Timothy Stephenson said he was told so many times he’d never amount to anything that he started to believe it himself.
In school he was labeled “dumb” for his difficulty with reading. He remembers getting spanked just about every day at school.
It wasn’t until high school that teachers tested him and found out he had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia. One of his teachers took an interest in him and his writing, he said, helping him earn a $2,500 scholarship for college.
“If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be sitting where I am today,” he said. “They gave me self worth.”
Because he’d like to be a champion for children with similar issues, Mr. Stephenson, 45, is a candidate for the District 9 seat on the Hamilton County Board of Education. Incumbent Chester Bankston is running for the Hamilton County Commission.