Being Undiagnosed with ADHD in High School...

[@Ben_Brainard]

Upcoming Shows: 4/13 - San Jose, CA - Improv 5/7 - Irvine, CA - Improv 5/11 - Oxnard, CA - Levity Live 5/14 - Denver, CO - Improv 5/17 - Kansas City, MO - Improv 5/21 - St. Louis, MO - Helium 5/23 - Fort Wayne, IN - Summit City Comedy Club 5/25 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Comedy Club 5/28 - Liberty Township (Cincinnati,) OH - Funny Bone 5/30 - Indianapolis, IN - Helium 5/31 - Columbus, OH - Funny Bone 6/4 - Toledo, OH - Funny Bone 6/18 - Pittsburgh, PA - Improv 6/28 - Chicago, IL - Zanies 6/30-7/1 - Rosemont, IL - Zanies 7/16 - Milwaukee, WI - Improv 7/19 - Appleton, WI - Skyline Comedy Club 7/26 - Omaha, NE - Funny Bone 7/27 - Des Moines, IA - Funny Bone

[@RaikuYTALT]

Can't wait for a new show in NC! Would love to meet you!

[@TheFallenFaob]

I guess this explains why he is so good at being Florida in his skits

[@valiensr1037]

Any plans to schedule a show in Washington or Oregon in the next year or so? I love your comedy, but crossing two states to see a single comedian is a bit much for me. 😂

[@EmilyChannel21]

You should do one in Upper Michigan

[@Ben_Brainard]

@@RaikuYTALT in North Carolina in October!

[@Caderic]

That was me...I was always like, "Potential for what? Doing homework?"

[@TVandwhatnotCLIPS]

Potential to learn to apply their aptitude and move ahead. Homework sucks but there a reason for that shit (and trust me I hate that that's true 🙄)

[@Caderic]

@@TVandwhatnotCLIPS Naw, I have a B.S. Aeronautical Scince with an emphasis in Professional Flight and a minor in Applied Science, 4 pilot's licenses with 3 endourcements and all without having to doing the homework. (And not for not, it was all at a top university in aviation.) Homework is for ineffective teaching.

[@shadowrylander]

​@@Caderic Wasn't homework originally meant to be a punishment, or am I getting my information from memes again...?

[@aleciayork3255]

My hubby is like this

[@Jack_bonfire]

​@@shadowrylander no it's correct. I hate that man with every atom in my body

[@redb.5533]

I was the EXACT same. Except I stayed up all night reading or doing whatever focus I had at the time. Slept through all my classes. I would wake up to do the class work real quick then go right back to sleep. The teachers in every parent teacher meeting would say ‘she does all the class work, gets A’s and B’s on the tests and quizzes. But she never does the homework and we have to put her in the back because she won’t stop sleeping in class’…..we had a lot of parent teacher meetings. But when my doctors asked my mom if I should be tested for ADHD, she would dismiss it with an excuse like ‘she can concentrate for hours at a time, she doesn’t have a attention problem’

[@J.Blazer]

my experience with autism

[@marys4038]

“Wow, there’s 147 tiles in the ceiling” really got me for some reason, great delivery

[@PeterNield]

So, 21 x 7 1'x2' acoustic tiles? Room is 21 x 14'? Sounds about right for a small classroom.

[@marys4038]

@@PeterNield appreciate the math but I feel like most ceiling tiles I’ve seen are square? Idk if they’d be 1x2 but maybe I’m misremembering high school

[@kenhaworth6530]

I would have to remove one. The odd number Cannot stand.

[@elizabethhouse9454]

I can relate to that.

[@waffles3629]

That is a total mood though

[@Aftamath357]

Hell yeah brother. Ace the tests, forsake the homework.

[@WitherStorm-fr5mc]

On god

[@mewmew8932]

yea

[@gentlesandladymen]

YEP

[@The_Awkward_Goose]

“What was your favorite part of high school” LEAVING

[@Loralanthalas]

Dropped out the last 6 weeks. I had to work and pay rent (unexpectedly on my own in Sr. year). They wouldn't let me return to the normal school but let me go to juvenile detention where they sent all the 'bad influences'. Finished over a full report card of work in less then 21 hours. --- school was such a waste of time. They should have always let us self-pace.

[@_JustJoe]

​@@Loralanthalas Dropping out now at 16, disabled and depressed but getting straight a's and not doing work often enough. Gonna get my GED and do community college.

[@NikkiLillin]

My answer was always LUNCH

[@almostfm]

My favorite subject was girls.

[@riverstyx7251]

High school was either boring, depressing, or horrifying in increasingly weird and chaotic ways.

