Writing with ADD Christa Scheffler

Dr. Devine ENG305B

Table of Contents Overall Theme: This paper explores ways in which school faculties can help an ADD student learn writing in class. Piece #1: Emails to the Teacher These emails were very similar to the emails my mother wrote my brothers teachers when it came time for them to learn about his ADD and his 504 plan that they used to help him do better in school. These emails are being used to show the difficulties of obtaining cooperation from schools in regards to special needs students, as well as introducing the idea of students with ADD. Uses first article on Works Cited. Piece #2: Angry Mother Bombards School This first scene of a play depicts a very real experience my mother had with the Catholic school that my brother and I used to attend. This scene depicts the unwillingness of our private school to help learning disabled students. However, this scene is not unusual. Many private schools do not wish to help learning disabled students because they lack the resources or time. However, neither of these reasons will help a disabled child learn. Schools need to implement some sort of support for students with ADD and other disorders. Piece #3: Attempting Homework This monologue is something I watched my brother deal with on a daily basis. He would have problems focusing on just his homework, but he would also have problems with focusing on his homework and other things. Because his least favorite subject was English, it was even harder for him to focus on any tasks set for him by his English teachers. If I were to imagine what the 2

inner workings of his mind were like when hes trying to do his homework, I would think this is an accurate (yet somewhat exaggerated) depiction. Piece #4: Letter to the Board of Education This is a letter written to the Board of Education explaining the problems with the current school system and how to implement a better system in order to make it more equal between learning disabled and non-learning disabled students. While I do believe that learning disabled students need a little extra help in order to learn as effectively as a normal student, the current system prefers learning disabled students and gives them more leniency as well as more opportunities to do well. This letter was based on the article by Ellen. A Seay Young (third article). Piece #5: Mental Health Humor This picture, taken from Chato Stewart (fourth article), is a representation of how ADHD students can pay attention to the things they want to pay attention to. English teachers simply need to learn how to implement what ADD students already enjoy into their curriculums in order for the students to learn successfully. Piece #6: Walking and Talking This dialogue between teacher and student is based upon the article by Linda Hecker (article two). This method of walking while brainstorming promotes free thinking and a better flow of ideas. Piece #7: Videogames and Homework When in high school, I tried to get my brother to do his homework before our mother would get home from work using this method. I found it a really effective way to break up the tediousness 3

of homework while still stimulating him to complete the assignments. Students with ADD have a short attention span, so breaking up periods of hard work with periods of entertainment help keep the student motivated to complete the work. Piece #8: Emails to the Teacher (Continued) This is the conclusion of the emails from parent to teacher. As my mother had, this parent involves the principal in the fight to achieve the rights of her child. The only way to help create a successful learning environment for learning disabled students is with the support and help of the schools faculty.

From: Subject: Date: To: Dear Mrs. Dowd,

cmcc@pipeline.com Charles and the 504 Plan Tue, September 6, 2011 9:04 am mdowd@ccsd.edu

As you probably know, my son has been placed under Section 504 because of his ADD. This means that Charles should be allowed extra time during tests and assignments during this school year, as in accordance with his specific 504 plan. In order to keep up with his studies, I would appreciate if you emailed me what his homework assignments are so that I can make sure he completes them. I understand that, as a teacher, you are very busy, but in order for Charles to do well in your class, I will have to be notified of what work needs to be done. Thank you for your time, Marianne Schmidt From: Subject: Date: To: Dear Mrs. Schmidt, I was not aware of your childs 504 plan, but I will be happy to give Charles extra time to complete tests in class. However, the responsibility of keeping up with assignments is the students, not mine. Therefore, I will not be emailing you the homework for the night, because I expect Charles to fill you in on what the assignment is. Im sorry if this inconveniences you. Yours truly, Mrs. Dowd mdowd@ccsd.edu RE: Charles and the 504 Plan Tue, September 6, 2011 9:04 am cmcc@pipeline.com

There is a small school - one story tall and made of old bricks. There are large windows, making the school seem like the outer walls are made of glass. A car enters the scene from the right, pulling into the parking lot in the front. At the same time, a woman exits the school through a door in the side, and quickly walks to her car located in the parking lot stage left. A woman, Marianne, exits the car parked in the front of the school and watches the other woman leave in her car, stage left. Marianne looks angry and exasperated as she walks into the school building. Marianne in a very fake, polite voice: Hi. Im here to see Mrs. Bocchino in regards to my son failing English class. I have an appointment for 10 oclock. Secretary: Im sorry, Mrs. Bocchino is in a meeting right now. Would you like to come back another time? Marianne quite angry, but still polite: Is she now? Do you know when shell be getting out of that meeting? Secretary: She did not say, but youre welcome to wait here if youd like. Marianne angry: I would rather not waste my time waiting for her to return. You see, I just watched her drive away in her car even though she knew we had an appointment today. Which either means that someone close to her is very sick or dying, or she just purposely missed our meeting. Whatever the case may be, this is the fourth time she has not been available for our scheduled appointments, and I am tired of waiting. So, tell Mrs. Bocchino to expect a phone call from me later today discussing the removal of my children from this school. Secretary: Im sorry for the inconvenience, maam. Ill be sure to tell her.

