Teaching with ADHD: Taking Control of Your Classroom

 

I have to begin this article with a heartfelt thank you to my wife. She was the one who first noticed my impulsive, sometimes bizarre behavior and gently advised me to see a psychiatrist. That appointment changed my life, ultimately leading to my ADHD diagnosis. It was the missing puzzle piece that finally explained so much of my professional life.

For many of my 20 years teaching math, I experienced incredibly difficult situations in the classroom. In the eyes of my students, my behavior was bizarre and unpredictable. I would swing from being intensely serious to suddenly witty and joking, and then abruptly back to serious again. This wasn't a deliberate teaching strategy; it was the result of uncontrollable impulsivity.

If I am being completely honest, that behavior made me look like a fool in front of my students. I lost control of my classroom for several years because of it, and the hardest part to admit is that for a long time, I didn't even realize what was happening. I wasn't helping myself because I couldn't see the problem clearly.

Through time, professional help, and a lot of trial and error, I finally succeeded in establishing effective classroom management. If you are a fellow teacher navigating the classroom with ADHD and struggling with the same issues, here is the advice that saved my career:

• Feel your presence in the room: When you stand at the front of the class, actively ground yourself. Do not let your impulsivity take the wheel. Practice simply looking your students in the eyes normally. Establishing that calm, steady eye contact helps anchor your focus and reminds you of where you are in the moment.

• Interrupt the "witty" urges with a reality check: Because of our ADHD, an instantaneous idea will inevitably pop into your mind, pushing you to do something weird or make an off-the-cuff, witty remark. When that urge hits, pause. Look at your students as spectators, take a breath, and say to yourself: "I am their teacher. I am their inspiration, not an eccentric individual. I have to earn my living from this job, and I am not going to lose it because of myself." I highly recommend repeating this mantra in your head even before you walk through the classroom door.

• Reflect without regret: You are human, and you will have moments where you slip up. Don't blame yourself every single time you feel you didn't perfectly control your impulsivity. Instead of spiraling into guilt, just notice what happened at the end of the school day. Analyze the situation objectively, without regret or shame, and use it as data to do a little better tomorrow.

A crucial final note: All of the advice and mental frameworks I have shared above are meant to work alongside your prescribed medication, not instead of it. Managing ADHD in a high-stimulation environment like a classroom requires every tool available to us.

To my colleagues fighting this same quiet battle: you are not alone, you are not a fool, and you can absolutely take back control of your classroom.


---------------

To put these strategies into daily practice, download the free printable ADHD Classroom Management Tracker & Brain Dump Log