Haye Shares With Students His Childhood Battle With Dyslexia

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Defensive tackle Jovan Haye speaks with students at Currey Ingram Academy Tuesday in Brentwood, Tenn.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. --* Earlier this year, reporters from the *Tennessean put together a piece regarding Titans defensive tackle Jovan Haye's childhood battle with dyslexia and how he overcame the adversity and ended up attending and graduating from the academically-recognized Vanderbilt University. The story not only resonated with sports fans but also garnered attention from a plethora of public and private schools across the Mid-South whose students admittedly and immediately identified with Haye.

Soon, Haye was getting messages from local teachers and administrators thanking him for his candidness and the Titans were getting inundated with requests for him to come and share his story with children facing some of the same learning disabilities. Haye accepted Currey Ingram Academy's invitation and took part in a school-wide assembly on Sept. 29 in which he spoke to the academy's 275 students.

Nestled tightly in the woody backdrop of Brentwood, Currey Ingram Academy specializes in the teaching and support of students with different learning difficulties. During the assembly, Haye started with his early reflections on how he knew he was different and his struggles in the classroom as a result.

"Like many of you, I was terrified to read or even talk in class because I was so embarrassed because of my stuttering and what I became to know what was dyslexia," said Haye. "Every day was a struggle but I am here to tell you, you can and will get through it. I did."

Haye said that after his parents had him see counselors and he figured out that his disability was correctable with a little hard work, he went full throttle into not letting the disability hold him back.

"Being teased is never fun and I got my share of it," Haye said. "So what I would do was if I knew I would have to read in class the next day, I would practice and work on it in the days leading up and slowly but surely with encouragement from my friends and family, I started to get better."

For sophomore Rob Ferriera, who is also a captain on the school's football team, Haye's visit was especially special and inspired him to remain focused on his goals.

Haye pictured with the Currey Ingram Academy football team.

"I thought it was a great experience for us to meet Mr. Haye and see that if you can have a disability or something wrong , you can fix it and make a big dream out of it like he did," said Ferriera. "I was really inspired by Mr. Haye. He totally changed the way I look at football and school now."

After the assembly, Haye joined Ferriera and two more of the team's football captains and Currey Ingram Director of Community Outreach Director Kathleen Boles for a tour of the school. He visited with staffers, made stops in the cafeteria, band hall and playgrounds. When asked why he thought it was important to visit with students that are dealing with the same problems he faced as a youngster, he said he felt he was obligated.

"It is very important to come back and talk and visit with kids who are going through the same things I used to go through and some of the things I still go through right now," said Haye. "Hopefully what they got out of the visit was that everything was going to be fine and just because they have a disability, they don't have to let it take control over their lives and that they can and will be very productive members of society."

"To have someone like Jovan visit our school especially with all of the accomplishments he has had and be so confident and comfortable in discussing some of the challenges he had growing up, is amazing for our students to see and be inspired by him," said Boyle. "These are bright kids with so much to offer and to be able to see Jovan in front of them at their school, it helps them realize why they make the goals they make."