Growing up Bad: Discussion 3.3

“Bad” by Gretchen O’Connor

When I hear the term “ADHD,” I think of a person, typically a child, who is hyperactive and impulsive, who can’t concentrate - like Gretchen’s description of herself searching for her soccer gear. I do not often think of the emotional burden ADHD places on that person. With each episode Gretchen describes, she explains the emotions she felt: guilt, shame, anger, frustration, anxiety, embarrassment, isolation, impulsiveness, worthlessness. She writes, “How come nobody ever saw the fear in me? Why did I have to be so deceitful so young? This overwhelming fear started very young…like a terrible weight I carried inside” (p. 66). These are heavy and difficult emotions for a young child to deal with, and she was unable to explain how she felt and no one seemed to listen anyway.

It seems there are many students diagnosed with ADHD in our schools. As a teacher, not only will I learn strategies to help these students academically, but I will also appreciate the emotional burden these students are likely carrying. Gretchen significantly wrote, “My parents and my teachers overlooked my learning problems and focused on my behavior.” I think it will be very important for me to work closely with the Special Education specialists in the school to get a better understanding of how to help individual students, especially the more challenging students.

Gretchen’s story points out how vital differentiation is. Focusing on the strengths students with ADHD have and finding ways to help them capitalize on those will help these students be successful. Helping these students be successful will help them academically and emotionally. Positive communication with parents or guardians will be integral in helping these students succeed. Parents of students with ADHD are likely used to receiving a lot of negative communication from the school. Instead of an adversarial relationship, I want to work in partnership with parents to help their child be successful in my class.

“ADHD: Window, Weapon, or Support” by Joshua Green

Joshua’s story is quite different from Gretchen’s, despite the same diagnosis of ADHD (although, Joshua discusses his additional auditory learning disability). It is important to realize how ADHD can look so different from one individual to the next. How they cope with the symptoms (whether they realize they’re caused by ADHD or not), the type of family support they have, the medical and educational interventions they receive, and self-perception they develop vary greatly. One size does not fit all - in behavior, management, symptoms, or intervention. Joshua’s case also illustrates the need for differentiation in the classroom.

It would be a mistake as a teacher to assume students with ADHD would only be underperformers. Joshua was able to achieve in school, which is probably what masked his issues for so long. His behavior was not disruptive enough to cause teachers or counselors to take note, at least not until college. Joshua wrote that, “They [his parents] also seemed more concerned about what was going on in school than in what was affecting me as a person” (p. 79). As a teacher, it will be important to remember that just because students are doing well academically does not mean they are doing well emotionally. There is such an emphasis by school staff and parents on academic achievement, that some may overlook the importance of emotional well-being. I hope to build relationships with my students that will allow me to talk to them so I gain a better understanding of how they’re functioning.

Joshua says understanding his differences made him “more sensitive to others’ feelings and to social interactions…especially those who are depressed, troubled, suffering” (p. 79). This is similar to a comment the author of Blake Academy made as well. Knowing themselves, understanding their diagnosis, and their personal experiences can help these students be more sensitive to others, especially those with similar challenges. This is a unique strength that can help students gain insights into people and situations others may miss. As a teacher, I want to look for strengths like these in students with learning differences and disabilities. Not only can these students help one another, but they can give insight into content that my other students may not see.

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Originally posted to Canva Discussion Board 3/7/2023