Although my teacher works with children of all difficulties, I mainly work with a student named Gabe, who has severe ADHD. He struggles to focus enough to finish his work, and he tends to find himself wandering around and playing with things he should not be touching. But, when we can get him to sit down and focus for the little bit of time he has, his intelligence soars, for he understands concepts that are very complex for a 1st grader, such as fractions. It is evident, that he simply needs someone to constantly point him in the right direction, but as the teacher it is very difficult to constantly apply so much authority over him. All I want to do is have conversations with him and let him release some of that energy, but I know that in the long run that won't help him at all. With most students, it is acceptable for them to wander off a little bit, but Gabe must stay focused the entire time, or else his work will not be completed. Additionally, I work with a student named Braden whose disability has yet to be identified. He struggles to focus once again on the task at hand and is constantly talking or doing activities he should not be doing. When he doesn't want to complete the activity, he starts complaining of being ready to "pass out" or "die" because of thirst. I would immediately let him go get a drink, but Mrs. Hart doesn't budge and encourages him to finish his work faster, so he can then get a drink. It is interesting how these students will do anything to get out of their work, but Mrs. Hart can see straight through it, where I struggle quite a bit to see how authority can help these students. There are so many students that I will get to work with, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to learn with each of them and help them on their journey to success.
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The Map of the Learning WorldAlong with me as your tour guide, you'll also find I've added my daily journal entries, or blogs, to help guide you through the learning world. Feel free to check them out! Archives
May 2016
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