Imagine fighting through focus, being easily distracted, hyperactivity, poor organization skills, and impulsiveness. This condition is called ADHD. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADHD is among the most common neurodevelopmental childhood disorders. There are 6.1 million children in the US who have ADHD. People with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about the result), or being overly active. In ‘Percy and the Lighting Thief,’ Percy’s choices impact himself and his community. Some ways ADHD impacts Percy’s school life are getting distracted in academics and surroundings, failing to show dedication, and receiving low grades. Fortunately, Percy’s choices can be improved by eliminating distractions, connecting his interests to school subjects, and adjusting to the classroom environment.
There are a variety of ways ADHD impacts Percy’s school life: getting distracted in academics and surroundings, failing to show dedication, and receiving low grades. On page 5, Percy is delighted by Nancy Bobofit, snickering something behind him that he shouts: “Will you shut up?” This distraction shows that ADHD is impacting Percy’s choices to get easily distracted and blurting out answers. According to a Newsela article, people with ADHD cannot focus on one thing at a time. They have scattered attention instead. Since they are also overly active, they blurt out answers in classes. On page 18, Percy’s English teachers ask him for the millionth time why Percy was ‘too lazy’ to study for spelling tests. He complains ‘what is so great’ about himself, as he believes himself as ‘a dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card,’ This indicates that Percy lacks dedication and confidence. According to a research article about ADHD symptoms, people with ADHD avoid activities that require focus and tend to put little value on their opinions and ideas. In another example, Percy cannot focus on studying for his Latin Exam. He gets too frustrated to study that he throws his textbook across his dorm room. Percy believes he is hopeless and tries to ‘forget’ his dedication towards studying for the Latin Exam on page 18. As stated from the research paper regarding ADHD symptoms, ADHD leads those diagnosed with bad grades in school because they cannot focus on their lessons and assignments in a non-stimulating environment. All of these above-mentioned examples show a variety of ways that ADHD is impacting Percy’s choices for himself and his community.
Fortunately, there are some ways Percy’s choices towards himself and his community can be improved. Middle school students who struggle to keep up with school can use some of the following examples. When Percy is fully engaged in Mr. Brunner’s lesson about Greek Funeral Art, he is distracted by Nancy Bobofit on page 5. According to a Newsela article, people with ADHD are easily distracted when their attention is not concentrated on one thing at a time. Additionally, Percy’s actions could be improved by eliminating any distractions around him that hinder his concentration. For example, instead of giving Percy multiple paper sheets to complete, the teacher can start with one sheet of paper to complete. Another example when Percy’s behavior can be improved is when Percy cannot study harder. On page 18, Percy cannot focus on studying or try his best. According to a research paper about ADHD symptoms, people with ADHD avoid activities that require focus. However, they can do their best in stimulating environments, respond to change, and be very focused when something interests them. Percy’s behavior can be improved by making connections to his interests in school studies. This example can also be used for middle school students who have difficulty finding focus. For instance, in his Latin conjugation exam, Mr. Brunner could let Percy conjugate Latin verbs with Greek Gods as subjects. According to a Newsela article, students with ADHD like to ‘move their bodies and be outdoors.’ Hence, a traditional classroom setting and conventional teaching methods may not an excellent fit for them. Percy might be more focused on learning environments outdoors involving active movement. Therefore, there are various ways Percy’s choices towards himself and his community can be improved.
In conclusion, there are various ways ADHD impacts Percy’s choices, and multiple ways Percy’s choices impacted by ADHD can be improved. Whether or not diagnosed with ADHD, millions of students struggle to keep up with school. As a student, these strategies mentioned above could potentially lead the struggling students to make better choices. ADHD specifically impacts Percy by receiving bad grades, getting distracted in academics and surroundings, lacking self-confidence, and lacking dedication. However, Percy’s choices can be improved by eliminating distractions, connecting his interests to school subjects, and adjusting to the classroom environment.