I’m in my 30s now, but overheard a HS teacher telling another teacher that I was “gifted, but would never be successful” and was a “waste of time”. We sadly didn’t know then, but I had undiagnosed ADHD. She was sort of right in one way, though— the one-size-fits-all approach to education was a waste of time for a student like me.

Fast forward to today— I am very “successful” by societal metrics. I’m an executive within a well-known corporation, own a beautiful home, and an awesome little family. I would love to run into that teacher now. Hearing her say that was heartbreaking, but I’m glad I didn’t let it me back from pushing forward with my education. Perhaps it would’ve had that effect on someone less confident and assertive than I am. I was just incredibly bored and couldn’t focus. Once I got to college and was able to select my own major and classes (+ had a little more autonomy in general) — I excelled… Only to be reinforced once I got into my field and continued to move up through the ranks.

The real world workforce wants (and needs!) critical thinkers and innate problem solvers. Sometimes that is the ADHD individual who has a hard time focusing on something unless it interests them, in which case they knock it out of the park. Or, the asynchronous autistic person who is exceptionally gifted in just one or two areas that deviate from the norm. These don’t always make for the best students and I think many educators are completely oblivious to that. That teacher most certainly was.