ADD and Scouting
Justin M. Martin (jmartin@PRAIRIENET.ORG)
Thu, 23 Feb 1995 12:50:27 -0600
I have decide to add to this topic, I myself am a Scout with ADD (or
maybe ADHD or ADDH, I'm not entirely sure, but they're all just about
the same) and there are two or three other kids in my troop with the same
problem. What I usually do is tell myself to keep myself under-control,
so I don't make a fool out of myself and embarass the entire troop. Many
people are suprised to find out that I have ADD. They say I "hide it too
well" or that "I'm just full of Ritalin right now, I'll be hyper later".
That last one was told to me by a Scoutmaster a few years ago. I think I
speak for all Scout who have ADD when I say that we don't want special
treatment just because we have a problem holding on to our minds at
times. The SM that told me the above insult also told me that I'll never
get very far in Scouting, because "boys don't want to be around Hyper
kids". I belived him at that time, and started to slack behind in
Scouts. But that SM quit because "he couldn't handle the stress". After
he quit I returned to full-activness in my troop. I wish that I could
see that old SM, and tell him that he was totally wrong. I am now a Life
Scout, working on my Eagle Project, the SPL for my troop (I was elected
by a landslide), and involved in at least 3 other aspects of Scouting. I
completely blew away his stereotype of me, and set a good example for the
other ADD kids in my troop. I found that one of the best ways to keep an
ADD scout "in-line" is to put another scout with the same problem in
charge of his patrol. Well, that's all for now.
In scouting,
Justin
Justin M. Martin |-| \\\\\\\\\\ 0|| \----\ |-|
Chapter Chief, Illini Dist. | | |------------------------||-- \ | |
Illini Lodge #55, W.W.W. | | |------------------------||-- / | |
Champaign, Illinois, USA |-| ////////// 0|| /----/ |-|
Home Page: http://192.17.6.70/jmartin/jmhome.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"We who bear the obligation of the Order of the Arrow pledge ourselves to
cheerful service" - Dr. E. Urner Goodman
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
