'Bad' By Gretchen Summary

• Share your thoughts and opinions about the story.
• I read the article that was titled “Bad”. This was a really sad case to read about. The whole time I was reading Gretchen’s story I kept saying, well what if she had been diagnosed at this point in her life, or what if she had a better Dr. who had defined what ADHD was to her and her parents, and what if she just needed to try different medications until she found the right one. As a teacher, you want to help all your students learn and strive for their goals. In Gretchen’s case it sounded like all her teachers just wanted to brush her off as a slacker, but none of them ever seemed to do anything to help her out in school. The fact her father was never home and her mother would beat her just seemed to add to poor Gretchen’s motivation to stop trying.
• What did you learn about characteristics of students with learning and behavior problems?
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They often have trouble paying attention, sitting still, remembering things, they have difficulty with organization, they are often seen as lazy, and they often have a hard time of following directions.
• Did you learn anything that gives you a better understanding of educating and/or working with students with learning and behavior problems?
• I found from reading this article that you need to have patience when working with students who have learning and behavior problems. The author clearly stated in my article I read that she never knew what she did wrong to deserve being yelled or screamed at. To understand that these children really can’t help how they behave or act sometimes is really important. As a teacher, you can’t yell all the time at a student who can’t sit still in class, because that student may not even know they are doing something wrong.
• Are there any additional questions you would ask the