Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Kliewer Cont

SHORT EXTENDED COMMENT

I wanted to extend more on my feelings from this article, and after reading Alicia's blog, I knew I could reflect on more from my own life.


"I sat down, after reading this article, and thought about what I should write, and what it means to me. I have ADD, and was not diagnosed until eighth grade. Why was it not known to my teachers or parents until such a late age? the reason why, and I realize it now, is because I had learned to deal with it, and hide it from my peers and Educators. I did not want to be labeled, and taken out of the classroom that consisted of all of my friends. The children that were pulled out, and called to some kind of resource were made fun of by the other student. So, I learned how to get through my grades, and not ask for the extra help that I did need. This is upsetting and depressing to me now as an Adult looking back at this situation."
~Alicia~

Two people extremely close to me have learning disabilities, but unless you know them very well, it is difficult to tell. This relates to Alicia's story because she was able to hide it from teachers and peers. This is not a very easy job.

One of the people I knowhad to deal with testing and being taken out of class all throughout middle school. He did not mind it at the time, and still doesn't. But the fact that he did not have many friends and became "popular" until after he switched schools and was in high school does not seem like a coinicidence to me.

My other friend has been taken out of class ever since elementary school. She has been constantly ridiculed and harrassed. Although her problem was not so severe, she needed more time on tests and easier work. I wish that she had been able to done what Alicia had done, not been the center of attention. Although the extra help she got helped her, she was never able to have a "normal life."

My own father questions what ADD and ADHD is. He even makes comments like, "Maybe they are the normal ones. Maybe the people who are constantly moving and are completely active are the normal ones. Maybe we are the "bad" ones. Maybe its not actually normal to just sit around all day and relax." This makes me question my feelings about everything concerning these problems. I know that there are some people who do need medicine to calm down, even just for safety reasons, but maybe medicating every child who is hyperactive isn't quite the cure.

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