Re: Being a teacher

[Anonymous]

I struggled through every day in my first 10 years of teaching; thought the kids loved me, my colleagues thought I was bright and creative, and administrators noticed my “out of the box” thinking, I was miserable. I fought a constant battle with frustration because of lack of organization, focus, and confidence. I had to work double the hours to get the same amount of work done as my colleagues. Finally, three years ago, I came out of the closet and told my husband that I thought I “might” have ADD. He said, “Oh, thank GOD!” and I was shocked by his awareness of my struggles. I thought I had hidden it so well! So, I had a difficult conversation with my doctor and got my first script. I had an immediate transformation, and as I read in some of your stories, I finally felt “normal”, for the first time in my life. My brain saw the paperwork in an organized way, and I got systems in place. I understood routine and was able to complete one task at a time. I was truly transformed, as a person and as a teacher.

Almost 4 years later, I am very happy with my career because I finally feel effective. I embrace my AD/HD diagnosis now, because addressing it has changed my life. I can joke about it and I can talk openly about it with colleagues, students, and parents. As long as I am working to improve my performance and understand my limitations, I no longer feel stigmatized. I am happier on a personal level, too, without the constant feeling of frustration and inadequacy. It’s been therapeutic to look at my past through a new lens, knowing now that I was fighting a losing battle that was not my fault.

I take 10 mg. of Dextro daily; althought I feel that I could use a little more, I hesitate to increase the dose because it’s a stimulant. I first used Strattera and loved it, but it was too expensive on a teacher’s salary!

Best of luck to all of my fellow AD/HD teachers!!!

REPORT ABUSE