reading interventions that didn’t meet her needs. Programs like iReady started with simple words, but quickly moved to blends and patterns that felt out of reach. Mackenzie tried to work hard, but eventually found ways to click through the lessons without really learning.
Getting Answers
In April, her parents scheduled an evaluation for dyslexia. At first, she resisted, unsure and scared of what “testing” would mean. But with her parents’ encouragement, she bravely went through the process.
Testing revealed what her parents suspected: Mackenzie was dyslexic. Her dad explained it to her by drawing a brain on a restaurant placemat, showing that her brain simply worked differently.
“My brain prefers to see the whole puzzle first, and then I can take it apart and make sense of the pieces. Other brains can begin with the pieces and build the whole picture.”
This was a turning point, when Mackenzie began to see dyslexia not as a disease, but as a different way of thinking, with its own strengths.
Intervention That Made the Difference
Soon after, Mackenzie started attending targeted reading intervention. At first, the lessons on how letters and sounds work together came easily. As they grew harder, she stuck with it, showing up week after week, ready to work hard.
Her persistence paid off. Within a year, her grades jumped from D’s and F’s to A’s, B’s, and C’s. She was learning to read more fluently and with confidence.
Friends questioned how she could have dyslexia and still earn good grades. Mackenzie had an answer:
“Dyslexia is a sign of intelligence.”
A Message to Other Students
Looking back, Mackenzie is proud of how far she’s come. Her advice to others walking a similar journey is simple but powerful:
Advocate for yourself.
Talk to your parents and teachers about your struggles.
Believe in yourself and don’t give up.
Ask to get tested. Understanding why it feels hard can make all the difference.
See Mackenzie’s Story
We had the privilege of interviewing Mackenzie and her mom about her journey with dyslexia. You can watch their story here:
Mackenzie and her mom share more about their journey with Dyslexia. What an inspiring mother and daughter!
Want to Learn More About Dyslexia?
Mackenzie’s story highlights just how different dyslexia can look from the outside, and how much changes when students receive the right support.
If you’d like to deepen your understanding of dyslexia, check out our on-demand training:
👉 What Dyslexia Really Looks Like: From Identification to Intervention
This training walks through how dyslexia presents across ages, why it’s often missed, and what educators and parents can do to support students effectively.