Sir Jackie Stewart: Race ace encourages teenagers not to give up on their dreams

Jul 3 2009 by Amanda McKendrick, Lennox Herald (main ed)

JACKIE Stewart encouraged two teenagers never to give up on their dreams.

The three-times world champion, who endured humiliation at school because of his dyslexia told fellow sufferers Harry Waters and Briony Waddell, “you will find something you can be good at”.

Sir Jackie, president of Dyslexia Scotland, spoke out about his experience of the condition when he visited his former school Dumbarton Academy last week.

Fourteen-year-old Harry asked the racing legend if he could beat Jenson Button, but the grandad-of-nine admitted he couldn’t, adding: “I don’t have the reactions I had or the muscle speed.”

Sir Jackie told how he was labelled dumb, stupid and thick at school after failing his 11-plus exam.

He added: “It goes from the classroom into the playground. You hardly have any friends because the clever folk didn’t want to speak to you.”

The Milton born champion told Briony, 14,: “I wasn’t identified as having dyslexia until I was 42 when my sons Paul and Mark were diagnosed. The assessment took just 15 minutes. I felt like I had been saved from drowning. Until then I just felt stupid and dumb.

“If you gave me £1million just now I couldn’t say the alphabet. I don’t know the Lord’s Prayer and I can’t sing the national anthem. I have stood beside the Queen many times humming.

“But you find ways round it. I’m very good at cleaning windows. I’m big on attention to detail.

“Einstein was dyslexic and if I hadn’t won three world championships for driving, I would have won it for cleaning windows.”

Asked if he enjoyed his time at Dumbarton Academy, he replied “Certainly not. My school days were the unhappiest of my life.

“I suffered humiliation and was left with an inferiority complex.

“It was tough in those days simply because they did not have the teachers at that time who understood the problems Harry and I have.

“I see what your teachers are doing, and there’s so much more understanding than when I was at school.

“If someone is not doing well at school, help them, all you clever ones be careful because you might end up working for these two one day.

“There are all these brilliant people who are dyslexic. They think out of the box and think differently than anyone else.”