[@vincentgeiszler3749]

the person in the crowd going “yyyEAAAHH” added so much to this

[@jaybirdishhhhhh]

“i didn’t do my homework” “YEAHHHHHHH-“

[@rekkariley652]

I didn’t get diagnosed with ADHD until about six months before the end of my senior year of high school. I had spent years BEGGING to be tested because seemingly everyone knew I had it…except my parents. Turns out, they did know. My 3rd grade teacher was the one who told them to get me tested for it. They took me to the school principal, who was also a psychiatrist. He told them that I had “only a mild case at most” because I wasn’t “hyperactive enough” and I was “too intelligent.” He told them I was just “bored” and needed more challenging class work. Never mind the fact that I was still struggling with basic study skills. So they put me into advanced classes in junior high and I immediately started failing them, because guess what? I couldn’t keep up with the damn homework and my parents put zero effort into at least teaching me how to keep track of it all! I had no idea how to keep track of what was do and when, had no idea how to prioritize assignments, got constantly overwhelmed by unclear instructions or assignments that were too complex with no clear place to start, couldn’t figure out how to break more tedious tasks into smaller bits, etc. I did great on tests, but it was a constant fight to get even the bare minimum of homework turned in on time. I don’t know what my parents were thinking when they refused to help me learn how to do homework. Do most people just somehow magically absorb that knowledge out of thin air?!

[@koathekid8255]

They’re just idiots

[@regulargoat7259]

Ok that paragraph saying you had no idea of stuff? That was my experience as an autistic adhd person. You sure you don’t have both?

[@rekkariley652]

@@regulargoat7259 I actually do have both! Second diagnosis was confirmed just last year.

[@prussiaball1871]

​@@regulargoat7259 they're pretty similar, doctors have told me getting tested for both doesn't really help anything since they only have medication for ADHD. And until extremely recently they were both exclusionary diagnoses, so no one could say for a fact you had it

[@PrincessMeowicham]

So accurate! I used to go into the "special learning" room at the very end of highschool since my fave teacher taught in there on lunch breaks. She told me to come by, I think because she realized I needed help. I loved it because it was ~silent~ and the aids recognized me and would come and try and help with the lessons, which I was struggling with immensely! My friends and parents had no idea because I was smart, and to them I didn't have anything "wrong with me". I told my one friend and she laughed and called me a "R-Slur"... 25 now and Autistic and ADHD 😊 I am happy to find myself now, but I had to do it on my own, every other authority/parental figure let me down

[@SappyDuder]

I had undiagnosed ADHD but actual good teachers who understood some kids are undiagnosed. Art and Drama class were great, but I also enjoyed my last year of English because, even without a diagnosis, my teacher noticed where I struggled or needed help/ accommodations and recommended things for me. She was great

[@markouellette8973]

Damn, your experience sounds EXACTLY like mine. Also undiagnosed ADHD, smart, and unwilling to do make-work. This was also 40 years ago, so the teachers had little if any clue regarding ADHD, so I got labeled "Smart but lazy" a LOT.

[@dougmartin2007]

That was me too. The teachers even told not to bother with college. I am so glad I never listened to them.

[@jessicashenefield1546]

I was one of those "talks too much" varieties.

[@sarahnelson8836]

It’s called being twice exceptional now!

[@MaidMirawyn]

Ditto! Graduated 30 years ago; referred for diagnosis in October, and diagnosed with ADHD literally this month. It was so hard to remember homework or force myself to do it, unless I enjoyed it. But I was gifted, so I aced tests. “Try harder!” made me so angry. I was trying! But I was a smart, well-behaved girl, so no one ever even considered ADHD. Because that’s poorly behaved boys who do badly in school, obviously. 🙄

[@prussiaball1871]

I fully believe that's true though. Like I could be doing the work, I just don't like it, it doesn't teach me anything and it's boring. It's definitely a laziness issue even if I have ADHD

[@zacharym.tinlin]

My dude. You just spoke my life.

[@ArmundJay]

as someone who was also undiagnosed adhd in high school, and had been labelled "gifted and talented" since elementary.. yeah, teachers hated me. great grades on tests, complete inability to do homework. college did not go well.