Tonights homework assignment: one paragraph stating what you did this summer. This shouldnt take you guys an incredibly long time to do. Were starting off the year really easy. Tomorrow well be doing group work with these paragraphs, so please have them done for class. Im trying to I always flip through the TV channels when a commercial comes on. I hate commercials. do my paragraph. This summer I I try to cycle between two or three channels at one time, so that I almost never have to watch commercials. Um. Well I went swimming a lot It sucks though, when the channels are in sync and the commercials all come on at the same time. Right now, Im watching NCIS and Tom and Jerry. Uh, swimming and NCIS is my favorite show. I watch it every day and own one of the seasons. Im working on getting the rest. Maybe Ill get them for Christmas or something like that. Theyre getting pretty expensive, but seasons of shows are always that way. Swimming and hanging out with my friends The commercials are in sync again, so I try to do my homework in between the shows. I went bike riding, also. I was outside a lot this summer. I played, uh I sometimes find myself staring out the window for no reason at all. Right now, the trees seem really green. Theres a bird on top of the bird feeder, looking to see if its safe to eat. The clouds move really slowly on days like this, when theres not a lot of wind and the sun is out. Maybe I should go outside later. Ill go to Toms and see if hes home. Ok, focus. I played football and Frisbee, and went swimming. Wait, I said that already. What else did I do Oh, shows back on.

To the Board of Education, I am writing with the intention of swaying your opinions on certain issues, even though this letter may not convince you. My name is Lisa Gaulle, and I am currently teaching tenth grade English. What I am noticing in my classroom and school is the severe lack of equality within our school system. Students with learning disabilities are held less accountable for their actions than their peers because of their disability. I understand that in the past, the school system had to be changed in order to create a better learning environment for these students. However, the current system is not benefiting the special needs students at all. Instead, it hinders their learning and creates an unfair advantage over regular students in the system. The first problem with our school system is that learning disabled students are given plans that are supposed to create an equal environment in which they are able to do equally as well as their peers. But instead, these plans actually hinder the students ability to be independent. In my classroom, I am forced to adhere to the plans of each individual student when most of the time, the student doesnt need to utilize their specific plan at all. These plans are used as a fall back for these students in case they dont feel like doing the assigned essay, or dont want to read the assigned book. Students should be encouraged to work with their problems, not rely on the world to give them a break. Otherwise, how will the student be able to transition into the real world successfully? Out there, the playing field is level. To do this, some things about the current school system need to change. Firstly, teachers need to be taught how to work with children with disabilities. Its unfair to expect a teacher to learn as you go, and it is not a reliable way to ensure that all teachers understand the difficulties of teaching disabled students and how to overcome these difficulties. I have worked with many

students with ADD, Dyslexia, OCD, and other disorders; disabilities are no easy thing to work with. It is unrealistic to assume that a teacher can learn how to teach learning disabled students when they have never been taught about it. Similarly, I cant expect my students to understand Shakespeares plays without helping them understand the language. There needs to be some sort of course, or multiple courses that teaches strategies for teaching learning disabled students. Secondly, current teachers need to be listened to. Reforms for the school system are currently made by people who rarely spend time within the classroom. Actual school teachers and their experiences and suggestions need to be actively incorporated into the decision-making process. Without hearing the opinions of the people actually within the classroom who are dealing with the difficulties of teaching learning disabled students as well as the difficulties of teaching alone, reforms will become less and less helpful to the actual learning environment. Thirdly, the schools need to stop giving into the pressures of parents. I cant count how many times Ive had to change my lesson plans, or due dates for assignments because a parent was angered that their child was being inconvenienced by whatever I was planning. One time, a parent came to me and said that her student needed extra time on his essay because his ADD prevented him from completing it on time. The position Im now put in is this: Do I extend the due date of the essay for everyone? If I do this, the students who have worked hard on their essays and completed them on time are inconvenienced. Do I extend the due date of the essay for this student? If I do this, the rest of the students that finished the essay on time are being neglected, and the students who hand in the essay late and without permission get penalized for it.

