At this point, you may be tired of me talking about all my bad experiences at school and all my stories about teachers that misunderstood me and punished me instead of actually making an effort to make my educational experience a bit better. Believe it or not, there actually are some teachers out there that aren't too bad when it...
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If you're anything like me, you've probably had your parents hover over you, asking you to quit playing your video games. But you just say: "please, one last game." The thing is, what people don't get sometimes is that for a kid with ADHD, video games can actually be really valuable. This probably seems like I'm making up excuses so...
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Believe it or not us ADHD'ers can be comfortable and productive in your classroom. We just need to make a few easy tweaks and everyone will be way happier. I even mentioned some of my tips for teachers during the pandemic. Here are six things for teachers to know for building a classroom that supports students with ADHD. Freedom...
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It's almost November. We're already in the middle of term one. School for ADHD kids can be a little bit of a gamble. You never know which teachers you'll end up with and whether they'll be understanding and actually be helpful. When I was in school, sometimes my classes would be all messed up. On top of that, some of the...
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I got this message on the ADHD Kids Rock Facebook page a few years ago and thought that it was worth sharing: Got my son's school report today. One of the comments made by his teacher was disgusting. So, we wrote to the principal. Happy to share this if it encourages other parents that it's OK to advocate for your ADHD...
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When I was in grade 5, I spent a lot of my recess time inside because I was always getting in trouble for the most trivial things. Missed Opportunities Since I had less time playing outside at recess, it was really hard for me to be a kid, make friends and build on my soft skills. I think this is why I had a harder time...
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I realize this can be a tall order especially when it feels like one or two kids get all the attention. If you work on this over the year and build trust eventually even the most frustrating kid will be someone you are really proud to take anywhere.
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Today is the last day I will be a high school student. On June 22, 2017 I wrote my last exam and my high school career has now officially ended. This made me want to stop and share a bit about how I feel right now before the big event. Tonight I Graduate, Thanks to My Resilience I did it. Against all odds including being...
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This one is for principals dealing with ADHD students. Please consider sharing this with your school. ~ jeff In Grade 7, I was sent the principal's office 24 times. The very last time I told my teacher to… well you know. It was pretty serious. Needless to say this time my parents were called and came rushing to the school to...
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Hey, and Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends. I hope you'll write me some comments and tell me what you're thankful for. What's made a difference in your world this year? I'm thankful for YOU. And I wouldn't have had a chance to connect with so many of you if no one had cared to ask me what my own dream was. So I'm...
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On Tuesday we were playing a stupid game called "Knuckles." The game was dumb and we should have considered our environment before playing it.
I ended up making a big mistake and getting into trouble at school. Again.
But this time it was different. Here's what happened.
There are so many things teachers can do to make life better for kids with ADHD in their classroom. First especially now at the beginning of the school year it to get to know them. Find out what they like and who their friends are, then help them with those friendships. And kids - hang in there. You are not alone.
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Kids with #ADHD have really high drop-out rates. It's too easy for us to give up on our futures. Last summer, I met Ellen Berg -- an amazing teacher who teaches and encourages students with #ADHD every day. She's got the greatest attitude and a big list of useful strategies. Check it out!
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Adults think that if they get mad enough, or take away enough of our stuff then all of a sudden we'll settle down and stop derping.
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There are some pretty exciting websites, apps and techniques emerging that pledge to help teachers with everything from classroom management to raising students' scores. Krista Morris, a teacher who wrote into us from our Facebook community , uses the following websites in her classroom. These websites are free, or have free trial...
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The other day on my ADHD Kids Rock Facebook Page, I posted a poem I wrote about my difficult experiences in school. Some of you called it heart-breaking, lots of parents said their kids were going through similarly difficult times at school. The poem got almost 500 comments -- by far, the highest number of comments out of any of...
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In the last few years, school has been way better because I have been working with my parents and school district to get high school credits for doing things I am more interested in. That's right -- I said I'm getting school credit for learning things my way. And it's working. I've picked up extra classes, learned some awesome new skills, and figured out some things I'm good at. ADHD brains do great when it's something we are interested in. It's just how we are wired. Can we change the way we have to work in school for the better?
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Teachers, I'm glad you're reading this blog. Your interest proves that we can make a difference by talking about ADHD. Did you know that kids with ADHD have the highest drop out rate on the planet? I think our experience with other students and staff at schools can make a huge difference in keeping us at school. Here are seven things to think about you teach a child with ADHD, and the impact that some of these things have had on my life. Teachers, I know you have it hard. I promise if you learn more about kids with ADHD and how to manage us better, then your life — and for sure, our lives — will be better.
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Today my teacher sent my mom an e-mail...
What was great about this message of support was it came early enough in the day that I got a call from mom to go to the counselling office and take my meds (they have a supply there). My mom also now knows I'm a week behind on this assignment and it's a big one so she can help make sure it's on my list either to do myself or to work on with my tutor.
What if every student in your class felt ready, willing and able to work? Even the distracted and annoying kids who never seem to be paying attention. Well that's me, and I want to share with you seven things for teachers to know for successfully teaching kids with ADHD in the classroom. 1. Freedom – Students with ADHD need the...
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Even though ADHD medication can significantly help, it's not necessarily easy to get the right medication and get it to work smoothly for a kid. Here's how it happened for me. It took trying a few different ADHD meds and some scary fails before finding the best fit. Looking back, I realize we could have come up with a medication plan...
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Contributed by Andrew Lawrence Transparent Solutions Bio: Andrew Lawrence, a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). Owner of Transparent Solutions in Burnaby British Columbia Link to his site: http://www.transparent.ca/ First off I should say that I never really thought of myself as somebody with ADHD. It wasn’t...
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