Hey, MisWired here. Today, I'm starting a three part series on my school life. With school being an integral part of our lives, and one of the biggest areas where ADHDers struggle the most. So I thought it might be interesting to look back on it, and see whether there were any noticeable changes since I was diagnosed, especially now that I've accepted my diagnosis. And where better to start, than in elementary school, where I remember the most.
So I moved to the US when I was seven, which if I'm correct puts me in the third grade. While I was a generally outgoing kid, I was also a handful to deal with. I wasn't exactly talkative, but I was very energetic and easily distracted by everything around me. Add to that the fact that I was always losing something or not doing something, and you had a recipe for disaster. In school, I was more or less a good student, never fully stepping out of line, but always managing to somehow never fully live up to my apparent potential. I think nothing encapsulated the fact that something was wrong than when I misplaced my violin...twice. I lost other things as well; text books, keys, bags, bicycle, etc, yet I never thought of it as bad. In fact, I saw it as normal.
In school, my emotional state was not the best, but I did everything to hide it. I didn't always succeed, but I was performing well enough that teachers didn't ask questions. I was never considered for the gifted program, but I always attributed that to being an immigrant. I mean, I was in an ESL class despite speaking fluent English as well as constantly placing near the top of my class. So for five years, I was both over-performing and under-performing depending on which teacher you asked. And that would be something that I carried on into high-school.
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