Teachers with ADHD | ADHD Information

How about issues on

1. organization

2. writing and the use of graphic organizers

3. breaking projects down

4. having children be able to move around while learning (I have my kids sit on fit balls)

I think that's it so far.

Hi

I am a teacher with ADHD. I get all the kids with ADHD and that is always a wonderful experience, but sometimes the mix of them and me is not all that productive. I am really having a lot of trouble staying organized and focused. I am having trouble finishing assignments. I am also getting my master's degree, so that is not helping either. I know this sounds like a disaster, but I tend to focus on the negative and beat myself up about it. I have a wonderful relationship with the parents and I am working with an add coach. Things are getting better. I plan on doing a lot of work over the summer. What is your story?

Elana

I am a teacher with ADHD PLUS my 10 year old son has ADHD. I am a strong advocate for students with ADHD in both mine and my son's schools. In fact, I joined the PD (professional development) committee this year just to have a voice in what our teachers get training in. Thanks to my influence and that of few others...we will have a required training this summer for regular classroom teachers on reaching these brilliant kids and tapping into their creative energy and putting it to use in the classroom. I have been asked to lead the session and I am a little nervous about it , but I want teachers to understand what life is like for these students and their parents...and that these students have SO MUCH to offer if given the right opportunities! I have my own personal experiences to rely on, as well as a wealth of information from my own research on the topic....However, ANY suggestions on topics to cover or issues to include in this training from PARENTS and STUDENTS perspectives will be greatly appreciated!

I can't help you with your question but I have to comment.

My sons teacher has adhd and he is have the best year ever. She can relate to him and has brought him out of his shell. She understands what he is going through. I am pushing for her to go to the fifth grade so she can teach him again. She wants to keep the class she has and go up a grade that would be awesome.

She has  told me she takes meds and she is very organized. So whoever said adhd is a problem this teacher sure had made a difference with my son. If I remember I will tell her about your post.

Looking for fellow educators who are having as much trouble as their
students staying focused.Any of you come across a book, guidebook, or primer on the subject of ADHD targeted towards teachers?  Just curious....

ADHDwarrior

Your comment relavence hit home with me.  It was something I would always ask my teachers and I think it drove them crazy.

Why are doing this? Why is this important? Why do we have to learn this?

Whenever I work with students and even adults I explain the importance of what we are doing. It gives them a connection from point A to point B and they see how it all falls in place.

 

I once saw a program about autism ( i know that is different) anyways there were people who were trying to explain what severe autism was like for children. People were trying to recreate what it was like for a child with autism to be in a classroom. I don't know if what they were doing was accurate, but the message got across. What if you were to have the participants partner up and have some do things to the other person that would connect with a child having adhd? does that make sense? If the people can experience a bit of what it is like to live with it, then maybe they will take the information to heart.

Experiential learning is also very important for ADHDers.....

I hope this helps....

Great topics!

I plan to hit all of the above and to really stress the need for physical activity.

Also the fact that we should NEVER punish a child over and over again in the same way for exhibiting symptoms of his/her ADHD. I know one "well-meaning" teacher thought it appropriate to take my son's recess away EVERY DAY for months for not getting his seatwork complete (he told me he couldn't concentrate because other kids were talking and moving around, the TV was on, and morning announcements always interrupted)...I don't think she ever understood how counter-productive that was! You'd think after months of that she'd realize that keeping him from recess wasn't helping him get anything done (she even told me that he was unmotivated, wouldn't make an effort, and that he didn't care.) I politely informed her that children with ADHD work 10 times as hard to answer a few questions in an environment like that as a "normal" child does to get all seatwork completed and that she should never assume that a child is unmotivated or not making an effort simply because they aren't completing their work. I also let her in on the fact that he DOES care because I am the one who spent literally hours after school consoling him because he would cry about how he was "so stupid" he couldn't even earn recess.....I gave her numerous ideas and resources concerning modifications she could make to HELP him. Did she make any changes? NO..so I had him removed from her class! She is the one who wouldn't make an effort (how difficult is it to turn off a tv?). She is the one who was unmotivated (what would it take to make a "quiet corner" in the classroom for students to go to be less distracted?). She is the one who didn't care. I am an educator and her lack of compassion as a fellow educator absolutely disgusted me! Of course, I'll not put it so crudely in the PD

(ahh, I'm venting now)

Other topics to discuss would be SIMPLIFYING and repeating directions (and that goes along with breaking projects down into smaller steps)

doing as much "hands-on"  and "meaningful" experiences as possible

giving them a REASON for doing the work...not just because we have to...link it to something they will use in their lives (besides testing)!

The sad thing is, for some teachers(you know this as well as I do)--all this is going to go in one ear and right out the other. The ones who will take it seriously will be the ones who either have ADHD or have someone close to them who does. Newer teachers may make an effort to understand...but many other teachers will just blow it off as another boring in-service they have to suffer through to get PD credit....I wish I could find a way to get it across to them just how difficult it is for some of these students--so maybe they would have a little more compassion. I guess I want to MOTIVATE them to reach all of our kids! I want to make THEM care! Unless I am able to get their attention concerning how serious this is....it will be a waste of time.

Any suggestions on drawing "apathetic" teachers into this PD or getting them to "care"?

That sounds like a plan! I really want people to understand what it is really like to not be able to focus because you cannot tune things out.

Hi, I am new and have been reading the forum for about a week.  This is the first topic that has made me want to reply.  Last fall, a friend and I presented a seminar for early childhood educators and daycare workers.  She is a professor of Special ed and I have a 9 year old adhd son.  I was just there to tell my story but we started out with a great demonstration.  We had 2 cd players going full blast, one with music and the other with a book on tape.  Then we put up an overhead with statistics on it and we had a laptop computer with a slide show running on it.  My friend started her "talk" about children with adhd with all this going on in the room and then I ran to the front of the room and interrupted her.  It really helped some of the people in the room to understand what is going on inside the head of these children. 

Hope this helps.

does anyone have any organization tips? I am so overwhelmed with paper.Don't know of any bookso on teaching ADHD kid but some great booklets are availible from www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html.
I read most of the ones avaible and it helped me understand better how uninformed teachers can make a difference with easy, minor accomdations for our kids. They also gave me ideas of what to look for and ask for from IEP plans.

I am not a teacher but would like to say that I am so glad the teachers above posted.  Your comments are insightful to and appreciated by a mom, who has struggled beside my son for years.  I wish he had had you as teachers.  He has had some very helpful, dear, and understanding teachers throughout the years but not enough support and help from the school district in general (not for lack of trying on his and his parents' part...).

Thanks for sharing.