"I was finally tested and proved correct, and then I come on here and everyone’s telling me I’m not a gifted reader and I feel absolutely crushed. "
so stop listening.
you do not need external validation to be a person of worth.
not from your parents and not from folks on a web site you never met.
you have great drive if you got your GED and are still striving to learn more. why did you pick Aikido? what draws you to this?
begin to think about the positives in your live and moving forward. not the negatives and "might have beens"
a test is just one momnet in time. if you are from people who are not educated ( like my family)perhaps you have that awe or innate respect for professionals like they have some power to see more. well guess what? they dont. they have tools they learn how to use. and they use them. just like aikido.
do not assign more weight to an IQ test than it is worth. it doesnt make you or label you. unless you let it.
Likewise the high scores dont label or make you either. they are just measurements made on one day by one guy using an imperfect yardstick.
plus you are not average. if you were you wouldn't be on this board seeking answers. you would be in nail school or cosmetology school or sweeping up in a shop thinking about school or looking for a guy to take care of you.
Though there are some people on this board who came from poverty and were able to get educated over time, most people on this board come from pretty priveledged backgrounds and cannot relate to your values or reasons for your angst.
I was lucky and got scholarships eventually. It is really hard for kids now because college is so expensive and taking on a debt is not something that should be done lightly.
but you can find free classes about writing and reading online and even at local libraries and community centers. Our library has a writers group that meets regularly and they take turns reading and commenting on one anothers work. there are also writiers workshops that have scholarships for promising young authors. there are more ways to learn for someone as bright as you without college. or without college just yet.
You can always go later if the opportunity presents itself and you still want to.
dont look for external validation. trust what you know to be true. and follow your dreams. they will be what you will write about later.
