Bridging My Two Worlds Jerry in elementary school Foreword by Jerry Pinkney I grew up as one of six children in a small house in Philadelphia Pennsylvania My most prevalent and vivid recollections of my early early years are that of a young boy struggling to balance the two seemingly seemingly different worlds I resided in during that impressionable time home and school I received full support and encouragement from my family most especially my mother and I was not laughed at or teased by the people around me My mother was a quiet woman who spoke mostly with her eyes and when there were apparent reasons reasons to be concerned about my apprehension at school she made me feel better about myself Because of my mother I was able to enter that second world school the place that made me so very anxious and a little off balance with no understanding as to why There was little knowledge of dyslexia in the 1940s and certainly not in the schools I attended In school I found myself in the favor of my teachers yet I was often sent to special classes I don't think anyone knew what those classes were supposed to accomplish I have loved to draw as long as I can remember and I was encouraged by teachers who appreciated and recognized my gift They were able to see beyond the slow reader I was to someone who wanted to learn and grow I was far too young to realize that my two worlds could be bridged There were two Jerrys one gifted smart and likeable and the other a slow reader who was unable to spell And oh how much work there was for me just to hold onto ideas as they were presented I have lived those two lives for most of my life Jerry graduating from high school
Over the years I have grown to accept that these two seemingly opposing personality traits are really one Jerry Each supports the other both come together in a way that I now understand makes me stronger and unique With uneven grades but a thirst to learn I became a model student Mostly I tried to show my teachers that this child with so many hurdles in front of him was trying My learning disability was not recognized or considered thereby making it invisible which caused me to find ways of keeping it unseen I learned to excel in areas where I was strong and hide those places where there was a challenge I became very good at hiding it and I had no way to express just what I was feeling I supported many assignments with drawing allowing my gift to shine I graduated from Hill Elementary School with honors Making images making art would become my speaking voice I drew to learn I learned to tell my story through pictures the story of the child I wanted to be I hope the profiles in this book will serve as a bridge to inspire every child to be all that he or she can be Characters from Jerry's books that overcame obstacles Jerry working in his studio
a t z x k d h S m Aaron age 8 and the card he used to learn sounds P l g v w qu y Aaron Lemle Scientist 9th Grade In first grade my friends could read easily but I could not figure out what those letters meant I memorized Go Dog Go so my classmates thought I was reading My parents and teachers knew I was not Since I was one of the youngest kids in my class they decided I should stay back and repeat first grade Staying back made me feel incredibly insecure A lot of people helped me learn to read My mom made scavenger hunts and I would have to read to find the next clue To practice my sounds my tutor made flash cards It was especially fun when she rewarded me with a donut I became interested in rocks after going to the Herkimer Diamond Quarry in Middleville NY and visiting the Museum of Natural History in New York I set up cardboard boxes in my room so that I could make my own museum A friend and I joined the rock club at the Museum and were the youngest members I gave a presentation about iron slag in front of all the adults Being in the rock club made me feel smart It also helped me forget about my problems at school By fourth grade I knew how to read words not just memorize them Also my tutor taught me how to type before the rest of my class It felt good to be ahead for once I type all my papers now and I really like to write b C f r J n
Left Aaron age 7 reading at home with friend Ben Right Writing a paper In fifth grade I got a 56 on a spelling test I thought it was such a terrible grade I learned that I didn't like to do poorly so I needed to study more I practiced spelling the words all week long I never got anything below a 90 after that I still study hard I wouldn't be getting such good grades if it weren't for my dyslexia I had to do so much extra work to learn how to read and write Now I'm used to working hard I'm taking a tenth grade science class and I'm only in ninth grade I'm doing really well in it I must be pretty smart after all RIOR