Do I tell the mother that the essay will not be extended? If I do this, I am accused of not accommodating learning disabled students. If I had given in to her request, regardless of the option I chose, I would be making my class unequal. My student with ADD would have more privileges than the other students, which is unfair. In our attempt to please everyone all the time, we have so watered down the school system that it no longer seems to stand for anything. In order to have a successful teaching experience, teachers and schools alike need to resist giving into the demands of parents. Parents have their children in mind when they suggest or demand things of the school, but that does not always mean that they are practical or useful to the rest of the students. If these changes to the school system are put into place, I am confident that the students will learn a lot more than they would have under the current school system. That, and teachers will find it much easier to teach their students with their newly-acquired confidence and support of their school. The school itself will be a more welcoming and equal environment for both special needs students and regular students. Thank you for your time, Lisa Gaulle

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A student talking with his teacher. Why are we walking outside? Would you rather be inside, writing? No Well, there you go. Besides, it is liberating to leave the struggles at your desk to get up, move around, and let the ideas flow. Okay So, you have to write an essay about a theme you found in The Scarlet Letter. What are you going to write about? I dont know yet. Something about adultery and guilt, I guess. Guilt is probably going to be an easier thing to write about, because there wont be much to say about just adultery. Yea, alright. How will you show that guilt is a theme? Well, Arthur Dimmsdale is feeling a lot of guilt. Why else would he carve into his chest? Good! What else? Uh, well I guess Hester feels guilty too, cause she doesnt tell anyone who she sleeps with. Why would that make her feel guilty? Uh, Im not sure. You keep thinking about it as we walk. Im going to go talk to the other students, but Ill be back to hear your reasoning. Okay.

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The thing about ADHD students is that they only really want to pay attention to things that interest them. For instance, the student above is extremely interested in his videogame, and yet hes only on level one. He doesnt seem to be making any progress with the game at all, and yet he still continues to play it after such a long period of time. His friend says that videogames are a good cure for ADHD, when in reality the disability isnt the thing hindering the student from learning. What hinders an ADHD student is their interest in the subject. If they are not engaged and excited about the topic at hand, they will not be motivated enough to focus on it long enough to learn anything. The trick English teachers need to learn is figuring out a way to make writing exciting and interesting enough for an ADHD student to find it useful and fun to learn. This is why creative writing is extremely useful, as well as using media sources to engage a student in learning. 12

Two kids sit in what seems to be the family room of a house. The first, a girl, sits on the couch and seems to be doing her homework. She writes in the notebook on her lap. The second, a boy, sits on the floor and has his binder open on the coffee table. He stares into space. Girl looking up from her work: Charles, you have to do your homework. Charles: I know, I am. Girl: Well, it doesnt look like it. Charles: I am. The two stop talking and continue to work. Charles looks up soon after the silence begins and stares again. After a few minutes, the girl takes note of this. Girl: Why dont we play some videogames? Charles: Sure! Girl: But we have to do homework, too. Alright? Charles: What? How? Girl: Well heres how well do it. Well play a race in ATV. Whoever wins has to complete two problems, and whoever loses has to do five. Deal? Charles: That seems like a lot Girl: But you only have that English worksheet. It shouldnt be that bad. And if it is, we can change the rules later. Charles: Alright The kids turn on the television set and the game console and put in the ATV game. They place one race and the girl loses. Both children turn to their homework and complete the assigned consequences. This continues until both are done with their work.

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Works Cited Durheim, Mary. "A Parent's Guide to Section 504 in Public Schools - Special Education and IEPs | GreatSchools." GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community. Great Schools, 2003. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://www.greatschools.org/specialeducation/legal-rights/868-section-504.gs>. Hecker, Linda. Walking, Tinkertoys, and Legos: Using Movement and Manipulatives to Help Students Write English Journal. National Council of the Teachers of English, Oct. 1997. Web. Nov. 2011. < http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/EJ/0866oct97/EJ0866Walking.PDF>. Seay Young, Ellen A. "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It: School Reform in the English Classroom." English Journal. National Council of the Teachers of English, Sept. 1997. Web. Nov. 2011. <http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/EJ/0865sept97/EJ0865Broke.PDF>. Stewart, Chato B. "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Home Test | Mental Health Humor." Psych Central Blogs. Mental Health Humor, 2010. Web. Nov. 2011. <http://blogs.psychcentral.com/humor/2010/09/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-hometest/>.

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