Wendy R You'll appreciate this : In '61, 13, in Catholic school, ADD meant a math function , not a learning issue, as described on my report card: We think LindaLee is a good student, but we can only see the back of her head. ... Lol
I’ve had Attention “derficit” disorder (😉)my whole life. My teachers thought yelling at me was the way to go. I would do my homework, and then not be able to find it to turn it in. My seventh grade English teacher yelled at me in the hallway for not turning my stuff in when I had my assignment done in my hand. I cried and the whole school heard me. In college, I got on the best meds for me, and now I’m gonna go to medical school.
Jess N. Same! I’ve always had a hard time with ADHD, ending up doodling on my worksheets until they are unrecognizable haha but I really hope I can major in emergency medicine
I want you to know Gerry, I cried when I watched this video. The reason is, my 10 year old is ADD, I am not. I just have never understood how he just “couldn’t get it.” I also have never understood his random comments. No one has ever explained it so clearly as you have for me. I pray I am more patient with home work this year. Thank you.
The Dr explained to me: You & I can tune out other noise, people talking, the TV or radio... & concentrate on 1 person or thing. ADD gives you all the stimulus at the same time.
This brought tears to my eyes, so accurate! As a Mom of a 2X and a Grandma of a 2X as well as being a Para for 100 kindergarteners, this video should be shown at Every Opening Day Staff Meeting!!! We all need that reminder of how our precious ones brain is working. God Bless You Gerry! (Hugs)
I love that you shared the fact that you have ADD. I’m also an educator with ADD, and you are 100% accurate. Children with ADD are smart, intuitive and creative, and this needs to be fostered and sometimes channeled in the right direction. Thank you!
I need to know, how do you survive in the new world of paperwork and data as an ADD educator? I have ADD (without the H), love the teaching side of the classroom, but the organization combined with paperwork is my nemesis.. (complete executive dysfunction over here) I always see hyper organized, put-together educators, and as a hot mess, I am envious.
@@Jen-nv9ch me too. I have to spend hours more than anyone else getting organised. They wonder why I have to stay so late most nights getting ready for the next day.
@@Jen-nv9ch I've been a Special Ed teacher for 20 yrs (and ADD all my life, but only diagnosed at age 40...I'm.52 now). At first I thought the doctor was joking around with me because I had always joked that I was ADHD, only the "Hyper" was on the inside...my brain still can't shut down very easily in order to get to sleep). I feel that my ADD certainly helps me understand all my kiddos with ADHD much much better. I also joke that we could all benefit from Ritalin in the air vents!
@@MrsDash-xw1vx I was diagnosed as a child but didn't want to take medication, so one of my teachers helped me by tapping her pen on the desk when she could see me daydreaming, it helped to remind me to stay focused and on task, none of the other students knew about it.
My wife didn't get diagnosed with her ADD until she was in college, but this sounds exactly like her, and like several of my students. Thank you for your demonstration.
I think this actually highlights some strengths in those with ADHD. Look at how fast their mind is working and how the information retrieval is amazing and how many things are connected to other things. There's so much going on in their mind that is more interesting than what's going on in front of them.
So grateful for this video! It came up in my recommended a few times but I was afraid that it would be one of those "ADD is just an excuse for being lazy/naughty." I'm glad I finally watched it and that you acknowledged both the struggles and the creativity of having ADD. It is so important to be understood.
Ahhh, so THAT’S what my ADHD daughter is thinking about when she’s supposed to be turning in her homework! This was a great perspective for me as a mother and a teacher. Thank you!
i have ADD and i can say this is the hardest thing to go through. i’ve always been yelled at by teachers, not understood, and in a classroom setting i’ve always felt like i was not welcome there. i’ve even had a couple of the best teachers say to me “i know you are so smart, but why can you not hand things in on time? even if they are done?” i wish i knew then that i had ADD that was unknown at the time. thank you for sharing this... nobody ever understand that i can literally NOT focus... or i focus too much. perfectionism is also a common trait with people who have ADD... it’s NOT easy
As an adult with ADD and a parent if two boys, one with ADHD/ODD and the other with ADD, I appreciate this so much! I struggle daily in my own life and I know it affects my children, and they struggle on their own. Thank you so much for making this video!
This is by far my favorite video! I have never been diagnosed with add/hd..... I do the same thing in situations where I am really supposed to be paying attention... I am 40 yets old!
Same here. I asked my doctor about it so she went through a questionnaire. It was so slanted toward ADHD that she decided I'm fine. I tried to explain the difference but she claimed that questionnaire was all she had at her disposal.
ADD and ADHD know no age limit. Only a very, very small number of people will out-grow it. And females are much more likely to go undiagnosed because we tend to internalize symptoms where as boys are more likely to act out in physical ways, which are far more noticeable and therefore easier to spot early.
Wow. You just described my 40 year old son. Back then there was no knowledge or understanding. Talk about a struggle. Thank you for describing this to a T. YOU MAKE LEARNING FUN 😃
Thank you thank you thank you!! As the parent of an ADHD and an ADD child and as an adult with ADD, I thank you. My son was in 4th grade when someone finally was willing to help him find the best way for him to learn. His teacher read and absorbed all of the information she could find. We thanked God everyday for Mrs. Burger. Thank you for letting others know that these children are not lazy or can't do the work. Their brains are going 100 mph and sometimes they just can't slow down.
Thank you for this, Gerry! My daughter, who turns 30 this year, struggled throughout her school years because of ADD & dyslexia. Thank God for the understanding, patient teachers that she had. Her life would've been so much more difficult without them!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. I am a Mom to 2 ADHD children and a bus driver😊. Help them, Love them, Understand them. Thank you for this!! 👏👏👏👏
When folks ask about that student my answer is always, their my favorite. They bring me joy, don’t you just love that about a kiddo. Most teachers think I’m crazy but as a mom of a grown son with adid (impulsivity) I really get that child needs my loving not my mouthing.
