[Lizanabavi]

Originally posted by cash78mere


i'm pretty surprised about that too! i teach in a predominately black school. about 2/3 of my class is black, 4 kids are white and the rest hispanic.

i have 3 kids (that i know of) on medication and all of them are white! 2 girls and one boy. i do have one black boy and a hispanic girl who SHOULD be on medication, but that is another story!

i find that most of the behavior problems come from my children with broken homes. one boy's (black) father doused the house with gasoline and tried to set the family on fire. another boy's (black) mother and brother are in a mental institution. another girl's (white) father hung himself last year.

with ADHD, we as teachers are FORBIDDEN to recommend medication or testing to a parent. is this the same way in other places too? i am curious to know if it is just a NY thing. we would have to say something to the school psychologist who then has to make an observation and then talk to the parents. i have seen some of my ADHD students off meds and let me tell you, it is a nightmare. i feel for the teachers who had them before they were medicated.

i am interested to hear what the rest of you GC teachers have to say and if your situation is similar to mine. i really wouldn't label it racism. maybe in your school it is. that's definitely ignorance. honestly, too, the medication is expensive. many of these families whose kids DO need medication can't afford it and therefore make it seem like nothing is wrong with their children. then they wonder why their children don't learn or are always in trouble.

with ADHD, we as teachers are FORBIDDEN to recommend medication or testing to a parent. is this the same way in other places too?

Yes!!! Until I got more in-depth training in counseling there were still certain aspects of ADHD that were vague: Even after taking Behavior Management. Unless a person has been trained at a Master's level in School Psychology; Mental Health Counseling; or, School Counseling then ethically a classroom teacher can not diagnose. If you do, then you and your school district run the risk of being sued. Your teaching license/certificate will then be revoked and you would NEVER be able to teach again.