Primarily For Teachers

I, myself, quite probably have this condition. If your child does, this in no way is meant to belittle the fact. If you are familiar with the problems associated with ADHD, you will understand this letter. It is fiction and was written by a teacher with a sense of humor.

Letter to a parent from a teacher with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

Dear Parent

I am sure you are familiar with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Many students today have to deal with this difficult disorder. I am very able to empathize with them because I, too, suffer from ADD. Because of this, I hope you will be willing to make certain accommodations that will help me to be successful. Please consider the following accommodations:

Use a variety of techniques to communicate with me about your child. I may not remember to respond to a phone call, but repeated efforts by mail, telegram and fax are sure to elicit an eventual response.

When you write notes to me, consider using various colored markers to write your message. These help me to focus my attention.

Do not expect weekly progress reports on your child. Such reports require organizational skills that are beyond the ability of ADD subjects.

Please excuse any errors I might make in grading your child's paper. My attention wanders from time to time. I will be happy to re-grade papers with more than five significant errors, although it may take me several weeks to get to such papers.

Understand that I only grade a small percentage of your student's work so that I may be motivationally encouraged and predisposed to comply with my task.

I may occasionally mix up students grades. If you feel this has happened, please notify me (in the manner suggested above). If I am able to discover where the error was made, I will be happy to correct your student's grade.

Consider placing your child in one of my morning classes. I am much better focused before 10:00 a.m. If your child is in an afternoon class, do not be upset by the fact that one-half of our class time will be "free-time" due to the fact that I can only focus for short periods of time in the afternoon. Instead, consider this time as an opportunity for your child -- a built in "study hall."

Be prepared to teach the novel Lord of the Flies to your student at home.

Because I am frequently unable to reach this unit by the end of the year, you may need to cover this required material yourself. I will be happy to provide books and handouts.

Forgive me if I am late in arriving for parent conferences. I sometimes lose track of time. If I forget to come at all, do not hesitate to reschedule by contacting me (in the manner suggested above).

When we meet for parent conferences, please remember to

(a) Maintain proximity to me

(b) Establish eye contact

(c) Be concise

(d) Use an appropriate rate of speech

(e) Use visual aids (e.g., student papers, charts, pictures, etc..) Your effort to comply with these accommodations is greatly appreciated.

I know that together we will be able to create a rich and rewarding learning experience for your child. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me (in the manner suggested above).

Again, many thanks.