God bless you, from a mom with an ADHD child!!! ❤️ I was nervous to play this video. I didn’t know what you might say that would discourage me as a parent of an ADHD child. I’ve left encouraged. Thank you!!!
Oh my goodness... that is right on!! If only others got it.. 😢😢😢. Show them you care, love them and never forget them. I love these babies and adults!! Their minds work tirelessly if only I could burn that much in calories a day.
So true!! Add in the garbage preservative laden food offered in school and kids these days are lost. This video explains how my brain works. Breaks my heart seein kiddos suffer with it too! ❤wonderful message sir!!!
From a future educator with ADHD, I greatly appreciate this video. It is so hard to describe to people just what it's like to have to live with ADHD, especially if it goes undiagnosed. I was lucky enough to have it caught when I was young, but because my teachers didn't understand at the time, they had made up their minds about me, that I was a bad student and my parents decided to move me to a different school. When you are at a school where all of the teachers know your situation and are behind you every step of the way, it makes the world of difference. Again, thank you.
This is great! Thank you for sharing this. I think it is a good reminder for us as humans to extend a little more grace to people because things are not always what they appear to be. Sometimes all it takes is making a little more effort to establish a connection with a student that can turn everything around.
Thank you! I have taught for 31 years ! That is exactly what it is like! My daughter has it! She is 20. We use to describe it by saying she was listening and then she saw a squirrel outside and her brain yelled SQUIRREL! I know I have it to! Note to all parents... hey it’s fine with hard work you will get them through High School and be more proud of them because they had to work 3 times harder then “Susie” ! My hard worker is a Junior at Clemson!
Gerry my son was ADHD throughout school and every year was hit & miss on what kind of year we were going to have. When he graduated I remember crying so hard no because he was my baby but because he made it then went into the Marine Corps and just retired. But no matter what was going on his pediatrician and his counselor were all on the team to get him through it and each of teachers that were part of his support team were incredible. Thanks for sharing
My husband has ADD, and it was a challenge for him all through school. At 42 he still struggles. I had to smile at this because I have one round nostril and one oblong one. I’ll be forever convinced that’s what he’s paying attention to when I’m talking from now on. Also, my husband worked on an ostrich farm. Ostrich eggs taste a tad stronger than chicken eggs, and one dozen large eggs equal one regular ostrich egg. (Just a bit of random knowledge.) Thank you for describing what it’s like to live with the disorder. I’d like to encourage the teachers to also pay attention to the quiet students that are obviously being picked on by others. Talk to them, and make sure everything is okay at home. Every single day I would silently beg one of my teachers to ask me how I was doing so I could tell my story and get help, but it never happened. I wanted to tell my story so badly, but I couldn’t initiate the conversation. I encourage teachers to just take a moment and really study each of his/her students to make sure they’re getting all the help they need.
Perfect narrative that also describes ADD. I have ADD. We are misunderstood. We are the exact opposite of what others think of us. The thing is...from my perspective, we pay so much attention to so many things. We have the sharpest observational skills. We can problem solve with zero resources. We have the deepest insight because we are off-the-charts empaths. I hate that ADD is considered a disorder. It's only disordered in the sense that we don't execute tasks in a linear fashion. Lineared thinking and execution are valued traits in Western society. In a perfect world, our creativity would be rewarded as much as the task masters'. Oh, and by the way, I am a teacher.
Exactly right! So difficult in our society to think in a non-linear way. I struggled so much all the way through K-12, undergrad & grad school, but I never had the outward "hyper" component of ADHD. My brain was (still is) the hyper part. I'm thankful & feel validated to have finally be diagnosed at age 40 with ADHD. That was 12 yrs ago & as a teacher, I continue to struggle, but have found little tricks (timers have been a huge help) to be able to survive in the linear world.
@@MrsDash-xw1vx Same here, I never had the outwardly "hyper" component....all the gears spinning on the inside, whereas on the outside, I appeared to others as introverted or at best, clever, because now and again I'd come out with something bright as a flash of lightning which would truly blindside folks.
I wish you had been my administrator when I was teaching. You get it. I also wish there had been more understanding of ADD and ADHD and Autism when I was a student in the dark ages. Some of my fellow students would have benefitted from more love and understanding rather than punishment and frustration. Carry on with your mission!!! Yes, it's funny but yes, it's also spot on!!!!
I'm a pre-service teacher heading into student teaching this fall. As someone who has ADD, and who has an 8yr old brother with ADHD, your explaination of both is spot on. Empathy is key.
Love ❤ this! So insightful and humorous yet real. You earned a 💯! This fall marks 36 years in education and while I have a solid handle on most SpEd/504 behaviors, this is by far the BEST description of whats going on in the mind of ADD/ADHD young people AND adults. Love all your content and hope to see you in person before I retire.
My husband, children and grandchild all have ADHD. My grown son says it shouldn't be called "attention deficit" but "pays attention to every darn thing" disorder. Thank you for sharing this insight.
My son was diagnosed with ADD and then I was diagnosed with ADD. My generation fell through the crack as it wasn't diagnosed much back then. I understand my son better than anyone. We can really relate to this video.
You just educated me to a clear understanding of a problem my wife spent 40 years trying to tell me; that I never listen. She died in March.., the day after my birthday (she was a lovely, thoughtful, and ATTENTIVE person who ALWAYS put the needs of others before her own). It's just sad beyond any ability to explain that I learn this too late, today (11/23/2020), on what would have been our 41st anniversary. Her name? Joy. If she had watched any of your videos, Mr. Brooks, she would have really enjoyed your presentations immensely. Now, excuse me while I go for a good cry.
As a mother (with ADD) of a child with ADHD I want to thank you for this. So many teachers roll their eyes when they see my son coming. How defeated he felt before class even started. Love, compassion and understanding - you might struggle teaching him this year but he won’t be in your class next year but he will have ADHD for the rest of his life.
