top of page
Writer, Editor, Journalist
Home What is Dyslexia? About Us Your Dyslexic Stories Contact
Paula and Bebe: Learning through play
When Paula was a girl, no one knew what dyslexia was. Now at 56, she’s dedicated her life to nurturing young children through nature and play as the owner of four nurseries across London.
Paula was low achieving in school, and her teachers were quick to write her off as a daydreamer. She grew up frustrated and lacking in self-esteem. And without any real support from her busy parents, Paula gave up on academics very young.
“I thought I was dim. All my reports growing up said I was a daydreamer. In truth, I think they just couldn’t be bothered with me.”
At 16, Paula dropped out of school and took up a place at a technical college to study catering. It was here that she discovered she might be dyslexic.
Leaving catering behind, Paula moved to Devon to become a nanny. She loved living by the sea, and she loved watching the children she looked after learn and grow. Gifted with natural intuition and empathy, Paula was adored by the families she worked for and at 19 one family took her under their wing.
Now in London, Paula began nannying for a family whose children went to Montessori school and quickly became fascinated by the way they were taught. Volunteering to spend time in their classrooms, Paula absorbed herself in phonics and learning through play. Things she’d never understood before started to click, and she began to see that if someone had taken the time to teach her differently, school might not have been such a struggle.
“If more children could have Montessori, the learning experience would be very different. I feel it would be more inclusive.”
Paula was so incredibly excited by discovering these new ways of learning that she decided to start up her own nursery. Paula got her Montessori training with the support of the family she nannied for at the time, and at 21 opened was ready to open the doors.
35 years later, Paula now has four nurseries across London and is in the process of creating a franchise for her blended teaching approach. She’s also won a Montessori award.
Paula wasn’t always proud to be dyslexic. But now she appreciates all the positive things dyslexia brings her – her creativity, her entrepreneurial spirit, and her empathetic nature are all brilliantly positive parts of being dyslexic.
But what really brings Paula’s story full circle, is that her daughter Bebe is also dyslexic.
“I remember going to a parent-teacher chat when Bebe was 6 or 7, and all the parents were reading their children’s little diaries, and Bebe’s was just lots of frustrated lines and shapes.”
Paula had a horrible time trying to find the right school for Bebe and felt an awful sense of déjà vu in discovering just how quickly the teachers were to write her off. Bebe was disruptive in their minds, though she wasn’t badly behaved, and Paula had to engage child psychologist to help her from a very young age.
Luckily for Bebe, Paula could knew her daughter was dyslexic and fought for specialist teachers for her. By 9, Bebe was able to read and write. And while her teachers got frustrated with her all the time, Paula was always on side to help build up her self-esteem.
Bebe is now 21 and studying English at Bristol University. She’s working toward being a child psychologist and works in a nursery in her holidays. Just like her mother, Bebe feels most drawn to those children who seem distracted or disruptive – but instead of setting them aside, commits herself to thinking how she might help engage them and give them support her schools failed to give her.
Both Paula and Bebe have thrived not only with dyslexia, but because of dyslexia. And while the school system was a struggle for both mother and daughter, they are now proud to be dyslexic thinkers and hope that one day dyslexia will be more widely recognised as the gift it really is.
“I still find reading very challenging and can’t tell my left from my right. I often repeat things or get mixed up, and I can’t follow a recipe (though I’m still a very good cook!). I’ve spent my life dealing with high anxiety when faced with new things. But all of that has just made me stronger, and incredibly resourceful.”
Connect with us!
bottom of page