Joseph Hellon
I have been a teacher for many years. I taught in kindergarten for years and then at the prep school level. I also taught high school and pre-university students. At some point, I was teaching all the way from kindergarten to pre-university.
The load was heavy to carry, but the work was fulfilling and satisfying. I especially enjoyed seeing young people gain the necessary knowledge and skills for life.
I got to know the ways of young people and understood their predicaments deeply. One case stood out for me.
The hyper child was always picked on by teachers and was ever being put down. Whereas some cases of hyperactivity in children were seen as some form of abnormally, the majority of the cases are as normal as ever.
A hyper child simply needs to be engaged in meaningful activities. When left alone for long, they tend to look for something to do. Some of these activities might be on the troublesome side because the child doesn’t differentiate what’s right from what’s wrong.
A well-meaning parent or teacher must engage such a child in a lot of outdoor activities including sports, music, art and drama. Their minds must be involved in one activity after another.
When engaged this way, the child begins to find their place in society and that gives them a sense of belonging. This makes them settle down more. Rejecting them or labelling them as troublesome only makes things worse.
They must at all times be watched closely and given fun projects to do. This is because part of their hyper nature is as a result of their intelligence. Not all types of intelligence are academic in nature.
When such children are approached thus, they become more responsible and ultimately turn out to be wonderful and useful members of the wider society.
When such children aren’t treated with wisdom, they often become rebellious as they aggressively defend themselves. Even the very word ‘hyper’ should not be used when addressing children. I’m using it here to create meaning, but it should never be used to classify any child.
The more parents and teachers engage such children in conversation and active supervision, the more their talents and gifts will manifest much to everyone’s benefit.
