I've recently had the great pleasure of attending a meeting for the bloggers
on the Daily Local News of West Chester's 'Blogtown', of which I am the newest member . The day before this meeting, I watched the video below: Sir Ken Robinson regarding a "new" educational paradigm. The correlation for me between the two is the amazing spirit of unity between the "empowered" individual and the "health" of the community on a local level ( and beyond).
As a person with a visible "difference" myself (and among those who, in the classroom setting, had a substantially challenging time),I am considerably blown away by this video and Sir Ken!! Major kudos, Sir Kenneth! I can't help but feel I've found the Holy Grail of Validation, in the sense that I have (and probably MILLIONS of others!) felt this way innately as a child and thereafter for years hence.
I feel very grateful for Sir Ken's work and feel that it is part of my own "effort" when I create, perform and pursue what is most precious to me: individual, creative expression/learning tailored to suit my 'style': my 'way'... as part of the rich community of life on Earth...and beyond.
agreed!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sir Ken on almost everything he says - except the part about ADHD and medication. ADHD meds do not turn children into zombies. There is real science on this and I think it is dangerous to perpetuate this myth. By "waking up" the section of the brain that controls executive function, the ADHD individual is able to control impulses (like making inappropriate comments to classmates) and to focus on one or a few things at a time. This does not make the medicated person less creative at all. When kids are in class trying to listen to the teacher read them a story and are constantly distracted by a lawnmower outside, because their brains don't differentiate between "noise" they may really want to hear and "noise" that occurs in the background, the result can be just as frustrating and damaging as being forced to listen to something "boring." Sometimes they WANT to pay attention and can't.
ReplyDeleteMany ADHD kids, because they lack executive function, speak out impulsively in social situations, which can lead to isolation. The ADHD kid is much more likely to blurt out something in class that may be insulting or rude, or to behave in classrooms in ways that classmates find annoying. And ADHD, similar to Aspberger's Syndrome, can effect an individual's ability to read facial expressions or process subtle communications. This is especially difficult for girls, who engage in a lot more non-verbal communication than boys. ADHD girls often feel socially isolated and misunderstood because they don't understand the raised eyebrows or sardonic expressions of their classmates. The kind of social problems frequently experienced by kids with ADHD can negatively impact their ability to express themselves creatively in a much more significant way than stimulant ADHD medications do.
After all, ADHD medications ARE stimulant drugs. These are not drugs with the anaestitising properties of Valium or Xanax. Stimulant drugs - like Ridalin or Adderoll - "wake up" the link between the right side and the left side of the brain. It is simply a myth that stimulant drugs turn people into zombies. The image of the medicated kid sitting in school staring into space with a drop of drool in the corner of his mouth is irresponsible and foolish and wrong. Kids who forget to take their medication often find that a Red Bull can help them focus - because of the stimulant effect of caffine. I can't say this enough - ADHD meds are not depressives, they are stimulants.
I am sure that I would have benefitted from ADHD medication when I was in school. Many, many times I suffered in agony in the classroom because I was forced to learn something I had no interest in, only to realize that it was actually kind of interesting after all. Left to my own devises, I never would have sampled things that didn't grab my attention right away because it was just too hard to pay attention.