 MAY 28 • 2020 | 19

Dealing with Dyslexia

Local teen shares his journey to overcome 
learning challenges.

A

lex Bean was only 13 
years old when he 
heard his English teach-
er say, “I really don’
t believe in 
Alex. I don’
t think he has the 
ability to go anywhere in life.
” 
She unknowingly revealed this 
to Bean while on speaker phone 
with his English tutor. 
She called Bean later that day 
to apologize, but he wouldn’
t 
accept it. 
“I will use this every day to 
prove you wrong,
” Bean told 
her.
Now Bean, 17, has graduated 
from Frankel Jewish Academy 
with a 3.7 GPA and will be 
attending Indiana University to 
study media, technology and 
culture with a minor in fashion 
design. 
Bean was diagnosed with 
dyslexia in fourth grade. 
Throughout elementary and 
middle school, he was given 
excessive help.
“
A lot of things were handed 
to me. I never had to put much 
effort into anything,
” he said. 
“It became a curse. This only 
put me at a lower advantage for 
high school.
”
When he started high school 
at FJA, everything changed. He 
was put into difficult classes and 
no longer had a hand to hold. 
Bean, who describes himself as 
an “anxious person,
” became 
extremely overweight due to his 
stress. He leaned on therapy for 
his mental health, but this didn’
t 
solve his other problems.
“They put me into a mas-
sive ocean,
” he added. “I was 
always the kid who would say, 

‘
Everything is everyone else’
s 
fault but mine.
’
 They thought I 
was just a kid that didn’
t care. 
There were a lot of teachers 
who gave up on me.
”
Bean encountered an espe-
cially difficult teacher his soph-
omore year. After continuing to 
fail in his class, Bean scheduled 
a meeting with the teacher, but 
it solved nothing. Bean said 
this teacher even called him an 
“idiot” and a “terrorist.
”
Bean went to his parents, 
hoping they would fix the sit-
uation like usual. But this time 
was different. Seth Korelitz, 
director of Jewish studies at 
FJA, called Bean into his office.
“He told me going through 
life will only become a disaster 
if you rely on other people to 
take care of the issues for you,
” 
Bean said. “It really made me 
think.
”

Shortly after this experience, 
Bean was in a clothing store 
with his father. He noticed that 
while he tried on a size XXL 
hoodie, his father was wearing a 
men’
s medium. 

“It all hit me,
” Bean said. “I 
realized that I need to become 
my own person.
”
Bean started volunteering at 
Friendship Circle and getting 
involved with UMatter, a pro-
gram focused on empowering 
teens to shatter the stigmas 
surrounding mental health 
challenges and suicide. 
“I became very immersed in 
that world,
” he said. “It taught 
me how to advocate for myself 
and be my own independent 
person.
”
Bean also used music, writ-
ing and tennis to cope with his 
stress and anxiety.
“It was the first time in my 
day where I didn’
t have to think 
about anything except hitting a 
ball,
” he added.
Bean’
s biggest inspiration is 
his aunt, Lindsey Finsilver, who 
passed away from cancer in 

2016. Whenever he feels frus-
trated or unhappy, he thinks of 
his aunt for motivation.
“If she can fight, I can fight,
” 
Bean said.
While Bean’
s mental state was 
improving, so was his physical 
state. He lost nearly 50 pounds 
with the help of a teacher, 
Adam Shireman, who is also a 
bodybuilder. They shared goals 
and developed a friendship. 
Bean’
s weight loss boosted his 
confidence in every aspect of 
his life.
“One day I woke up and I 
was dealing with everything on 
my own,
” he said. “I’
ve become 
very happy with who I am. I 
accept every single one of my 
flaws.
” 

This is first in a series about teens 
overcoming their mental health chal-
lenges.

JENNA ANDERSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY OF ALEX BEAN

“I’ve become 
very happy 
with who I am. 
I accept every 
single one of 
my fl
 aws.”

— ALEX BEAN