Hey I just wanted to say thank you for this, it's so rare to see ADD/ADHD described so accurately, and from the standpoint of someone who doesn't look down on kids for their experiences with it. Very good vid all around. :)
Thanks so much for this . My child has ADHD. Now i understand why his evaluation said he answered some questions with responses that were completely unrelated to the subject matter.
This so described my son. Honestly, he struggled to focus until he discovered marijuana. He explained to me once how his mind was just on overdrive constantly. Once he started smoking, it slowed down. I realize some people are still against legalized medical use, but it really does help so many conditions. For him, the ADHD and the pain from scaplial winging so he can function and support his family!
I really loved this. As a teacher with Autism I face the same things, but more on a sensory/special interest level. I teach special education and find peace in the sheer chaos of my ASD/ADD/behaviour disorder classroom because I can see the sense and order in the behaviours that others see as problematic. I've had other teachers outright call me crazy and that's why I get along so well with my kids...it's a shame that neurotypical people don't see...oh our PA system is playing BABY SHARK! I love baby shark :)
Thank you sooo much for this! I follow your videos religiously because you're always the funniest part of my day. As a school secretary I can totally resonate with everything you say! But as the mom and wife of two severely ADD people it's wonderful that you're able to use this platform to bring some awareness to this disorder!!! Thank you!!!
OMG! AWESOME VID! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS AND PROVIDING A LIL INSIGHT FOR THOSE WHO JUS DON'T GET IT. I'VE BEEN ADHD ALL MY LIFE, AS WELL AS MY 3 CHILDREN. AGAIN... THANK YOU. YOU EXPLAINED IT PERFECTLY!
ADD is real. I work with IDD (intellectual development disability) adults. But that said, as a minister I can also say that some of this same behavior is due to willful self-indulgence. It can appear the same on the outside, but the inner cause can be due to an immature irresponsible mind; irresponsible, because some adults don't see the need to pay attention. They don't carry the responsibility to listen and contribute to society....just to themselves. I see this growing more and more in the world today. Real conversations and the ability to communicate and depend on others has taken a nose dive.
My son was diagnosed at age 45. His therapist says really bright kids learn how to cope, maybe to the point that no one knows. Until they’re 45. Son learned that it’s less “can’t pay attention” but more “your brain decides for you what you’re going to pay attention to,” like the other person’s nostrils. Thank you.
Omg!!! This is sssooo great!!! Speaking as a mother with kids that have ADHD you just made cleared it alllll up for me in a matter of minutes what doctors have been unable to do for the last 15 years!!!!!
🥺 ADD MOM raising an adhd child on autism spectrum. My son teaches me so much every day. And having compassion to be patient with my boy because I understand his struggles. 🥰
Thank you! As an educator who does not suffer from this condition we do need to be reminded regularly just how difficult it is for some of our students and really be reminded of how much we need to teach with understanding and empathy.
I get a kick out of TPP (Teachers Pay Principals) videos, but this is one of your best, Gerry! Such great examples, and then a touching call for teachers and parents of kids with AD(H)D
This was the BEST description of ADD ever! Much better than textbook. Thanks for this. I’m going to keep it in mind this school year, and probably watch it a few more times.
Thank you! Most people just don't get it, but you do. My son has struggled with this for so long. He's 20, but it's still real. Thank you for understanding and trying to help others understand. I love your videos!
Wow, thank you so much for letting people know how the train runs out of the station and you get to rose petals during math! It can also be physically painful to not follow that track especially with combined conditions. Thank you for helping bring understanding to so many things, your videos have made me feel that my frustrations are understood 🤗🤓
I am a retired teacher. I told my ADD students how lucky there were because they would be able to do twice as much as other people because they have twice as much energy...they always smiled. I don't think other people every told then that. My own ADHD son is remarkable. He never stops learning and doing things. My son always did his homework and never turned it in. He got straight A's on all tests even though he appeared to be somewhere else. In elementary school, he had to sit in the back of the room because he would never stop slithering like a snake through his desk and chair. His teacher handled it well. She just put him in the back of the room. She would ask him what she taught that day and he would tell her. One day the teacher taught the students that sound waves traveled faster that light waves. When she asked my son about the lesson, he corrected her by reminding her that you "see" lightening before you "hear" the thunder. I don't miss all the crazy stuff that goes on, but I loved the actual teaching. It was wonderful to see the excitement in a student's face when he or she "got it."
