13. article review

"Why so many kids can't sit still in school"
This article describes how more and more children are being diagnosed with ADHD and can not stop moving in their desks at school. Some teachers even say that there are at least eight students in their classes that fidget and 'act up' during their class but, Angela Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist, believed that the issue is much simpler than ADHD. The cause of more and more students fidgeting and needing to move around is because their bodies don't move around enough. Recess has been drastically reduced and play time outside has become almost non existent because of fear. The result is that only one out of twelve students had normal strength and balance. In order for children's brains to function, they need to move around to keep it active, and they need to stay active if they want to build up strength and balance. Children need to move and play for hours at a time. Fidgeting in a real problem in today's classroom not because they are a distraction, but because it means that those students aren't getting the movement they need to stay active and build up their strength.

Reflection: How I plan on dealing with this issue.
The problem at hand is exactly how Angela Hanscom put it, students are just not moving enough. This also isn't something that happened overnight. When I was in second grade not only did we have recess but we had PE too everyday and it wasn't a controlled environment but a chance for us just to move around and play. However, once I got into middle school and high school it was extremely difficult for me to sit and pay attention because we did nothing all day. Sure we learned but it almost seemed pointless. The issue has just gotten worse as the years have progressed. Now second graders barely have time for moving around and by the time they get home it's like waiting for a bomb to go off they are so fidgety and them we expect them to do homework? How I plan to address this is to make sure my students move throughout the day. I will do this with games and activities that enforce the lesson I am teaching. Doing hands on activities and games will keep their mind active, their bodies strong, and will generally make those students enjoy school because they won't need to sit down the whole time. Another thing I would like to do is during the last five minutes of class time, I would allow my students to get up and move. Some days we might do general exercises where other days we might have a dance party for five minutes. As long as they are moving, then the classroom will be a happier and healthier place of learning.