"A disproportionate number of children labeled ‘ADHD without hyperactivity' are exceptionally bright and creative children. I've often thought that these kids find their own inner theater much richer and more interesting than the outer theater of the classroom and, so, naturally, focus on it at the expense of classroom attention. . . The proper fix for this problem would be done at the school level, a place where I am unlikely to have any significant effect. I can, however, help these children concentrate and return their attention to the classroom."[5]Interesting confession from a highly respected pediatrician at Yale University who treats (with drugs) many children diagnosed with this disorder .
Read the entire article here.
ADHD and School: The Problem of Assessing Normalcy in an Abnormal Environment
More reinforcement on why I am so thankful for the Charlotte Mason Method.
One of the first (and in my opinion, the most important) principles of CM:
A Child is a Born Person.
They are uniquely designed by God. No two children are the same, nor will they learn the same. Our so-called standard schooling is choking our children. Children are not in the process of becoming people, they already are people. What their niche is has already been determined by God.
What are we doing to our children by forcing them to conform to a one-size fits all system? How can they thrive in a setting with such stringent restrictions?
I'll tell you what. We are teaching them to hate school, to hate learning, to not care about what their calling is. If they can graduate high-school, many turn their backs on education. But thankfully, God is sovereign and He is faithful and He will finish the good work he began. His purposes will not be thwarted.
We have dealt with the issue of ADHD and I have never accepted it. I always believed that my now adult son has strengths and abilities that are on a higher level than what the teachers were able to grasp. He is highly intelligent, but he himself admits having a different way of thinking than most people. His zest for life and imagination were second to none in his early years. His curiosity and energy was boundless. Sadly,years of failing to conform to standard schooling left him feeling dejected, inadequate and incapable.
But glory to God, he is now learning a trade and disovering what his true interests are and for the first time just how capable and smart he truly is.
Tomorrow he's taking off for his first flight, across country, to New Mexico for tradework. Now, the sky's the limit!
David would have been a candidate had he spent his formative years in the abnormal environment of a traditional, textbook oriented school. He had nearly all of the markers listed in that article. Because we allowed him to be the person he was born to be and focused on building habits, using his imagination, and thinking about living ideas, he had no problems adjusting to a traditional school as a mature teenager.
ReplyDeleteOh, Tammy, how beautiful.
ReplyDeleteBTW, thanks for posting that article earlier. It was a great one! :)