LMBO 😅🤣🤣😂 Mr. Jerry...I APPRECIATE you SO VERY MUCH! My children are grown, but I have grandboys now....and not only are you describing EXACTLY how I have felt my ENTIRE life....you are making it EASY for others to see how my grandson experiences the world. Thank you for all you do! The world would be a much better place if ALL of our teachers and administrators were exhibited 1/2 the understanding that you do. 🥰🤗♥️🧠🌟🌠🥇🏆#️⃣1️⃣😇🙏
I’m 51. I have had ADHD all my life. I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 28 years old and in college for a second try. When I was a kid, I wasn’t diagnosed as anything but a lazy underachiever who talked too much. Part of that reason is because ADHD didn’t really exist as a diagnosis in the 70s. I went to school every day with a positive attitude. I started each day fresh, thinking, “today I will not talk while others are talking, I’ll do my work and turn it in, and I will not get bored and daydream through most of the lesson because I understood how to do this the first time the teacher explained.” Every day I left school feeling like a failure. My IQ qualifies me for membership in MENSA. My grades were simply meh. I began to believe that I was a failure at school. I didn’t have many friends because I had problems reading social cues correctly, as many kids/adults with ADHD do. They thought I was weird.I became severely depressed, but hid it well. Everyone thought I was fine, but lazy. I swore that if I heard another teacher or counselor tell me that I had so much potential but I needed to apply myself, I was going to scream. I am currently taking a break from my 4th attempt to complete a master’s degree to be at home with my two children, 8th grade and 5th grade, while they are distance learning online. I still feel like a failure in some ways, and am so concerned for my children, who both inherited my ADHD. I want so much more for them. But they are still both experiencing some of what I did, even with diagnoses and accommodations. They fall into that place where they are doing well enough academically that they don’t qualify for certain types of help, as they are “doing better than many other students in their grade level.” But they are not able to achieve what they are capable of doing. They need to be compared to their potential, not everyone else’s. Certain areas in which they need help, I am ill-equipped to help them because I still can’t do those things myself consistently. I’ve been telling my daughter’s teachers since preschool what she needed help with-and why I knew that she needed that help-and was told she was just young. It was frustrating, not to mention patronizing. How do I get my kids’ schools to understand that I am less concerned with their grades than with what they are actually learning? That I’m not pressuring them to achieve, but begging for them to get help learning how to learn, how to process different steps, take effective notes without getting behind, etc. I love this video because you explain it so well. We can’t really help that we zone out and miss half the conversation, or that we are intimately acquainted with our friends’ nostrils or ostrich eggs. (Personally, that connection is familiar, since one man I saw had very large nostrils, so I made up a story that he was a greatly undervalued superhero called Nostril Man, who came from the land of Nostralia!) Thank you for this. Thank you for understanding. And thank you for being an advocate for these children in our schools. They desperately need you. 🤗
Sure do sir, my 13th year old son now in 8th grade online schooling was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD at the age of 3 and has been on meds ever since. Although we have had to stop meds bcs of liver enzymes off and on, but you're amazing 🙏🙏
Ah!!!! Thank you. Thank you for doing this. I'm a Pre-K, VPK, and elementary school teacher turned SAHM to be with my babies, and my oldest is going into kinderfartin (I spelled that right), and she goes to OT for ocular, attention, and sensory issues. She'll likely be diagnosed with ADHD, and she already had issues in the kinder camp she went to last week. For three days they kept forgetting to put her glasses on her, and when the teacher pulled me aside to discuss my child's constant talking and not getting her work done, my first question was if they put her glasses on her. Nope 🤣 The last two days the teacher remarked what a different child she was with her glasses on. I wish she could regulate herself and remember to put her owl eyes on, but she's still only 5. I am so grateful to have done the camp though, because we learned what a BIG DEAL her glasses are; we purchased an old lady glasses necklace for her to wear them, we did all this before the real school year started, and I shared my knowledge of regulation songs to play in the classroom that they utilize in OT. I already plan on volunteering as much as I can with a 1 and 4 year old at home, along with buying some extra donuts throughout the school year, extra supplies throughout the school year, gift cards, and bottles of wine because I know teachy is gonna need it 🤣
May I just say: is there anything else we can ask of teachers? Let’s see what else can we put on their plates? Maybe if we took off some of the paperwork required by the “district” teachers would have less paperwork to carry and more arm room for hugs.
This is helpful.My only kid has ADHD(combined type).It drives me absolutely insane.I’m so organized that I just don’t understand why he isn’t.I purchased a book to help me.A social worker says that it’s the best that she’s seen
I snapped my wrist with a rubber band when I did College Algebra and Pre-Calculus homework in college. I daydreamed so much! Peer pressure helped me to focus also. My parents would say that you don't want the students to make fun of you if you say or do something stupid.
Special ed teacher (retired) with ADD here. Adderoll worked for me until health issues made me stop it. Working with students was not a problem but sitting through professional development presentations and staff meetings were difficult. “Mrs. X, we covered that at the staff meeting, you were there, weren’t you?”......... PS, love, love, love your eye rolls!
I was diagnosed at 40, I have an 11 yr old with ADHD, and I’m a SPED teacher. This was so spot on. For me, the thought tangents when someone else is talking are a huge issue!
This is how I talk. Wasn't diagnosed until 49. ITMT my daughter married one and raised his 3 ADHD daughters. The only way she could get them out of the house was to turn off the TV.
After 12 years of PD as an educator, that was the best summary and example of ADD I’ve ever heard.
Wendy R No kidding! Where was Gerry when I was teaching?
Wendy R You'll appreciate this : In '61, 13, in Catholic school, ADD meant a math function , not a learning issue, as described on my report card: We think LindaLee is a good student, but we can only see the back of her head. ...
Lol
outstanding!...I am 60 and have overcome those thoughts by using lists...but you nailed it
I’ve had Attention “derficit” disorder (😉)my whole life. My teachers thought yelling at me was the way to go. I would do my homework, and then not be able to find it to turn it in. My seventh grade English teacher yelled at me in the hallway for not turning my stuff in when I had my assignment done in my hand. I cried and the whole school heard me. In college, I got on the best meds for me, and now I’m gonna go to medical school.
❤️♥️✌️...my daughter, same....you'll have strength of character others won't have...
Jess N. Same! I’ve always had a hard time with ADHD, ending up doodling on my worksheets until they are unrecognizable haha but I really hope I can major in emergency medicine
I want you to know Gerry, I cried when I watched this video. The reason is, my 10 year old is ADD, I am not. I just have never understood how he just “couldn’t get it.” I also have never understood his random comments. No one has ever explained it so clearly as you have for me. I pray I am more patient with home work this year. Thank you.
People with ADD pay attention to every thing.It's a matter of learning what to filter.
Rick Lavoie. Google.
Alex Ivins yes, that was also helpful to me and explained why my Principal always says that about the email.
The Dr explained to me: You & I can tune out other noise, people talking, the TV or radio... & concentrate on 1 person or thing. ADD gives you all the stimulus at the same time.
Hilarious but very empathetic. Thank you from a Special Education teacher.
Im studying to become a special education teacher my biggest worry is my certification test. I hear my state's test is hard which scares me .
I'm not going to lie, my mind wandered for a moment when I watched this and I had to go back and watch part of it all over again.
Thank. You. My ADHD son appreciates you describing how he sees the world.
I love this so much as an adult with ADD this is exactly the kind of craft that goes on in our heads every single day
This brought tears to my eyes, so accurate! As a Mom of a 2X and a Grandma of a 2X as well as being a Para for 100 kindergarteners, this video should be shown at Every Opening Day Staff Meeting!!! We all need that reminder of how our precious ones brain is working.
