‘Going through school with undiagnosed dyslexia’: Richard Branson on old report

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, took to LinkedIn to share his school report from 65 years ago. In this post, he recounted the “bad reviews” he received from his teachers and talked about “going through school with undiagnosed dyslexia”.
“I stumbled across this school report from the Easter break, 65 years ago. It felt very fitting to hear that I was ‘very backward’ in spelling and reading – as I get set to launch my audiobook next week! In case you can’t read the handwriting, here are a few highlights,” Branson wrote on his LinkedIn post.
In the following lines, he shared how his teachers wrote that he has a “bad memory”, “Below standard” performance, and is “very backwards”.
“Going through school with undiagnosed dyslexia wasn’t at all fun, but I’m glad I didn’t let it squash my big ideas. I hope this inspires anyone out there who might be struggling at school right now. Just remember there’s a whole lot more to life out there, and one day you’ll be able to look back on these reports and smile,” he added.
The post was shared a few days ago. Since then, the post has accumulated more than 33,000 reactions. The share has further received tons of comments from people.
“As a school counsellor, I have read and written hundreds (if not thousands) of report cards over forty years. I realised how catastrophic a ‘bad’ report card could be to a student – especially the little ones in primary school. It was always my mantra to praise all my students for any effort and progress in my classes or as a counsellor – the eight courses they were carrying. Even as a child, after my parents split up and I lived with my grandparents, my marks were abysmal. Like you, it wasn’t until young adulthood that I flourished. It’s a good thing you didn’t live by your teacher’s comments!” posted a LinkedIn user.
“Society puts labels, definitions and acronyms to describe anything that might be different about a person but in the end every one of us are woven with our unique DNA and every one of us are capable to achieve as long we can find our passion and have a desire to do it,” added another.
“I suffered from bacterial meningitis when I was five years old, which left me with some learning disabilities. I had some great teachers along the way who would also help me overcome some obstacles. As a grown-up, I had great mentors who understood my challenges, and then again, some employers who did not understand were willing to work with some of my disabilities. However, that has never stopped me from moving on and up,” expressed a third.
“Those who have not been there themselves will not really understand this at all. I myself was accused of cheating in an English exam because I ‘could not possibly have got’ the grade I did. The label of stupid followed through school even when disproven by results. However, damage to a young mind was done. It has taken me 45 years to make friends with my Dyslexia and ADHD. Still, the negativity spurred me on and has given me the gritty determination to succeed even in adversity,” wrote a fourth.