Empathy Tours - The Final Blog

ADHD in the School

In today's day and age, it seems like everyone is diagnosed with something. The most frequent of these diagnostics, especially among kids and teens, seems to be Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD for short. There are three major symptoms: Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Impulsivity. Each of these symptoms are challenges in and of itself while in the classroom, however, when rolled up together they can quickly  become a nightmare. Not only is it not beneficial for the ADHD student but other students, and often times the teacher, can suffer from the distractions that hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity can bring. It is important to note that, even though many kids and teens show signs of ADHD, many don't actually have it. "...most developing children tend to show disinterest in subjects that they aren't particularly fond of, and most are excited to get up and explore the world." (Rowan). Let's say that a particular kid does have ADHD; how does that affect his educational experience and what can be done to help? 

People with ADHD tend to have a harder time with school since there minds jump around so much. Jumping mentally from one thing to the next makes organization nearly impossible while the hyperactivity causes the 8 hour school day feel like an eternity. Some parents will want to jump straight to drugs, such as Adderall, to help their kids pay attention during the school day but there are other ways to help kids focus and learn. Making school work interesting, such as in the form of a game, helps draw kid's attention away from outside distractions. Letting kids fidget with a fidget tool helps as long as the tool doesn't take the focus away from class. These techniques work well if they are done in a way that doesn't distract the rest of the class. Another big challenge that ADHD students face is organization. Often times such students think they will remember things but never do because their minds jump around so much. Writing down the information helps tremendously. Whether that is writing it in the form of a checklist or planning it all out in a planner, the hardest part is remembering to update and finish what is written down. This is where teachers or parents can help. Gentle reminders every now and again can be a tremendous help. 

Speaking from personal experience from dealing with ADHD, both in my personal life and from the lives of the people closest to me (shout out to my dad Tony, Nate, Tianna, and anyone's name I forgot to mention because of...Look Squirrel!), it can be a struggle in the classroom. The forgetfulness, easily being distracted, and lack of organization skills makes school even harder. While we may get by just fine, it is largely due to the people in our lives who help keep us on track. It's important to remember to not use something such as ADHD as a crutch. Everyone has something that makes things harder. While some are legitimate such as a back injury or a disability of some kind, it is very easy to talk a personal struggle up into something it is not just so that we have an excuse to get out of something. These struggles should be something we all put 120% effort in over coming so that we can become a better person. During the past couple weeks of English class, we have been talking about empathy which is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It's important to understand what the people in your life are going through or struggle with, whether that be ADHD, drugs, cancer, so on and so forth. Knowing the things those closest to you are dealing with allows you to help push them. Push them to over come the hurdles in their life and become a better person because of it. 

They Come To America. Perf. Undocumented Illegal Immigrants. Youtube. N.p., 29 July 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. .

                                                                     Work Cited

Rowan, Kiri. "ADHD and Autism: Is It One, the Other, or Both?"  https://blog.udemy.com/adhd-and-autism/   Udemy Blog, 26 May. 2014

"Symptoms of ADHD" WebMD, 17 June. 2015. http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-symptoms#1

Morin, Amanda. "At a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for ADHD" http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-symptoms#1  

ADHD Classroom Strategies. YouTube, uploaded by insideadhd, 9 September 2011.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd62-eL0JYI

Artist and Title Unknown: https://blog.udemy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/bigstock-Bored-student-balancing-a-penc-16442606-300x450.jpg

Artist and Title Unknown: 

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1ZfD.PXXXXXbkXFXXq6xXFXXXV/2017-font-b-toys-b-font-educational-magic-cubes-3x3x3-sticker-block-puzzles-for-kids-boy.jpg

Weekend Challenge - Climb on!

Jack Robran

1-20-2017

Adventure Assignment

Climb On!

          People think of football, baseball, soccer, and hockey when they hear the word "sport". Who 

wouldn't want to watch a bunch of guy's beating each other up over a ball? Most people probably 

wouldn't consider climbing to be a sport but I dare you to tell a climber that. It is a sport that takes 

considerable amount of skill and an insane amount of strength in muscles that I never knew existed. I 

had the opportunity to not only go climbing over the weekend, but also to become belay certified. 

           I have gone climbing before and I've always loved walking into vertical endeavors before a 

good day spent climbing. The check in counter is always full of bustling people trying to check in 

quickly so they can get to the good walls. The noise can be overwhelming at first but you eventually 

get used to the people complaining that they have to fill out their safety waver before they climb.The

smell of chopped, fresh rubber fills the air and it threw me back to my childhood when I used

to play at parks with the rubber mats that baked in the sun. This particular day was a special occasion 

because it was the first time I was attempting my belay test. 

           Climbing is a team ordeal, at least it is when you move off the auto belays. Auto belay's are 

the machines that control the rope so it slows down your fall when you let go of the wall. On the 

regular walls, it's up to your climbing partner to control your descent. In order to be certified in 

belaying, I had 

to know how to tie both me and my partner into the rope, show how to do all the necessary safety 

tests, and be able to control my partner's decent while never taking my hands off the rope. 

            The moment I walked through the doors I was flooded with nervous emotions. What if I 

forget how to do something? What if I forget to do the safety checks right and my partner falls and 

turns into a pancake? My head was filled with these thoughts as I checked in and asked to take the 

test. When I was taken to a climbing wall in order to take the test, I tried frantically to clear my mind 

and focus. I forced myself to take it one step at a time. Tie both of us it, check. All the straps and 

harnesses are tight, check. Alright let's climb. I turned to my climbing partner and she nodded, "On Belay?" 

I forced a steady voice as I replied, "Belay on". Dude you're almost done, just focus. 

She smiled and turned her body slightly to face the wall, "Climbing?" 

"Climb on". She started, make sure to focus and keep in the slack from the extra rope. 

            It was over with before I knew it and I heaved a sigh of relief as the instructor smiled and 

proclaimed that I had passed. After heading back to the counter and filling out forms and other 

various paperwork to make sure my certification was in the system, my climbing partner and I went 

to explore some of the new walls we could climb now that I was certified. As I write this spectacular 

A+ piece of literature, I can still feel the sore and cramped hands I earned after a full day of climbing.

Imagine That

Here is the picture for our "Imagine That" assignment.

New Blog!!

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