Reading disorder? No problem for Banks middle schooler

(BANKS) — Evangeline Koschmann is, in many ways, a typical sixth-grader who enjoys typical sixth-grade things. However, she’s also atypical in that she inspires her fellow students and teachers alike.

“She just has such a great attitude,” Banks Middle School teacher Kim Carson said about Koschmann. “I enjoy talking with her, and I’ve learned so much from her. I just think she’s such an inspiration to kids and teachers too.”

Koschmann has been diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words. But despite the affliction and the difficulties that have come with it, the 11-year-old hasn’t allowed either to dampen her enthusiasm for life, school and all the people she has and continues to interact with daily.

“I just really like the people, and then also getting to learn a whole bunch of different things,” Koschmann said. “But I’ve definitely had challenges with my dyslexia and ADHD.”

Koschmann found out she had dyslexia between her first and second-grade years after her mother sensed an issue when communicating with her about things she was reading or had read. Since then, it’s been a constant effort to overcome the disorder, but one that, while exhausting at times, has been both successful and rewarding — at least to Koschmann.

“I don’t think it’s been that difficult,” Koschmann said. “Once we found out that I had dyslexia, I got tutoring and everything to help me with it. So, now I’ve kind of learned tricks to help me with it.”

Dyslexia manifests itself in different ways with different people. Koschmann describes her experience as a puzzle of sorts, but with the pieces sometimes moving out of place.

“Sometimes I can read fine, and sometimes it can be difficult,” Koschmann said. “Mostly though, the words on the page will be going in and out, and letters will be chasing each other and stuff like that.”

With help from her parents and different tutors, Koschmann said she’s established ways of working through the difficulties that often come with reading. That includes sounding things out or reading around words that she can’t easily define to use context as an aid.

Either way, the middle schooler said she’s learned she’s better off working with the disorder than fighting it.

“I don’t get too frustrated because I’ve learned how to figure stuff out,” Koschmann said. “I’ve overcome this challenge that some people might not understand.”

She’s also learned to make light of it sometimes, even giving and taking a ribbing to or from her parents in certain situations.

“We kind of turn it into a little joke or something in a good way,” Koschmann said with a chuckle. “Once, I read ‘snack’ instead of ‘sack,’ and my dad asked if I wanted a ‘snack lunch.’ So, there are fun parts.”

Those same parents are the ones that Koschmann credits for much of her success in tackling the disorder, along with her tutors and teachers. But because of that success, she doesn’t view dyslexia as much of a problem anymore.

“My parents and my tutors have been the biggest help,” Koschmann said. My teachers help, too, but I’ve already overcome so much that I don’t need as much help anymore, and I’ve dropped tutoring.”

It would be easy to think that because of the difficulties that did and still can sometimes come with dyslexia, Koschmann might not have an affinity for reading. But to the contrary, it’s one of her favorite things for various reasons.

“I love to read,” Koschmann said. “I really like connecting with the different characters and escaping to a different world. Then, if my friends are reading the same book, we can have conversations about it and joke around about it at lunch and stuff.”

Carson said she never ceases to be amazed by her student’s ability dealing with her condition.

“I think her path is amazing,” Carson said. “I think she’s an inspiration to other people. She has so many tools and so many tricks to help herself, and she uses them and shares them with others.” She’s absolutely amazing.”

And what would Koschmann tell someone faced with the similar challenges of dyslexia?

“I would probably tell them that there is a way to help your dyslexia,” Koschmann said. “Just because you have it doesn’t mean you can’t read and that the people around you that don’t have it aren’t better than you. Just because you have dyslexia, it doesn’t mean you aren’t as good as other people.”