Matt Bird: I grew up thinking I was stupid

First apperared in Connection Magazine (September 2022)...

“I’m stupid” - that is what I believed when I left school, mainly because that’s what most of my teachers told me.

I would read the chapter of a text book and have no idea what it said. Dictation exercises were torturous, I was lost after the first sentence. Being made to study a second language was crazy as I hadn’t grasped the grammar of English. I was put in remedial English classes. Computer studies we not one of my options because I was told my English wasn’t good enough. One of my school reports said ‘Matt won’t come to much’.

There was one teacher who did motivate me. Not exactly sure how they did it. I remember them being kind, they were encouraging with their words and they believed in me. When I submitted a piece of work they would give me feedback and the opportunity redo before finally submitting. They motivated me and I even got a pass mark in the exam. I left school as soon as I possibly could and started working life as an apprentice in the technology sector.

There was one teacher who did motivate me. Not exactly sure how they did it. I remember them being kind, they were encouraging with their words and they believed in me. When I submitted a piece of work they would give me feedback and the opportunity redo before finally submitting. They motivated me and I even got a pass mark in the exam. I left school as soon as I possibly could and started working life as an apprentice in the technology sector.

My first book happened years later when a friend said, “You’ve got a book in you”. He didn’t just say those words he reached for his telephone and dialled his editor and asked them if they would publish my book. Then he passed me the telephone to discuss my book - I nearly wet myself! That is how I first came to write and publish a book and now I’m on number seventeen!

For years now people have asked for my help when they want to write a book. This grew to such a volume that I thought why don’t I make things easier for myself and run a ‘Writing My Book’ course. Through a course I could help people write their books in groups to be more efficient. Every year I am now a book coach to more than 100 people to enable them to write and publish their books.

By the way I discovered one of the reasons why I struggled at school. I am dyslexic. I don’t see dyslexia as a learning disability of learning difficulty but as a learning difference that gives me special abilities. Dyslexia is a gift, it enables me to think differently to innovate and problem solve, to make unobvious connections between people, projects and places and to get things done really fast.

It took me years to get there but I no longer believe “I’m stupid”. I believe that I’m smart and I want to use my story, my gift and my experience to help others succeed especially when it comes to becoming a published author.