Thank You. Our kids need more teachers like you.  I do hope you have or can find tools to help. Ive been relying on GTD as well as Google calendar and Evernote with my phone and computer. Hang in there because parents and students NEED you to succeed!  I’m surprised the education system allowed one of ours to infiltrate. Thank You!

Nothing like a booster dose of meds too, to get you through those afternoon meetings.  I’m a social worker but I’m also a den leader for my son’s cub scouts and those nights, without a lunch dose, I’m up the proverbial creek without a paddle trying to gain control of the room. I’m with a state agency and what I have been frustrated with is a supervisor who says they don’t understand how one can be bright and well educated and yet have trouble with time and organzation management problems. Since when did IQ have anything to do with one’s organizational skills?  Good luck lifebylisa.  Really would suggest talking to your doc about a booster dose.  You know, I’m sure, how the kids do on one vs no booster dose for afternoon classes.  I think it works the same with us grown ups.

I teach art and I too set up timers for all my classes on my phone. Not a good day if I forget my phone, which is rare now because I force myself to put my keys and phone in the same place. I am chronically 5 minutes late even if I get up earlier and have everything ready to go! I love working with the kids but have the absolute worst time getting my lesson plans done! And the stress from having that over me causes me to say yes to other things to “make up” for my “bad” behavior…anyone else do this?!??  I am socially shy and a nervous talker who forgets to listen so I tend to avoid large groups of teachers.  I smile a lot so as not to be thought of as a snob (used to happen a lot)! I am grateful that the people I work with seem to accept me and my oddities…Being the “art teacher” probably helps!

I, too, am a teacher living with ADD & I take my meds (Vyvanse) each morning to help me stay focused throughout the day. Let’s be honest, if we were to take a poll in our schools, the % of people educating our youth qualifying for ADD/ADHD would be staggering! Think about ALL that we are expected to do in a given day??? A teacher’s brain is geared to multi-task, be creative and constantly think “outside” the box…if you’re going to survive in the world of teaching!

To ensure that I’m successful, the first thing I did this year was to make sure I DIDN’T have a desk! WHY?  No where to pile anything!!!  I have file cabinets where I organize info, literature sorters, and A LOT of things that are color-coded in my room & that helps tremendously!  I use my handy dandy Time Timer to help me keep an eye on time and it’s great for teaching elasped time to my students as well!
I also have TWO different wall clocks, that’s right TWO. I did this because I never knew where I’d be standing in the room while teaching and I needed to be able to see the time, so I put up another one, JUST IN CASE!  In addition, to save on time, I have given my students jobs as well. I have to gather my students to start class and take them back to their classes. So, I have a student go with an electronic pass to open doors and I make sure students BRING an electronic pass to class, so they can return to class independently. Every minute counts!

Also, I’m honest with my co-workers…if I make an error and forget something or accidentally see a class on the wrong day (and I have), I just approach them & explain my own learning style. Honesty, helps! (BTW, I am our school’s Wilson Reading Interventionist and I teach 2nd-5th grade students in small groups throughout the week).

Brainsong~chat with your dr about getting having your meds extended for a longer period of time or see if your dr will give you another med that will assist you for that short period of time. Just remember, at the end of the day, we’re all tired from the day’s events & some of the teachers you work with may not realize how they come across to you. If need be, just listen or politely walk away! Hang in there!

I am also a teacher with ADD and IT FEELS SO GOOD TO HEAR that there are others out there!! My talents are working with the kids and helping them learn but when it comes to my OWN priorities, I feel like I can never keep up.

One thing I did this year was keep a binder for EVERYTHING. I mean like seriously, everything. Each class I teach has it’s own folders for master copies, I have a binder for my meetings, a binder for papers from students I want to save as examples, etc. Yes it creates a lot of binders, but once I started the system the “piles” that I kept started to diminish.

I also have notes written everywhere. In addition, I have a few reliable students that I ask to remind me things. I tell my kids NEVER to just ‘tell me’ anything verbally if it is really important. If they need me to copy something for them , I will ask them to write it on   my “reminders” part of my board behind my desk.

I am a “yes” person and volunteer for everything because I WANT to help, but I have also learned that I have to set limits and cannot work outside what I am actually able to do.

I still struggle everyday, and sometimes when I’m the best teacher my house is a mess and bills are not paid. I keep hoping someday I meet a man who can take care of that for me haha!

Feel free to e-mail me sometime. I feel relieved to be able to talk about this problem with someone who understands. I keep trying to tell myself that this is why we are such great teachers, because we understand our kids’ needs and we move around so much and can keep things interesting for students.Hang in there!