Dear educators for the future,
I learned that there is a problem among many children in the United States with learning disabilities, and it seems more and more kids are prescribed medication to deal with these problems. The United States consumes about 85% of the world’s Ritalin which is the most common medicine to be given to ADHD patients to treat their issues. While the drug may help the child or patient temporarily, it also has side effects because it stimulates the brain in similar ways like cocaine which may cause undesirable changes in the brain over time.
The big thing we value in this country once a child has turn 4 or 5 is their education. When they enter school, you are the first teacher they will meet and learn from other than their parents and family since they were born. You may value different things out of this job, but you probably have one thing in common and that is to teach effectively. Although I don't fully understand or know the important steps of lesson planning, I believe that you should consider trying different methods of teaching throughout the first 2 weeks of school. In this way, teachers can identify the student's best way of learning that's beneficial, whether it's by hands-on activities, visual learning, or auditory learning. By doing this, I imagine that students would be more comfortable and willing to learn in class and most importantly actually learn the materials and topics. Children throughout their educational life to their adult life will also be able to identify which method of learning they respond to the best, when learning new skills and gaining knowledge.
The reasons why I'm considering this is because kids throughout the United States are prescribed with drugs because they are different from other students in class. They are more energetic and more curious about situations, causing them to question and argue with teachers. This can be mistaken as some form of developmental problems because they can't follow rules or instructions. If you (educators for the future) try the different methods of teaching and know the best way to get to the students, I believe it would be more beneficial to students learning in class and for their future. It will be easier for you to keep up with individual student pace and make them have an comfortable environment in your classroom. It will also decrease the use of medication on young children to fix this problem throughout the country.
Yours Respectfully,
Spaw
PBS, Public Broadcasting Service,
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/drugs/stats.html.
