Learning is Personal: Find Your Way

Growing up, I thought I was just “bad at school.”

During Pittsburgh winters of the 70s and 80s, the snow piled up on the road sides so high you couldn’t see the houses while walking to school.

❄️ Bundled in boots, scarf, jacket, and snow pants, I always had an end-of-day problem.

I worked more slowly than my classmates in math, and math was the final class of the day. So, when it came time to get ready to go home, I was still feverishly working while others were gearing up. I was often left behind.

I was also a slow reader who always got placed in slower reading groups in elementary school.

Soon, I started rushing through my math work just to avoid walking home alone.

The cost? I sacrificed my understanding of math just to keep up. Grades slipped.

After a while, the stigma of being a slow reader and my math struggles chipped away at my confidence.

The rest of my school career, I was locked in a cycle of Ds turning to Cs in math, and I avoided reading.

I approached my senior year of high school with little faith in my academic ability, which was a large contributor to my joining the military.

But two key things happened over the next four years:
↳I learned to love reading because I finally let myself go at my own pace
↳I built confidence and resilience that helped me overcome challenges

When I left the military, I had one goal: earn my bachelor’s degree.

Math fear still shadowed me. I barely survived college algebra. Then, one class, symbolic logic, finally opened my eyes. Suddenly, math wasn’t just problems on a page. It connected. It clicked.

That confidence carried me into a career in finance, entrepreneurship, and beyond.

Here’s what I learned:
We often label ourselves too early: “bad at math,” “ slow reader,” “not cut out for school.” Truth is, sometimes we just haven’t learned in a way that works for us.

So, if you’re behind or struggling, don’t let speed or comparison rob you of mastery. Go at your pace. Process deeply. That’s how growth sticks.

Let’s hear it in the chat about a label you threw off yourself.