A consistent thread among adults diagnosed with adhd is that our school days were often difficult (to say the least). Everything from our supposed "lack of desire/motivation," and substandard and/or declining grades, to missed homework assignments, alleged "behavior problems," and of course ... "not living up to your potential."
In particular, "not living up to your potential" coupled with "you aren't trying hard enough" really steamed us inside, and caused many unnecessary arguments. We were already very hard on ourselves about this. We didn't need to hear it from everyone else too.
I believe a lot of the problems we faced in school is due to the format of the schools themselves. Schools seem to be designed for one type of student, and to conform everybody else into one of them - a corporate WORKER. This regimented system, designed more for testing than learning, is distinctively disadvantageous to the child with adhd.
We can't change the past, but we help the children of tomorrow. In the following video, Sir Ken Robinson, who headed the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education says "we are educating people out of their creativity." Please take the time to watch this MUST SEE talk on creativity and the school system. With the rapid pace of technological advances, the world is changing, and creativity is more important than ever.
Who knows ... the future may very well belong to those with adhd!
July 15th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
[...] a supplement to my previous post, The Creative Adder, I wanted to share some thoughts on adhd and creativity as discussed by Edward M. Hallowell, MD and [...]