Lately, as I prepare for exams and trudge through my thesis, I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of being able to focus. It’s something I’ve struggled with for a long time.
When I was in middle school I was given Retalin to help me focus. I don’t remember if it actually worked, but I do remember that the side effects were terrible, and I quickly stopped taking it. I eventually managed to get over my issues with a combination of persistence, and help from my parents and a few tutors. I made it through high school, then into Washington University in St Louis, transferring to Harvard sophomore year to complete my bachelors, and this fall I hopefully will be receiving a masters from Oxford. If you asked any of my middle school teachers where they thought I would end up academically, I assure you they would have been wrong.
I’m not going to debate the issue of medicating an increasing number of children for ADD & ADHD, as I simply don’t know enough of the science to argue whether it exists and if it’s actually worth medicating given the side-effects. I do believe, however, that regardless of one person’s propensity toward distraction, we are all faced with exponentially more stimulus in today’s world than ever before, and no human is properly prepared for it.
Given this, I believe schools should teach ‘focus’ as a core discipline in K-12 education. It’s such an important skill - necessary for success in just about everything, yet totally undervalued in our society. Do you check Facebook, Twitter, or your email every 10 minutes? Do you pull out your mobile during dinner or mid conversation with someone? Then you have the problem too.
I struggle every day to overcome it, and I hope someday soon we can prepare kids in advance for dealing with all this stimulus – without the stigma – as they enter an ever-increasing world of connectivity.
