You’ve had them in your class. Their behavior has troubled you. Their lack of academic focus has frustrated you. And the problem of what to do about them has stretched your every professional nerve to its breaking point. So imagine what school is like for them.
In The Kids Behind the Label students with Attention–Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tell you what they experience coming to class each day. Trudy Knowles interviewed fourteen ADHD students from elementary school to college, asking them to reflect on their classroom experiences. Their descriptions of thinking, seeing, hearing, and learning will forever change how you approach ADHD students, allowing you to contrast their frustrating in–school behavior with the frustration they feel trying to complete their work and make sense of their world. Knowles, meanwhile, places the interviews in a sensitive yet pragmatic context, defining the disorder, helping you recognize specific symptoms, and offering advice on improving the educational lives of ADHD kids by examining your practices from their point of view.
In America, as many as 25 million people are diagnosed with ADHD; chances are you’re teaching at least one of them. If so, don’t lose patience. Pick up The Kids Behind the Label and read the thoughts of the students often branded as problem children. You’ll soon discover that they want a meaningful educational experience, and that, by listening to them, you can provide it.