[@jennaheiser625]

You can absolutely pull off testing well and not doing homework…up until college. I also had a really rough time in college! Just meant I had to explain my GPA in job interviews…😋

[@fandomcringebucket]

...I have diagnosed ADHD and I struggle with homework. And I also kind of need to go to college, as I am a woman. I'm still in high school. _God help me._

[@janetwilliams3497]

​@jennaheiser625 not true. I aced college on test only mode as well. I only "applied myself" (i.e. hyperfocused) and did the work when it was interesting. I read my books through all my boring classes, making the professors hate me all the more😂

[@whiterabbit6148]

I never went to college for that same reason. I was labeled gifted all throughout school, but made less than stellar grades because I had zero ability to do homework… I had a feeling that college would not be for me. I ended up being a self taught commission fine-artist, stay at home mom to two wonderful boys, wife to a career military serviceman, and aspirations to be a tattoo artist when he retires in two years, lol. I make pretty good money with my commission art as is, so why not make a career out of it, seeing as everyone always told me it was impossible to make money as an artist 😂

[@lemonlemonlemonlemonlemonlemo]

i’m about to graduate high school, also adhd. and i am simply not going to go to college because i Can’t Do Shit

[@aximatic]

School borderline traumatized me for the same reason plus, it really took a toll on my self worth cause I was constantly being told I have to graduate and go to college or I'll be nothing in life Dropped out senior year with many people saying "you're almost there" and none of them were right, I had a GPA of 1.8 Sophomore year pre-covid last I checked before I completely gave up trying. When I went to drop out my councilor put me on the path to get my GED and that's the best decision I've ever made

[@galoo5004]

wait ben you’re telling me i’m not a failure

[@ericparham1086]

Yes, you are not a failure. You need different education from the others

[@Depl0rable10]

I've got horrendous adhd, most people I know think I'm insanely smart because of the variety of things I know about, even though in college i struggle hard. You need to learn how to teach yourself and how you work now how teachers tell you that you should learn

[@BlaireSnorlax]

ADHD fucks up your life, and you have no choice as a child and teen, even as an adult. Schools don't know how to deal with children with ADHD, they focus more on the "bigger" issues like cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, stuff like that. We don't get treatment, we're just told to get medicated. The issue is that not everyone is able to. The lack of public school funding leads to brilliant minds being thrown aside. "The Lost Children," is what we could be likened to, tossed to the wayside by a culture that refuses to understand us. We're told to not do things we can't control. We're told that we're, "so smart, too smart to be throwing your life away," when nobody wants to teach us properly. It's sad when good teachers are a rarity. I am a failure...my potential is wasted. Or was wasted. I'm a waste of a human being. I've been tossed aside like other people like myself. Nobody cares...so please. Don't become me. You aren't a failure. You deserve to be praised for your intelligence, not demeaned for things you can't control. I wish you well...do better than I did. Please.

[@InYourFloorboards12345]

@@BlaireSnorlax also medication doesn’t always fix everything. I got expelled in seventh grade for my behavior while taking medication for my ADHD.

[@otaku3OBSESSION]

Eh, it depends on definition of failure. By mere factor of birth, we are non-standard, so if you ask a fish to climb a tree, it is a failure.

[@whiterabbit6148]

That was me, 100%… I’d finish big projects the period before they were due, I never did ANY homework, but would score high on tests, I was in college physics, Anatomy+physiology, and English senior year, and slept in class ALL the time. I remember my American History teacher caught me sleeping once, and asked a question because they just thought I was a dumb slacker, and when I answered correctly, they told me to just try to make my sleeping a little less obvious, lol. I hated school so much. Pretty sure I have undiagnosed ADHD, and it’s even worse because I’m a woman, so it’s like, I’m extra weird, and I think people assume I’m a know-it-all, but I just like learning and am insatiably curious… Only, not in the way school was structured.

[@angelapastorius2377]

Bingo. I wish we could all live near each other and be friends. We understand one another. 💞

[@Nightingale_time]

I relate to this so much as someone who wasn't diagnosed until they were 21. My French teacher used to try to embarrass me in front of the class by asking me to translate or speak on the spot because he thought I didn't know that material (I never did my homework). I could speak French just fine-I was the best in the class-I just couldn't do the freaking paperwork! He haaaaaaaaaated the fact that I didn't do the homework but I still aced that class.

[@InYourFloorboards12345]

I was going to ask if you still spoke French fluently in French but then I realized I don’t speak French fluently enough to ask that.

[@Nightingale_time]

@@InYourFloorboards12345 Hahahahahahaha! No, lack of use has killed my memory. It still pops up randomly, though!

[@AmyKozerski]

​@@InYourFloorboards12345 Par-lay vooooo frahn-saaaay on-corrr?

[@DeathnoteBB]

ADHD be like: Why tf are we doing paper work? I just wanna learn!

[@prussiaball1871]

You were able to get A's without doing homework? I feel 90% of my grade is homework, it's horrendous

[@IronCladBeliever]

As someone who is only now diagnosed with ADHD I feel this so much. I’d get As and Bs on my test or any other work but, could never bring myself to do my homework.

