Module 2_Muro

There were so many interesting topics discussed in this week’s assigned reading.  The topic I found myself relating to the most, was POINT/COUNTERPOINT: Pills or Skills for Children with ADHD? (p. 151) As I was reading all the sections pertaining to this subject matter my mind kept taking me to every classroom of every student that I have been in with a student who really struggled to focus.  For students like these, I believe the first step in assisting a student like this, is ensuring there is an adult who is very patient and can mentally place themselves in that student's shoes to really understand what that student is going through.  My heart always goes out for students who have been diagnosed with some type of hyperactivity or attention disorder. 

I know how difficult and isolating it can be to have to go to school every day and not always look forward to learning.  Growing up, I also struggled to some extent to focus on certain tasks in school.  Aside from all the pressure those students who are affected by having to deal with having any type of hyperactivity or attention disorder, they also feel self-conscious about themselves.  It is difficult for a student to look around a classroom and see how much more “advanced” their classmates are than them.  It is not fun feeling different than everyone else around you. 

This only puts more pressure on that student who may be falling behind, academically.  I constantly hear both sides of this argument.  Even though I know what I would do if I had a child that child was genuinely struggling to focus, I am able to relate to both sides of the debate, in regard to treatment.  I usually hear the same arguments from both teachers and parents.  Teachers become frustrated with students whose parents choose not to medicate them. 

Even with utilizing all the resources available to them to assist students with hyperactivity or attention disorders, teachers can feel lost or possibly even feel like there is not anything more that they can possibly do for that student to help the situation.  This can be especially true when they do not see any growth from that student.  Now, from the parents’ point of view, I can also understand what a difficult decision that must be for them.  Most of the parents I have interacted with genuinely want to help their children succeed, but are often reluctant to medicate their child due to all the possible negative side effects from the drugs.  I have seen firsthand, what the side effects from some of these medications look like.

In the textbook, it states, “Many children have negative side effects from drugs such as increased heart rate and higher blood pressure, interference with growth rate, insomnia, weight loss, and nausea” (D. C. Smith et al., 2014) (p. 151).  While not all students may experience all of these side effects from their particular medication, in most cases, they typically experience at least one.  Anyone of these side effects can easily impede that student’s education just as easily as their hyperactivity or attention disorder did.

            A second topic that hit home for me, was the section on Students with Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties (p. 154) This part not only made me think of all the students that I know who suffer from emotional or behavioral difficulties but also my own childhood growing up.  I did not have any behavioral difficulties that anyone had to deal with, but there were several aspects of my home life that did make it very difficult for me to effectively focus on my schoolwork.  I can remember being anxious, withdrawn and depressed (p. 154) when I was a young boy in school.  I am glad that there are far more resources available today, to students who suffer from emotional or behavioral difficulties, than there were when I was growing up. 

            Last, I was drawn to the content shared under, PRAGMATICS: USING LANGUAGE IN SOCIAL SITUATIONS “Pragmatics involves the appropriate use of language to communicate in social situations—how to enter a conversation, tell a joke, interrupt, keep a conversation going, or adjust your language for the listener” (p. 181).  This section brought me right back into those classrooms once again.  I would have to say that almost all of the students that I have been assigned to over the past five years have had some type of issue with pragmatics.  For the most part, it has been more about the students not being able to filter their conversations properly.  I know many adults who have these same issues.  I can always tell when people are feeling socially awkward around other adults.  They tend to display most, if not all of the signs that come along with the appropriate use of language to communicate in social situations (p. 181)