Being cixelsyD

What happens when the world tells you that you cannot learn, but your mind simply works differently?

For much of his childhood, Seth Blanken struggled in classrooms where success was measured by how quickly students could read, memorize information, and complete traditional tests.

Letters moved. Numbers shifted. Written examinations became exercises in frustration. Teachers sometimes called him lazy, stupid, or unwilling to learn.

But Seth knew something they didn't.

He wasn't incapable of learning. He simply learned differently.

In Being cixelsyD, Seth shares his personal journey growing up with dyslexia during the 1970s and 1980s, when understanding and accommodations were often limited.

From frustrating experiences in elementary school to the teachers who questioned his abilities, his early education was filled with obstacles. Yet two individuals helped change his understanding of himself.

His grandfather, a naval scientist, discovered that Seth could read and understand complex technical manuals even when ordinary books seemed impossible to finish.

Years later, a high school teacher named Mr. Olsen recognized that Seth's difficulty with conventional tests did not reflect his actual knowledge. By allowing him to demonstrate what he understood through written explanations and presentations, he helped Seth discover that academic success could take different forms.

Those experiences shaped the rest of his life.

Seth went on to work in television and film production before entering the information technology industry. His unusual approach to understanding complicated systems eventually led him into technical writing, where the strategies he had developed to manage dyslexia became valuable professional skills.

Along the way, he encountered managers who misunderstood him, coworkers who questioned his abilities, and situations where his dyslexia created unexpected challenges.

But he also discovered something remarkable.

The same mind that struggled with traditional classroom learning could visualize complicated technical systems, recognize problems, and explain difficult concepts in ways other people could understand.

Over time, Seth built a career creating technical documentation for major organizations and federal government projects while continuing his education and pursuing his passion for writing.

Today, he is the author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books.

And he credits much of his success to the very learning difference he once tried to hide.

Being cixelsyD is more than a personal story about struggling with dyslexia. It is an honest, sometimes humorous, and occasionally frustrating account of growing up differently, finding people who recognize your abilities, and learning to succeed without fitting into everyone else's expectations.

The book also explores how understanding of dyslexia has changed, examines common misconceptions, and discusses the challenges faced by people whose learning styles do not match traditional educational approaches.

For parents, teachers, students, adults with dyslexia, and anyone who has ever been told they weren't smart enough, Seth's experiences offer a personal perspective on determination, self-acceptance, and finding a different path forward.

Dyslexia does not define what someone can accomplish.

Sometimes, the greatest challenge isn't learning to overcome your differences.

It's learning to recognize the value in them.

Being cixelsyD: A Personal Journey of Learning Differently, Overcoming Expectations, and Discovering My Strengths.

I am dyslexic. I think differently. And I'm proud of it.