Lindsay's Page

Can a failure as a camp counselor succeed as a classroom teacher?

I don't know, nor am I sure of which answer I want to hear.

Today I was all but terminated, and even if the ultimate decision is that I keep my job, I don't think I want to return to it. I've been thoroughly humiliated and managed to annoy and/or alienate a good portion of the staff. Even the ones who don't seem to regard me with disdain give me that "Wow this girl is a sad case" look. I am ok with empathy, but pity is just demo… Continue

The more I delve into the teaching world, the more I think that one needs to be a super-human to teach. As a leader, not only is one required to perform the essential duties necessary for instruction, but also to monitor participation, respond appropriately to requests and disruptions, tread the fine lines between "discipline queen" and "jerk" and between "loving" and "buddy", watch out for signs of abuse or potentially dangerous behavior and maintain accurate records of just about everything. A… Continue

This week has been a frustrating example of my woeful attempts to impose structure on my own life. I've been struggling to maintain a regular sleep schedule for a while now, but 9 time out of 10 I can haul myself out of bed for early appointments. This week, however, I missed 2, turned in paperwork late and then had to bow out on volunteering at church due to my messed up timing.

It takes a lot of will power to not slip into berating myself for laziness and irresponsibility. While these are cer… Continue

I have found lately that my attention has been more thinly spread than usual. This seems to stem less from the many changes I am facing, or the large blocks of free time that seem to slip away so easily, than my inability to sustain my interest in a project long enough to complete it.

As I am typing, all I have to do is shift my eyes to be reminded that my ADD is not a figment of my imagination. Between my desk and my bed (about 6-8 feet apart) lies an obstacle course of clothes, bags, papers a… Continue

I want this blog to be friendly both to those with ADD and those without. After posting my introduction, however, I realized that I may have already wandered into dangerous waters word-wise, and so allow me to clarify:

1) Technically speaking, ADD and ADHD are two different beasts. The first (Attention Deficit Disorder) usually refers to the quiet, daydreamy type, whereas ADHD (Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Type) refers to those who are bouncing off the walls. There also exists the combi… Continue