“I Wasn’t Broken—Just Wired Differently”: Carrie’s Journey with Dyscalculia
For most of her life, Carrie thought she was just “bad at math.” A gifted student, she was reading well before kindergarten and sailed through most subjects with ease—until third grade. That’s when multiplication tables entered the picture, and everything started to unravel.
“I just didn’t get it,” she remembers. “It felt like there was something wrong with me in math, and it made me feel broken.” As other subjects remained easy and even joyful, math became a source of confusion, anxiety, and shame. Her experience is far from rare—but for Carrie, the realization that her brain simply processed math differently wouldn’t come until decades later.
The First Clues Something Was Different
Carrie struggled with math throughout middle and high school. By her senior year, it was clear that effort alone wasn’t enough. One compassionate pre-calculus teacher noticed the disconnect. She told Carrie, “I’ll pass you because I see you’re trying. But for some reason, your brain just doesn’t get it.”
It was a validating moment—but also one that left Carrie wondering what was wrong with her mind. At the time, she was enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and surrounded by other gifted students. Eventually, she dropped out of the program just to avoid the shame of not keeping up in math.
A Diagnosis—and a New Understanding—at 32
It wasn’t until Carrie was 32, undergoing an evaluation for entirely different concerns, that the pieces finally fell into place. The diagnostic process revealed not only dyscalculia, but also ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Hearing the words “you are neurodivergent” from her psychologist was transformative.
“I felt empowered,” she said. “There was a scientific explanation—my brain just processes information differently. I wasn’t broken; I wasn’t weird. I just needed to learn in a different way.”
How Dyscalculia Shaped Her Life
Carrie once dreamed of becoming a geologist, but that career path was derailed by her math struggles. Told that geology required a heavy load of math courses, she pivoted to art education—a field where she could avoid math altogether. While it wasn’t her first choice, it turned out to be a silver lining: becoming a teacher gave her the opportunity to learn how math is taught, and slowly, she began learning how she could learn math.
Today, Carrie is a certified tax trainer, helping business owners understand and manage taxes. It’s an incredible achievement, especially for someone who once feared numbers. “I didn’t give up,” she says. “I just found another way.”
Still, dyscalculia has had a lasting impact. Her relationship with math created tension with her parents growing up. “They thought I just needed to try harder.” And socially, Carrie often avoided clubs or events where her math difficulties might be exposed. “I was already the weird kid,” she said. “I didn’t want to give people another reason to tease me.”
Practical Strategies for a Math-Heavy World
Carrie has developed many creative workarounds to function in a world where numbers are everywhere. She relies on strategies like TouchMath—a method using tactile cues that she learned as a child—to help her visualize numbers and solve problems. Analog clocks? Not in her house. She exclusively uses digital ones to avoid confusion.
Cooking is one area where she still struggles. Recipes, measurements, and oven temperatures don’t make sense to her, so her husband handles all the cooking. “If he wasn’t around, I’d live off takeout,” she jokes.
When doing math on paper or mentally, she has learned to work with what she can recall. “I don’t have automatic recall for certain facts, especially 7s, 8s, and 9s. I use what I know and build from there.” For example, she solves 7 x 6 by first calculating 7 x 5 = 35, then adding another 7 to get 42. Calculators help, but she double-checks her input to catch any mistakes—something she calls “fat fingering.”
Driving also presents challenges. Judging distances, processing speed limits, and remembering left from right can be difficult. Thankfully, modern technology has provided lifesaving aids. GPS devices with visual cues and color-coded speed alerts, and adaptive cruise control, help her navigate safely and with less anxiety.
Time management remains another hurdle. Carrie uses alarms and digital calendar notifications religiously. “Time doesn’t mean much to me,” she admits. “If I have lunch plans with friends, I might forget unless I get multiple reminders.”
Advice for Parents and Educators
Now a teacher herself, Carrie is passionate about using her experience to help others. Her number one piece of advice? Start early—and trust your instincts. If a child excels in some areas but is inexplicably lost in others, that’s a red flag worth exploring.
“Be positive when you talk to your child. Don’t assume they’re not trying. And don’t wait—get answers,” she urges. “I wish my teachers and parents had the knowledge we have today. I think I would have avoided years of self-doubt.”
Carrie is also a strong advocate for MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports), which helps identify students who may need additional help early on. She encourages other educators to speak up when they notice inconsistencies. “If a student can write essays better than anyone else but struggles with basic math facts, there’s a reason.”
A Brighter Future
Carrie’s story is one of resilience, discovery, and ultimately, empowerment. Through diagnosis, education, and sheer determination, she turned her perceived weakness into a point of insight and strength. Her journey is a reminder that learning differently doesn’t mean learning less—and that sometimes, the key to success lies not in changing the student, but in changing how we teach and support them.