should be dealt with in a cavalier way,” Friedman said. “If the kid’s not paying attention, not focused, the kid could be smart and bored. It could be an oppositional kid who doesn’t like doing what he’s told. The decision to treat [ADHD] should be based on how much of a problem it’s creating.” § learningscience contin u ed from page 16
Adderall tablets is prescribed for ADHD and (mis)used as a “study drug.” (Photo: Wikipedia)
Attentiondeficit contin u ed from page 15
drugs” is a “pretty dumb idea,” Friedman said. There are “lots and lots of people,” young and older, who are “getting them that don’t need them.” “Teenagers and college students use these drugs thinking these will enhance their performance,” Friedman said. “They help them stay up later and study. They’re not going to make you smarter, it isn’t going to make a C student into an A student.” “You actually retain information better after a period of rest,” Friedman continued. “Pulling an all-nighter is a terrible way to retain information. It’s better to get a full
night’s sleep.” For a parent who has gotten word that his or her child might be ADHD, Friedman recommends a cautious but practical approach to the potential problem. “(The child) could have it at school and not at home, which is typical,” Friedman said. “They should talk to as many teachers as possible: you shouldn’t jump all over something when hearing about it the first time this week or this month. In order to be something that’s really worth investigating, it should be getting in the way, causing trouble.” Not every kid that screws around in school has ADHD, Friedman reminds parents. “This is not the sort of thing that
“They make things at every program,” said Glogowski. “The directions for what they are going to do are posted online ahead of time.” She said that a group of young women engineers from a “seed group” at CCMR also visits the library a few times per semester. “They want young kids to get excited about science,” said Glogowski, “and choose it as a career.” Families Learning Science Together is funded entirely by Cornell. Library programs are always free. The library and the Cornell students prefer it parents sign up beforehand, “So they know how much stuff they have to bring down here,” said the youth services librarian. “Let them know at Cornell. Contact ccmr_outreach@cornell. edu to register.” Other programs at the library are run by the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) and Ithaca College students, who teach music and English as a second language (ESL) courses downtown. Glogowski said that she accepts proposals from the general public too. “Sometimes they are just a one-off thing,” she said, “and sometimes there will be several meetings.” For example, a new program called “Ithaca Guys Read” was started in response to the established Mother-Daughter Book Club. Upcoming guest readers for Ithaca Guys Read include Eric Acree on Feb. 21 and city alderman J.R. Clairborne on Feb. 28. §
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honor her way of approaching the world and creating opportunities for another group of kids to say, “Let’s go further.’” Primitive Pursuits hopes to spread its influence farther now that they have hired another program director, John Chilkotowsky, who will join the team in Ithaca from the Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall, Wash. The founder of that school, Jon Young, “revolutionized nature education,” Drake said. Now with another co-director on board, Drake says Primitive Pursuits wants to do its part in furthering our connection with the wilds by both expanding the offerings available to local people and helping other programs launch. “People don’t think about how much overhead a nature program like this costs,” Drake said. “Getting this off the ground took a lot of sweat equity that others might not have. We want to help speed up that process for other people.” Drake and Jordan hope that Primitive Pursuits helps lead to “happy, healthy, helpful people” who have a “sense of cause and effect in life, with not so much unknown fear about what if.” Not every Primitive Pursuit participant will become a seasoned trail guide. Just playing outside for a weekend “and actually seeing some of these things with their own eyes,” Drake says, can have a transforming effect on a child or adult who is only used to the modern, built-up environment. Black bears, fishers, coyotes: Jordan says there’s lots of animal activity going on around Ithaca these days for the intrepid after-school or weekend explorer. “Our area is becoming almost a wildlife hub.” §
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