Over the years, I have been writing about misconceptions regarding the schooling process. The purpose of these posts is to explain why I disagree with various comments that I have heard people make about schooling. These are meant as personal thoughts rather than conclusive proof, and I will admit that I'm not always the best at explaining my thoughts. Regardless, I have decided that I should be willing to share these posts when I encounter someone online who makes an argument that I have already discussed.
A lot of students are bored in school. The schools claim that Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is the culprit. I know the true cause of most boredom in school, and it is not a disability.
Let's start with a simple question. What is boredom? It's generally a feeling that you're not doing enough. In school, it's a struggle to handle the level of mindlessness that teachers demand.
Before we enter school, we are allowed to think free from restraints. The approach taken by the schools limits thought. I have already mentioned that the schools aim low to assure that their lessons are attainable by all. For more advanced students and those who desire to live a mentally active lifestyle, the restrictive nature of schooling can be difficult to handle.
One common coping mechanism for boredom is refocusing thought. If one subject is not engaging, you might look for one that is. In other words, you change what you are focusing on. This coping mechanism, frequently viewed as a short attention span, happens to be one of the characteristics most frequently associated with ADD.
In all honesty, I don't know if ADD is real. At the very least, it is over-diagnosed. The symptoms are commonly derived from a deep desire for mental activity. I do not view the desire of mental activity to be a disability.
What's really going on with ADD is teachers found a scapegoat for boring their children. It is in no way their fault, so they blame the students. If you want to think, you are almost certain to be labelled these days. The only way to avoid a label of inferiority is to sacrifice yourself to the demands of the teaching profession. ADD has become yet another tool for teachers to push over-conformity.
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