ESL teacher with Adult ADD (and parent of an ADD child): resources; experiences; concerns; and thoughts.

I am borrowing this slogan from my principal. He came up with it for this year’s theme. I have used it in some fashion for many people and many circumstances. Whatever it takes to get through to a child, teach a child, get through to a child, whatever it takes, use it.
I have said that [...]

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I am so proud of my boy!  He just took the End of Grade tests.  The scores are 1-4, 4  being highest.  On the reading test he scored a 3 and on the Math test (2 days worth of tests, calculator active and inactive) he got a 4.
Last year he missed a 4 on the [...]

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I got this in an email but it says everything I’ve been trying to say.
THOSE BORN 1920-1979
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and
didn’t get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put [...]

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A little over a week ago my son had an accident with a fishing pole.  True to his creative nature, he was playing with a pole, in the back yard.  He was pretending to have a fish on and had the pole bent away from him.  The pole slipped and came back and slapped him [...]

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I read a wonderful article geared for Middle School and High School kids and teaching them how to evaluate Media Messages from commercials to TV shows.  It gives a parent or teacher a good approach to teaching to child to critically think on his or her own and evaluate the message.
It is so much better [...]

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I played clarinet from 7th grade to Sophomore year in college.  I still have my clarinet.  It is wooden, an antique and special to me.  I have not played in years.
My oldest, when it came time to pick an instrument for band in school, chose the sax.  His uncle played sax and it was the end [...]

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I have been sick lately.  Not life threatening but sick enough.  I am on round 3 of antibiotics for some kind of infection.  This round is kicking the snot (pun intended) out of my infection but it (and the others) have affected my digestive system.  I have had to stop taking my stimulant medication and [...]

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I haven’t written in a while, typical ADD fashion, been meaning to…..
We moved my son to a different school.  One of the schools at which I teach.  It is a smaller school and I know the teachers. 
He is doing well.  He likes it much better than the old schools.  Most importantly, though, the teachers accept [...]

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Yesterday, a friend of my son collapsed at school.  They staff and EMTs tried to revive him.  They could not.  He was in 5th grade, so about 10 years old. 
 I know that he is with God, dancing, singing, praising, having a great time.  It is a place I can’t wait to get to.  However, I [...]

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If we are “good parents” we try to construct a good life.
 
We attempt to protect and help our children.
 
We do everything within our grasp to keep them from exposure to ‘the world’ too quickly.
 
But the world pushes in.
 
The world, in a random act, can destroy all your attempts.
                       
                        Death
                                                Violence
            Loss
 
All [...]

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