God Bless You Gerry! (Hugs)
I love that you shared the fact that you have ADD. I’m also an educator with ADD, and you are 100% accurate. Children with ADD are smart, intuitive and creative, and this needs to be fostered and sometimes channeled in the right direction.
Thank you!
I need to know, how do you survive in the new world of paperwork and data as an ADD educator? I have ADD (without the H), love the teaching side of the classroom, but the organization combined with paperwork is my nemesis.. (complete executive dysfunction over here) I always see hyper organized, put-together educators, and as a hot mess, I am envious.
@@Jen-nv9ch me too. I have to spend hours more than anyone else getting organised. They wonder why I have to stay so late most nights getting ready for the next day.
@@Jen-nv9ch I've been a Special Ed teacher for 20 yrs (and ADD all my life, but only diagnosed at age 40...I'm.52 now). At first I thought the doctor was joking around with me because I had always joked that I was ADHD, only the "Hyper" was on the inside...my brain still can't shut down very easily in order to get to sleep). I feel that my ADD certainly helps me understand all my kiddos with ADHD much much better. I also joke that we could all benefit from Ritalin in the air vents!
@@MrsDash-xw1vx I was diagnosed as a child but didn't want to take medication, so one of my teachers helped me by tapping her pen on the desk when she could see me daydreaming, it helped to remind me to stay focused and on task, none of the other students knew about it.
Their behaviour is often a reaction to what’s going on in their brain
My wife didn't get diagnosed with her ADD until she was in college, but this sounds exactly like her, and like several of my students. Thank you for your demonstration.
I think this actually highlights some strengths in those with ADHD. Look at how fast their mind is working and how the information retrieval is amazing and how many things are connected to other things. There's so much going on in their mind that is more interesting than what's going on in front of them.
I know this is comedy - but it's also an AMAZINGLY accurate description of what it's like living with ADD.
ADD - The reason why all teachers should pluck their nose hairs.
😂
Thank you for this wonderful true example of the ADD life. We are a creative bunch who need help ignoring the “butterflies” from time to time.
So grateful for this video! It came up in my recommended a few times but I was afraid that it would be one of those "ADD is just an excuse for being lazy/naughty." I'm glad I finally watched it and that you acknowledged both the struggles and the creativity of having ADD. It is so important to be understood.
Ahhh, so THAT’S what my ADHD daughter is thinking about when she’s supposed to be turning in her homework!
This was a great perspective for me as a mother and a teacher. Thank you!
i have ADD and i can say this is the hardest thing to go through. i’ve always been yelled at by teachers, not understood, and in a classroom setting i’ve always felt like i was not welcome there. i’ve even had a couple of the best teachers say to me “i know you are so smart, but why can you not hand things in on time? even if they are done?” i wish i knew then that i had ADD that was unknown at the time. thank you for sharing this... nobody ever understand that i can literally NOT focus... or i focus too much. perfectionism is also a common trait with people who have ADD... it’s NOT easy
As an adult with ADD and a parent if two boys, one with ADHD/ODD and the other with ADD, I appreciate this so much! I struggle daily in my own life and I know it affects my children, and they struggle on their own. Thank you so much for making this video!
This is by far my favorite video!
I have never been diagnosed with add/hd..... I do the same thing in situations where I am really supposed to be paying attention... I am 40 yets old!
Same here. I asked my doctor about it so she went through a questionnaire. It was so slanted toward ADHD that she decided I'm fine. I tried to explain the difference but she claimed that questionnaire was all she had at her disposal.
ADD and ADHD know no age limit. Only a very, very small number of people will out-grow it. And females are much more likely to go undiagnosed because we tend to internalize symptoms where as boys are more likely to act out in physical ways, which are far more noticeable and therefore easier to spot early.
Wow. You just described my 40 year old son. Back then there was no knowledge or understanding. Talk about a struggle. Thank you for describing this to a T.
YOU MAKE LEARNING FUN 😃
Thank you thank you thank you!! As the parent of an ADHD and an ADD child and as an adult with ADD, I thank you. My son was in 4th grade when someone finally was willing to help him find the best way for him to learn. His teacher read and absorbed all of the information she could find. We thanked God everyday for Mrs. Burger. Thank you for letting others know that these children are not lazy or can't do the work. Their brains are going 100 mph and sometimes they just can't slow down.
Thank you for this, Gerry! My daughter, who turns 30 this year, struggled throughout her school years because of ADD & dyslexia. Thank God for the understanding, patient teachers that she had. Her life would've been so much more difficult without them!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. I am a Mom to 2 ADHD children and a bus driver😊. Help them, Love them, Understand them. Thank you for this!! 👏👏👏👏
My son has aspergers and he’s the most phenomenal person I’ve ever met! I hope you know how phenomenal YOU ARE!💯🤗
You hit the nail on the head with a hammer!!!! I'm a Deaf Ed Interpreter. I work in Elementary School. This is so true!!!!
Oh my goodness! This should be required viewing for every ADD doubter! As a special ed teacher and having ADD myself THANK YOU!
When folks ask about that student my answer is always, their my favorite. They bring me joy, don’t you just love that about a kiddo. Most teachers think I’m crazy but as a mom of a grown son with adid (impulsivity) I really get that child needs my loving not my mouthing.
I say the Same thing! They Are My Favorite!
God bless you, from a mom with an ADHD child!!! ❤️ I was nervous to play this video. I didn’t know what you might say that would discourage me as a parent of an ADHD child. I’ve left encouraged. Thank you!!!
Oh my goodness... that is right on!! If only others got it.. 😢😢😢. Show them you care, love them and never forget them. I love these babies and adults!! Their minds work tirelessly if only I could burn that much in calories a day.
S Nemetz oh my god if i had like, kinetic ADD, I’d be so in shape.
Music teacher here, 26 years, I deal with ADD as well. My favorite moments are when we have ADD jousts between us. I want a hamster wheel.
