Categories: Kids

“Aright, so… I’m Jeff. I have ADHD.” Talking to Teachers

Didn't even notice that shoe was on my head until you said something Miss Schamber.

“Aright so, I’m Jeff. I have ADHD. I can be really silly.”

Those are usually the first words I say when I’m with a new teacher or coach or whatever kind of adult I’m going to be working with.

It’s one of the advocacy strategies that’s working for me. I let these guys know what to expect right up front. They might ask a question, usually they just tell me “hi, I’m so-and-so, I’m the teacher.” Less stress, introduction made, now we can get on to what I need from them to get through a class successfully.

Hopefully, the teacher’s going to want me to be successful in class, and if they know about my ADHD, they’ll stop & think before getting mad.

Just because we do things differently does not mean we can’t be successful. Like I mentioned in my blog on Agendas, not every system that the teacher uses will work for us — but we can put other strategies in place that do.

Don’t assume that just because some teachers don’t “get it,” that no one will. I find it’s better to let them know I have ADHD. It’s not guaranteed to make every teacher easier to work with, but I definitely get more people on my side that know what’s going on.

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Jeff Rasmussen

[content-block title="Meet Jeff Rasmussen" color="orange"] Age: 18 City: Langley, BC Diagnosed with ADHD in Grade 7 Biggest Dream: I want to change the world for younger kids like me who are punished daily for having ADHD. Fave Class: Mechanics "I've got the plans in my head for a motorized scooter with a gas-powered engine that I'm actually capable of building." ADHD Superpower: "If I'm determined to do something, literally nothing can stop me. Nothing. Not bribes, not bullets... nothing." Fave Food: Hashbrowns (the kind you buy frozen, in a bag) Career Goals: Telecommunications Guru Life-Changing Event: Winning the WDS Scholarship for Real Life School Achievement: Completing Math & Socials 10 in just 8 weeks this summer. "School's like 99% fluff. Summer school is that, minus the fluff." Biggest Struggle: Even though I take medication I still have trouble staying on task, doing boring homework, remembering not to swear when I am angry or staying still through assemblies. (That's where some of my strategies come in.) [/content-block] [content-block title="An Average Kid with ADHD" color="purple"] My ADHD has been really bad and given me every bad experience you can imagine for a kid. Before medication teachers took away my recess, my gym classes, they put me in the hall, I have been suspended from school, and I never did my work because even though my tests say I’m “gifted” I couldn’t do it. When I first learned I had ADHD I was so happy that I wasn’t bad or broken, it had a name and an explanation for what was going on. [/content-block]