Blog Post #3

In the classroom I was able to see a student with ADHD, I of course was not involved in any of this students IEP plans, or did I necessarily know of his condition. Speaking with Mrs. C I was told that this school year was quite an adjustment for her to get this student to learn properly. She explained to me that it was hard to begin new routines for this student, or introduce new concepts. She then told me her strategy to help this student succeed.

Mrs. C told me that since it was hard for this student to grasp new concepts that she had to find ways to use concepts that were routine to him and add to them. A very slow process. She explained that it wasn’t until the middle of the school year that she could finally get him to relax in the classroom. Mrs. C had a carpet with colored squares for her students to sit on, she had this student in the front where she could keep an eye on him and also where he could not be easily distracted. She also told me that she usually gave him a little more time to do his work, and also spoke to him in a very calm voice. 

This student was interesting to observe I was always drawn to him in the classroom with the way he interacted with others, since this was the end of the year he was having a very hard time adjusting to everything wrapping up and the excitement in the classroom made him very anxious. Mrs. C told me that she was having a very hard time getting him to settle down the last couple of weeks of school, but that it was hard to also do the end of the year testing while to still trying to get this student focused. I think I might’ve come at just the right time to help him stay on focus by checking on him frequently while the other students were doing independent work or testing with the teacher.

I think Mrs. C did a great job at balancing her classroom and this particular student who was having a hard time managing his ADHD.