Based on your experiences in elementary, middle, and high school, do you think schools should restructure their curriculum to accommodate children with ADHD or should the child seek personalized help from their teacher?
It's a tough situation. At private schools like Iolani and Punahou, where I was once a faculty member and substitute teacher, I'd expect the schools themselves to call upon the ample financial resources at their disposal to effect structural change; they should be progressive enough to separate morality from certain aspects of willpower, and they also have incredible agency when it comes to shaping their educational environments. That being said, it's a different story in public education, or in less-privileged private educational settings, and often things are left up to the parents and the child when it comes to seeking help. Even at the college level, I still have students who are ashamed and afraid to present their accommodation forms to me (extra time on tests; the chance to use your computer to take notes; etc...), and I've made it a point at the beginning of each semester to let everyone know that it's very important that they speak up about their unique situations. There's always a line with this, of course--many times in my life I've not finished a paper even though I could've--but I think it's important for the people in power to approach students with compassion and acceptance and then go from there...
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Hi Jaimee,
It's a tough situation. At private schools like Iolani and Punahou, where I was once a faculty member and substitute teacher, I'd expect the schools themselves to call upon the ample financial resources at their disposal to effect structural change; they should be progressive enough to separate morality from certain aspects of willpower, and they also have incredible agency when it comes to shaping their educational environments. That being said, it's a different story in public education, or in less-privileged private educational settings, and often things are left up to the parents and the child when it comes to seeking help. Even at the college level, I still have students who are ashamed and afraid to present their accommodation forms to me (extra time on tests; the chance to use your computer to take notes; etc...), and I've made it a point at the beginning of each semester to let everyone know that it's very important that they speak up about their unique situations. There's always a line with this, of course--many times in my life I've not finished a paper even though I could've--but I think it's important for the people in power to approach students with compassion and acceptance and then go from there...
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