Yup and this is me~ The kids with ADD and ADHD are my favorites because we learn so many cool things from each other. This is laugh out loud funny!
I love the Differentiation ideas to encourage and celebrate everyone!! No one left behind!
So true!! Add in the garbage preservative laden food offered in school and kids these days are lost. This video explains how my brain works. Breaks my heart seein kiddos suffer with it too! ❤wonderful message sir!!!
From a future educator with ADHD, I greatly appreciate this video. It is so hard to describe to people just what it's like to have to live with ADHD, especially if it goes undiagnosed. I was lucky enough to have it caught when I was young, but because my teachers didn't understand at the time, they had made up their minds about me, that I was a bad student and my parents decided to move me to a different school. When you are at a school where all of the teachers know your situation and are behind you every step of the way, it makes the world of difference. Again, thank you.
When I was told I had ADD at 70, I was in disbelief! I thought I just had a great personality. Lmao!
This is great! Thank you for sharing this. I think it is a good reminder for us as humans to extend a little more grace to people because things are not always what they appear to be. Sometimes all it takes is making a little more effort to establish a connection with a student that can turn everything around.
Thank you! I have taught for 31 years ! That is exactly what it is like! My daughter has it! She is 20. We use to describe it by saying she was listening and then she saw a squirrel outside and her brain yelled SQUIRREL! I know I have it to! Note to all parents... hey it’s fine with hard work you will get them through High School and be more proud of them because they had to work 3 times harder then “Susie” ! My hard worker is a Junior at Clemson!
Yes this is great! So true ! Children with ADD need so much patience and love!
Yes!!!! 100%
Embrace the energy of our students with ADD!
Gerry my son was ADHD throughout school and every year was hit & miss on what kind of year we were going to have. When he graduated I remember crying so hard no because he was my baby but because he made it then went into the Marine Corps and just retired. But no matter what was going on his pediatrician and his counselor were all on the team to get him through it and each of teachers that were part of his support team were incredible. Thanks for sharing
I have also had ADD all of my life- I have struggled to describe it to others. This is the best description I have ever heard ever!!
My husband has ADD, and it was a challenge for him all through school. At 42 he still struggles. I had to smile at this because I have one round nostril and one oblong one. I’ll be forever convinced that’s what he’s paying attention to when I’m talking from now on. Also, my husband worked on an ostrich farm. Ostrich eggs taste a tad stronger than chicken eggs, and one dozen large eggs equal one regular ostrich egg. (Just a bit of random knowledge.) Thank you for describing what it’s like to live with the disorder. I’d like to encourage the teachers to also pay attention to the quiet students that are obviously being picked on by others. Talk to them, and make sure everything is okay at home. Every single day I would silently beg one of my teachers to ask me how I was doing so I could tell my story and get help, but it never happened. I wanted to tell my story so badly, but I couldn’t initiate the conversation. I encourage teachers to just take a moment and really study each of his/her students to make sure they’re getting all the help they need.
Oh my stars!!! I've had undiagnosed ADD my whole life 😯 I still do this and I'm 40 🤦🏽♀️
Thank you explaining what the kids cant!
Perfect narrative that also describes ADD. I have ADD. We are misunderstood. We are the exact opposite of what others think of us. The thing is...from my perspective, we pay so much attention to so many things. We have the sharpest observational skills. We can problem solve with zero resources. We have the deepest insight because we are off-the-charts empaths. I hate that ADD is considered a disorder. It's only disordered in the sense that we don't execute tasks in a linear fashion. Lineared thinking and execution are valued traits in Western society. In a perfect world, our creativity would be rewarded as much as the task masters'. Oh, and by the way, I am a teacher.
Exactly right! So difficult in our society to think in a non-linear way. I struggled so much all the way through K-12, undergrad & grad school, but I never had the outward "hyper" component of ADHD. My brain was (still is) the hyper part. I'm thankful & feel validated to have finally be diagnosed at age 40 with ADHD. That was 12 yrs ago & as a teacher, I continue to struggle, but have found little tricks (timers have been a huge help) to be able to survive in the linear world.
@@MrsDash-xw1vx Same here, I never had the outwardly "hyper" component....all the gears spinning on the inside, whereas on the outside, I appeared to others as introverted or at best, clever, because now and again I'd come out with something bright as a flash of lightning which would truly blindside folks.
I love you Gerry! And as a teacher and a mother of a child who has a child with ADHD, I LOVE THIS💖🍀
I wish you had been my administrator when I was teaching. You get it. I also wish there had been more understanding of ADD and ADHD and Autism when I was a student in the dark ages. Some of my fellow students would have benefitted from more love and understanding rather than punishment and frustration. Carry on with your mission!!! Yes, it's funny but yes, it's also spot on!!!!
I'm a pre-service teacher heading into student teaching this fall. As someone who has ADD, and who has an 8yr old brother with ADHD, your explaination of both is spot on. Empathy is key.
I am a teacher with ADHD (diagnosed in 2nd grade) and I TOTALLY understand!!! Loved this one!
OMG THANK YOU FOR THIS! We all need a little compassion and understanding.
Love ❤ this! So insightful and humorous yet real.
You earned a 💯!
This fall marks 36 years in education and while I have a solid handle on most SpEd/504 behaviors, this is by far the BEST description of whats going on in the mind of ADD/ADHD young people AND adults.
Love all your content and hope to see you in person before I retire.
My husband, children and grandchild all have ADHD. My grown son says it shouldn't be called "attention deficit" but "pays attention to every darn thing" disorder. Thank you for sharing this insight.
My son was diagnosed with ADD and then I was diagnosed with ADD. My generation fell through the crack as it wasn't diagnosed much back then. I understand my son better than anyone. We can really relate to this video.
My wife, son, and I appreciate you.
Thank you!
I have never heard ADD explained this way! Thank you for educating us with this video!
You just educated me to a clear understanding of a problem my wife spent 40 years trying to tell me; that I never listen. She died in March.., the day after my birthday (she was a lovely, thoughtful, and ATTENTIVE person who ALWAYS put the needs of others before her own).
