Valarie Strauss - Childrens Dilemma in Classrooms - Book Report/Review Example

Due ADHD: Analysis of Valarie’s article on Children’s’ Dilemma in rooms In the article “Why so many kids can’t sit still in school today”, Valarie Strauss decries the increasing impact of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, otherwise known as ADHD on the learning capability of individuals, more particularly the children, in the 21st century. Notably, the percentage increases over the last decade alone has been approximately 5 percent, with far reaching consequences that weighs heavily on the children’s probability to succeed in anything that requires mental work.

In the very piece of work, well-articulated to influence action, Valarie ingests whole heartedly the comments of Angela Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist and the founder of TimberNook, in her blog on the same condition. To be certain, she copy-pastes the comments to back her new found position on the condition without even a single sliver of a critique. As Angela Hanscom says it more plainly, it looks like forced, programed “time on an assigned task” equals superior learning methodology, and so more productivity.

Indeed as much this may be true, for this is the way it has been done for centuries, resulting into many of the intelligent minds we have ever known, we also have unique individuals whose learning methodology are quite on the contrary. That as much as teachers must be accountable for every second of their time with children in classrooms, it is also important to note that more of the modern day kids become even more interested in learning when more experimentation is incorporated in the learning process itself rather than huge, forceful time allotments in listening and/or reading.

To drive her points home, Valarie establishes her credibility by not only choosing a recognizable organization, the Centers for Disease Control, as her institution of reference, but does well to quote, more directly, an expert in the field discussed therein. From the records ofhe CDC, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder incidence rates have jumped from “7.8 percent in 2003 to 9.5 percent in 2007 and to 11 percent in 2011” (Strauss par. 1). In the very article, Valarie also gives Angela Hanscom’s firsthand account of her experience monitoring the condition over the years.

There is no doubt whatsoever that she, Valerie, succeeds in putting her point across; engaging the services of those with capacity and technical know-how to help address the issue at hand. It is more of a fact that the modern child has less time outside classrooms, away from the tutors, with learning extended to the very hours of rest; children have little time to play than ever before, time cut short by learning carried forth right into the resting rooms. Indeed as she rightly observes, “many children are walking around with an underdeveloped vestibular (balance) system today–due to restricted movement,” and that children require more hours of play outdoors if they are to grow up and develop healthy sensory systems to support the required higher-level attention and learning in the classrooms (Strauss par. 8-10). Work cited Strauss, Valarie.

“Why So Many Kids Can’t Sit Still In School Today.” Washington Post, 8 July 2014. Web. 4 Aug. 2014.