The Daydreamer

So, a child grows up in the 60's and 70's and never does too well in school. Can't seem to keep his mind on any one thing for too long. He is a daydreamer. Smart and able to pass quizzes, tests and exams with some ease; just cannot sit still enough to do homework and classroom assignments.

Report cards come around and there are a lot of comments about the boy acting out in class, not completing assignments and being a general pain. Though, the teachers seem to like him enough.

Parents are great "heart-of-the-nation" types from the farm country of western Illinois. Father grew up with lots of responsibilities on the farm and went into the military. Mother and father try to instill discipline and get the boy on the straight and narrow path. Just, why is it not working with him? Why can he not be responsible enough to do his work like he is supposed to?

Don't they know how within the first five minutes of trying to sit at the kitchen table and do a homework assignment that his mind wanders and it is impossible to sit and do the math sheet to completion. After school, the son's friends do their homework in 30 minutes (or in later years, an hour or so to do homework) and are already back outside and playing before dinner. For him, after 30 minutes he has completed maybe one of the 12 problems. He has played with the dog and his mind has been so many other places then math problems. He has been around the world, to the beach, to space, played football, sank a basket as time expired and won the war single-handedly. In his mind, here and now can be anywhere and anytime. Certainly not on a single sheet of paper.

This kid does not do his school work. He will not succeed at this rate. He needs more discipline. Punish him. More chores, no TV, don't leave the yard. Still, the problem gets no better. Is he just a bad kid? As the 60's turn to the 70's, certainly a pair of parents from the farms of Illinois do not see there is more to the problem. The Fairfax County School System; one of the richest in the nation and world can not see it. The boy does not know why he is not good with his school work like the other kids. ADD/ADHD? Hello, the 70s are calling, could you say that a little louder as they did not understand! Right, I never heard those terms back then. Did anyone?

That kid was me, of course, and no one uttered them to me anyway. I was just a bad kid who ended up in the principal's office or guidance counselor's office quite often during the week. I just would not pay attention. How dare I not conform!

The next morning..."Oh, the dog ate my homework".