I believe in me. Do you believe in me ??

Dalton Sherman is an American fifth-grader who gave a wonderful motivating and inspiring key-note speech at a teachers conference in the USA sometime ago ..

Dalton is not dyslexic however I think his words are still very relevant and thought provoking and also truely inspiring..

It is crucial for a dyslexic child to believe in themselves,despite their apparent short-comings in certain areas.Unfortunately, however self-confidence is often lacking in many kids.Also teachers need to believe in the dyslexic child and make it clear to them that they have faith that they can succeed.

Here is the text of Dalton's speech- with a few alterations.
To get the full impact of his speech watch the video on the internet :

http://www.schooltube.com/
( keyword : Dalton Sherman )

"I believe in me. Do you believe in me?

Do you believe I can stand up here, fearless, and talk to all 20,000 of you?

Hey, my school – do you believe in me?

That's right – they do.

Because here's the deal: I can do anything, be anything, create anything, dream anything, become anything – because you believe in me.

And it rubs off on me.

Let me ask you a question..

Do you believe in my classmates?

Do you believe that every single one of us can graduate ready for college or the workplace? You better. Because next week, we're all showing up in your schools –
and what we need from you is to believe that we can reach our highest potential.

No matter where we come from, you better not give up on us. No, you better not.

Because, as you know, in some cases, you're all we've got. You're the ones who feed us, who wipe our tears, who hold our hands or hug us when we need it. You're the ones who love us when sometimes it feels like no else does – and when we need it the most.

Don't give up on my classmates.

Do you believe in your colleagues?

I hope so. They came to your school because they wanted to make a difference, too. Believe in them, trust them and lean on them when times get tough – and we all know, we kids can sometimes make it tough.

Am I right?

Can I get an Amen?

So, whether you're a counselor or a librarian, a teacher assistant or work in the front office, whether you serve up meals in the cafeteria or keep the halls clean, or whether you're a teacher or a principal, we need you!

Please, believe in your colleagues, and they'll believe in you.

Do you believe in yourself? Do you believe that what you're doing is shaping not just my generation, but that of my children – and my children's children?

There's probably easier ways to make a living, but I want to tell you, on behalf of all of the students in , we need you. We need you now more than ever.

Believe in yourself.

Finally, do you believe that every child in Turkey needs to be ready for college or the workplace? Do you believe that Turkish students can achieve?

We need you, ladies and gentlemen. We need you to know that what you are doing is the most important job in the city today. We need you to believe in us, in your colleagues, in yourselves and in our goals. "