It's just sad beyond any ability to explain that I learn this too late, today (11/23/2020), on what would have been our 41st anniversary. Her name? Joy. If she had watched any of your videos, Mr. Brooks, she would have really enjoyed your presentations immensely. Now, excuse me while I go for a good cry.
As a mother (with ADD) of a child with ADHD I want to thank you for this. So many teachers roll their eyes when they see my son coming. How defeated he felt before class even started. Love, compassion and understanding - you might struggle teaching him this year but he won’t be in your class next year but he will have ADHD for the rest of his life.
Kate P
Kate, can I hug you first and then your son?
You’re so sweet! I’m a hugger!!
Hey I just wanted to say thank you for this, it's so rare to see ADD/ADHD described so accurately, and from the standpoint of someone who doesn't look down on kids for their experiences with it. Very good vid all around. :)
Thanks so much for this . My child has ADHD. Now i understand why his evaluation said he answered some questions with responses that were completely unrelated to the subject matter.
This so described my son. Honestly, he struggled to focus until he discovered marijuana. He explained to me once how his mind was just on overdrive constantly. Once he started smoking, it slowed down. I realize some people are still against legalized medical use, but it really does help so many conditions. For him, the ADHD and the pain from scaplial winging so he can function and support his family!
I really loved this. As a teacher with Autism I face the same things, but more on a sensory/special interest level. I teach special education and find peace in the sheer chaos of my ASD/ADD/behaviour disorder classroom because I can see the sense and order in the behaviours that others see as problematic. I've had other teachers outright call me crazy and that's why I get along so well with my kids...it's a shame that neurotypical people don't see...oh our PA system is playing BABY SHARK! I love baby shark :)
Thank you sooo much for this! I follow your videos religiously because you're always the funniest part of my day. As a school secretary I can totally resonate with everything you say! But as the mom and wife of two severely ADD people it's wonderful that you're able to use this platform to bring some awareness to this disorder!!! Thank you!!!
OMG! AWESOME VID! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS AND PROVIDING A LIL INSIGHT FOR THOSE WHO JUS DON'T GET IT. I'VE BEEN ADHD ALL MY LIFE, AS WELL AS MY 3 CHILDREN. AGAIN... THANK YOU. YOU EXPLAINED IT PERFECTLY!
Wow. That’s the best explanation of ADHD I’ve every heard!
ADD is real. I work with IDD (intellectual development disability) adults. But that said, as a minister I can also say that some of this same behavior is due to willful self-indulgence. It can appear the same on the outside, but the inner cause can be due to an immature irresponsible mind; irresponsible, because some adults don't see the need to pay attention. They don't carry the responsibility to listen and contribute to society....just to themselves. I see this growing more and more in the world today. Real conversations and the ability to communicate and depend on others has taken a nose dive.
Thank you for explaining this in a way EVERYONE can understand it!😘
My son was diagnosed at age 45. His therapist says really bright kids learn how to cope, maybe to the point that no one knows. Until they’re 45. Son learned that it’s less “can’t pay attention” but more “your brain decides for you what you’re going to pay attention to,” like the other person’s nostrils. Thank you.
I totally have this. This is exactly how I think all the time. Thank you.
Omg!!! This is sssooo great!!! Speaking as a mother with kids that have ADHD you just made cleared it alllll up for me in a matter of minutes what doctors have been unable to do for the last 15 years!!!!!
🥺 ADD MOM raising an adhd child on autism spectrum. My son teaches me so much every day. And having compassion to be patient with my boy because I understand his struggles. 🥰
Thank you! As an educator who does not suffer from this condition we do need to be reminded regularly just how difficult it is for some of our students and really be reminded of how much we need to teach with understanding and empathy.
Thanks for this! You hit the nail on the head with this one! Very accurate :)
Oh god this was me I am crying. I love you so much. Tha k you so much for your humor and kindness.
I get a kick out of TPP (Teachers Pay Principals) videos, but this is one of your best, Gerry! Such great examples, and then a touching call for teachers and parents of kids with AD(H)D
I love this and I love you. Back when I was in school ADD was not as understood as it is today. I appreciate your time to send this message you
This was the BEST description of ADD ever! Much better than textbook. Thanks for this. I’m going to keep it in mind this school year, and probably watch it a few more times.
Thank you! Most people just don't get it, but you do. My son has struggled with this for so long. He's 20, but it's still real. Thank you for understanding and trying to help others understand. I love your videos!
Thank you from a parent with a child with ADHD! In less than 4 minutes you described exactly what I've been trying to explain for years!!!
Wow, thank you so much for letting people know how the train runs out of the station and you get to rose petals during math! It can also be physically painful to not follow that track especially with combined conditions. Thank you for helping bring understanding to so many things, your videos have made me feel that my frustrations are understood 🤗🤓
I love you! Thank you!
2 of my 3 children have ADD, along with my husband. ♥️
I am a retired teacher. I told my ADD students how lucky there were because they would be able to do twice as much as other people because they have twice as much energy...they always smiled. I don't think other people every told then that. My own ADHD son is remarkable. He never stops learning and doing things. My son always did his homework and never turned it in. He got straight A's on all tests even though he appeared to be somewhere else. In elementary school, he had to sit in the back of the room because he would never stop slithering like a snake through his desk and chair. His teacher handled it well. She just put him in the back of the room. She would ask him what she taught that day and he would tell her. One day the teacher taught the students that sound waves traveled faster that light waves. When she asked my son about the lesson, he corrected her by reminding her that you "see" lightening before you "hear" the thunder. I don't miss all the crazy stuff that goes on, but I loved the actual teaching. It was wonderful to see the excitement in a student's face when he or she "got it."
This happens at every teacher in service I go to.
