I'm Dyslexic. My Teacher Called Me Dumb, but I Beat the Odds and Became a Millionaire.
If I can be a success, so can you!
"I created The Spelling Map so you don't have to go through what I did.
It's become my secret weapon. Now you can make it yours."
~ Terri Bowersock - Creator of The Spelling Map
Read Terri's Inspiring Story
Hi, I'm Terri. I did not speak at all before I was three years old. I was held back in the third grade when I started grade school because I didn't pass. I knew I was different and felt like I was always trying to figure out what was happening. While others were working on spelling and the alphabet, I still stared at it, wondering what it all meant.
When I finally reached fourth grade, I realized I had to do something because there were no programs for kids with learning disabilities. I remember my mom working with me when I was young, but it eventually became overwhelming for her. I got so good at faking my way through that most people assumed I was okay.
In history class, I learned to cheat by looking at others' answers or writing them on paper and taping it to my leg under my dress. I remember the teacher lecturing about how lousy cheating was and the severe consequences if caught, which made me always feel scared. But I thought I had no choice; it was the only way I knew how to get through school. I rarely got grades higher than a C; and my teachers just passed me from one grade to another.
Back then, that was how they dealt with it. I always felt different from the other kids, like I needed to be made right and better than them. My father was in the Air Force, so we moved frequently, which helped me stay under the radar and pass through classes. I didn't get involved in programs or cheerleading because I was focused on staying quiet and hidden to sneak through each year. My school years weren't great; I was just trying to hide because I knew I was the "dumb kid" in class.
Finally, I finished all the grades and was out of school. I was so excited, thinking I could be somebody and do something. I decided to get a job and went to Grant's Department Store. I sat down to fill out the job application but struggled to spell simple things like my street name. The same feeling of shame and low self-esteem overwhelmed me, so I crumbled the application, put it in my pocket, and left the interview room.
Realizing I couldn't get a job or take care of myself, I called my dad in Kansas. He suggested I come out there to meet some ladies who started a consignment store for accessories, using donations to help kids with illnesses. I flew out, met the ladies, and studied everything I could about the business. They gave me a copy of the contract for consigning merchandise, and I thought I could do it.
When I got home, I called my mom and told her we would start a furniture consignment store, something no one else here had done before. My mom was skeptical, but I was determined. We found a small building on a busy street, and I convinced Mom to let me move all our furniture into the store. We called it "Terri's Place."
I borrowed a mannequin from my mom's tennis shop to attract attention, dressed it up, and placed it outside. People started slowing down to see what it was. When our dummy got knocked down by the wind of passing truck, I called the newspaper and reported a "mannequin accident." The media coverage helped us get our first article about the store.
With $2,000 borrowed from my grandmother, that little store grew to 12 stores across the country and $36 million in sales. It was quite an adventure, with many ups and downs due to my learning disabilities. I have dyslexia, but I learned that when you believe in yourself, you can do anything.
My story didn't end there. There were certainly more events and challenges I overcame. I became an award-winning author, inventor, and entrepreneur with dozens of awards. I even was asked to appear on Oprah!
I invented a unique "spelling map" that helped me go from a third-grade speller to an eighth-grade speller and from an eighth-grade reader to a junior college-level reader. This invention saved my life because being able to spell and read is essential for achieving the amazing things you were brought to this Earth to do.
Now I'm making The Spelling Map available to the public, and to you.
The Spelling Map is the First Step
to Your Success as a Dyslexic