Scottish Rite, NMJ, Active Member Gerry Sharpe, 33°, is dyslexic. He struggled growing up as, at the time, there was no real understanding of the disorder and help for it was nearly nonexistent. His grandson Ryan is also dyslexic, but his story is one of promise and renewal thanks to the work of the Children’s Dyslexia Centers.
Ryan shares his experience at the Children’s Dyslexia Center alongside his grandfather, Brother Sharpe, 33°, in this video.
Learn more about how 32° Scottish Rite Freemasonry, NMJ is changing the lives of children with dyslexia.
0:02
Ryan Sharpe: Because if like, if I can understand why something happens, I can usually understand and know like i…it just works. Like before, when you do like the school, it doesn't really tell you why you would…. like a double letter. or spell something a certain way, or she would teach me a bunch of rules that explained this is why we would use a C here instead of like a C or a CK. And it just clicked. Everything made sense After that.
0:35
Brother Gerry Sharpe, 33°: We had to read from the bible in Northfield public schools. Everyone did a passage from the bible. We had to start our day with the flag salute and I couldn't read the way that, the wording in the bible and the little letters were just impossible. So, I had to memorize. I learned to memorize passages that I could recite to you now “make a joyful noise unto the lord all ye lands,” sort of the… I know those because I memorized them when I was nine or 10. And they're still there. But, which has served me very well in the Masonic fraternity by the way… that's another matter. [1:18] Anyway, I remember on Sunday nights, laying in bed, trying to keep my eyes open because I know what was gonna happen as soon as those eyes closed. It would be time to go back to that place and I didn't want to go.
1:38
Ryan Sharpe: A job in science would be very interesting. Maybe something like an astrophysicist, or a theoretical physicist. Those are really interesting to me.
1:56
Brother Gerry Sharpe, 33°: It makes me smile. We wouldn't have been having this conversation before the Learning Center.
2:04
Brother Gerry Sharpe, 33°: What is our Masonic obligation? To make the world better. To make men better. To improve society. I don't think there's a better way to do that than to unlock the potential in our young people and allow them to blossom. The young man wants to become a physicist. That was, we would not be [2:28] having that conversation if it wasn't for the learning center. My point is, this is a human issue. This goes beyond a learning center. I think it's our duty, as Masons, to help make society a better place and our learning centers are most certainly doing that.
2:51
Ryan Sharpe:I owe my life to everybody who's helped set up the Learning Center. It’s done so much for me, and other kids like me. It's great. They help. They do so much good.
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