Freesheep I was thinking the EXACT SAME THING! 🙋🏻♀️
LMBO 😅🤣🤣😂 Mr. Jerry...I APPRECIATE you SO VERY MUCH! My children are grown, but I have grandboys now....and not only are you describing EXACTLY how I have felt my ENTIRE life....you are making it EASY for others to see how my grandson experiences the world. Thank you for all you do! The world would be a much better place if ALL of our teachers and administrators were exhibited 1/2 the understanding that you do. 🥰🤗♥️🧠🌟🌠🥇🏆#️⃣1️⃣😇🙏
I laughed so hard at this-I am the same way! One word can lead my head into so many different tangents and then who knows what can happen.
I’m 51. I have had ADHD all my life. I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 28 years old and in college for a second try. When I was a kid, I wasn’t diagnosed as anything but a lazy underachiever who talked too much. Part of that reason is because ADHD didn’t really exist as a diagnosis in the 70s. I went to school every day with a positive attitude. I started each day fresh, thinking, “today I will not talk while others are talking, I’ll do my work and turn it in, and I will not get bored and daydream through most of the lesson because I understood how to do this the first time the teacher explained.” Every day I left school feeling like a failure. My IQ qualifies me for membership in MENSA. My grades were simply meh. I began to believe that I was a failure at school. I didn’t have many friends because I had problems reading social cues correctly, as many kids/adults with ADHD do. They thought I was weird.I became severely depressed, but hid it well. Everyone thought I was fine, but lazy. I swore that if I heard another teacher or counselor tell me that I had so much potential but I needed to apply myself, I was going to scream. I am currently taking a break from my 4th attempt to complete a master’s degree to be at home with my two children, 8th grade and 5th grade, while they are distance learning online. I still feel like a failure in some ways, and am so concerned for my children, who both inherited my ADHD. I want so much more for them. But they are still both experiencing some of what I did, even with diagnoses and accommodations. They fall into that place where they are doing well enough academically that they don’t qualify for certain types of help, as they are “doing better than many other students in their grade level.” But they are not able to achieve what they are capable of doing. They need to be compared to their potential, not everyone else’s. Certain areas in which they need help, I am ill-equipped to help them because I still can’t do those things myself consistently. I’ve been telling my daughter’s teachers since preschool what she needed help with-and why I knew that she needed that help-and was told she was just young. It was frustrating, not to mention patronizing. How do I get my kids’ schools to understand that I am less concerned with their grades than with what they are actually learning? That I’m not pressuring them to achieve, but begging for them to get help learning how to learn, how to process different steps, take effective notes without getting behind, etc. I love this video because you explain it so well. We can’t really help that we zone out and miss half the conversation, or that we are intimately acquainted with our friends’ nostrils or ostrich eggs. (Personally, that connection is familiar, since one man I saw had very large nostrils, so I made up a story that he was a greatly undervalued superhero called Nostril Man, who came from the land of Nostralia!) Thank you for this. Thank you for understanding. And thank you for being an advocate for these children in our schools. They desperately need you. 🤗
Sure do sir, my 13th year old son now in 8th grade online schooling was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD at the age of 3 and has been on meds ever since. Although we have had to stop meds bcs of liver enzymes off and on, but you're amazing 🙏🙏
Understand them, encourage them, LOVE them 💚💜❤️💙
This is my life! So true. Spent the day tracking down a psychiatrist for this exact thing for myself.
Love them! That is the answer to every problem you encounter.
Ah!!!! Thank you. Thank you for doing this. I'm a Pre-K, VPK, and elementary school teacher turned SAHM to be with my babies, and my oldest is going into kinderfartin (I spelled that right), and she goes to OT for ocular, attention, and sensory issues. She'll likely be diagnosed with ADHD, and she already had issues in the kinder camp she went to last week. For three days they kept forgetting to put her glasses on her, and when the teacher pulled me aside to discuss my child's constant talking and not getting her work done, my first question was if they put her glasses on her. Nope 🤣 The last two days the teacher remarked what a different child she was with her glasses on. I wish she could regulate herself and remember to put her owl eyes on, but she's still only 5. I am so grateful to have done the camp though, because we learned what a BIG DEAL her glasses are; we purchased an old lady glasses necklace for her to wear them, we did all this before the real school year started, and I shared my knowledge of regulation songs to play in the classroom that they utilize in OT. I already plan on volunteering as much as I can with a 1 and 4 year old at home, along with buying some extra donuts throughout the school year, extra supplies throughout the school year, gift cards, and bottles of wine because I know teachy is gonna need it 🤣
May I just say: is there anything else we can ask of teachers? Let’s see what else can we put on their plates? Maybe if we took off some of the paperwork required by the “district” teachers would have less paperwork to carry and more arm room for hugs.
This is helpful.My only kid has ADHD(combined type).It drives me absolutely insane.I’m so organized that I just don’t understand why he isn’t.I purchased a book to help me.A social worker says that it’s the best that she’s seen
I snapped my wrist with a rubber band when I did College Algebra and Pre-Calculus homework in college. I daydreamed so much! Peer pressure helped me to focus also. My parents would say that you don't want the students to make fun of you if you say or do something stupid.
You have no idea how grateful I am that you made this video! You explained exactly what goes on in my brain! Thank you!
Special ed teacher (retired) with ADD here. Adderoll worked for me until health issues made me stop it. Working with students was not a problem but sitting through professional development presentations and staff meetings were difficult. “Mrs. X, we covered that at the staff meeting, you were there, weren’t you?”......... PS, love, love, love your eye rolls!
Oh my goodness!! I’m close with four people like this. They each have someone close that need to understand this. Great video.
OMG ! I enjoy all your postings. You manage to address our gripes in education with an hilarious spin !!
....and now your other sock, son.....my life with my ADHD son. Thank you for posting this.
I was diagnosed at 40, I have an 11 yr old with ADHD, and I’m a SPED teacher. This was so spot on. For me, the thought tangents when someone else is talking are a huge issue!
This is how I talk. Wasn't diagnosed until 49. ITMT my daughter married one and raised his 3 ADHD daughters. The only way she could get them out of the house was to turn off the TV.