[@Skyrim_Shuffle]

I wholeheartedly relate to the not studying/doing work stuff. I was diagnosed with adhd early in life, and by the time I got to high school, I was fed up with academics and school rhetoric. I tried when I really needed to, but other than that, I made A's with little to no studying.

[@endrtrn]

Bro same!!! I would get A's without much effort and it pissed many of my teachers

[@K98MauserBYF43]

Boy, I got diagnosed with attention deficit, supposedly, but they just said that “I was too smart and had no interest” so it would just go away as I grew older, so they never actually diagnosed it as an actual condition. Now I want to study and learn but can’t keep up with anything study related

[@Enby_Potato]

Same here. The issue comes when subjects start getting harder and all of a sudden, I don’t know how to study, how to take notes, any of that stuff because I’ve just never needed it. I’m still doing well (low A average across my classes), and it help that my school district banned graded homework so that’s no longer bringing down my grades, but sometimes I struggle, especially with things that are based entirely on memory (like skeletal structure stuff)

[@astronomicallyxenharmonic]

I should study, I really should be studying. But I just don’t and still do well. Which isn’t a great example because then my brain’s like, “See you did well! You don’t have to study!” In math one year, I did well in the class without studying for the first bit and then parabolas got introduced and I had a really tough time and only scraped by because the teacher let us write notes for the test

[@ElAnvaBar]

Does getting diagnosed help you with it? Like, does it get you medicine to focus or something? Cause it kinda sounds like my youth, and I was wondering what could be.

[@AngelicFlash]

I feel this very hard. I didn't get diagnosed with ADHD until I was 29, and school was much like that.

[@YsabelGamache]

I relate on an hurtful level. I was the lazy gal wasting in the corner writing a full on novel by boredom, but then getting bored of said novel, never finishing it and starting a new one or full on reading a book a day depending on the period…

[@icarusbinns3156]

Hey! This was also me! Or ‘taking notes’ by doodling these intricate, elaborate, multi-page pictures. Teachers kept telling me to ‘stop goofing off’. Until one teacher asked me what I was doing, and I recited back the last five minutes of her lecture, verbatim, and added, “It’s all here, in this pelican.” I can recall with perfect clarity, things I hear when I’m doodling. I really don’t know why

[@regulargoat7259]

Same!

[@prussiaball1871]

​@@icarusbinns3156 oh that's pretty cool, I often "jazz up" my notes a lot, commentary helps me remember things better and I think it's more fun that way

[@YsabelGamache]

@@icarusbinns3156 I really like your technique. I would probably get caught up hyper focusing on the doodling part personally. I think it’s really cool that you make a piece of art from listening!

[@unstableshade373]

@@icarusbinns3156 I feel the same thing, my school books were always full of drawings and those were the classes I did best in. I also feel it with music, the first time I hear a song gets ingrained in my head. Next time I hear it I remember exactly what I was doing, which is a surprise as I have trouble remembering stuff

[@meratheafflictionwarlock]

My high school English teacher once said to my mom "Marika would be my dream student if she'd do her homework and paid attention in class. I have no idea how she's so good in English when she doesn't even do her homework" ..and still nobody thought that it might be a good idea to get me tested for ADHD :p finally got diagnosed at 33 :D

[@wayausofbounds9255]

I can so relate to this. The teachers were just happy I didn't disrupt everyone else's learning.

[@johnswife1676]

That was the deal I made too!

[@vxicepickxv]

I just shut my mouth and read books I wanted to. The teachers were kind of upset, but I didn't disrupt anyone.

[@CeruleanStar]

I did my homework the five minutes before class started in lightning mode (I was unknowingly using the fast time limit to help my ADHD), and then read fiction books in every class. I didn't disrupt anyone and got good grades, so teachers didn't care. As someone diagnosed at 26 after some really dark times in my life due to undiagnosed ADHD and autism, I kinda wish someone cared enough to bring it up with my parents back then.

[@xanderberry8439]

"wao 147 tiles in the ceiling!" I felt that especially since some of them on the sides weren't whole tiles 😂

[@bt983]

Omg that was me! But jokes on me I hate the adulting homework(dishes, taxes, setting up appointments, etc) and there aren't anymore tests to prove that I'm marginally okay 😭

[@kalinka04]

Adulting homework!! What a perfect description. And I feel exactly the same about them-horrible, boring, miserable chores that should be quick & easy but instead are slow & torturous, and when you’re finally done and exhausted and hating yourself, there’s no reward, just a brief respite before you have to do it again. Ugh. Shoot me.

[@yaboicolleen]

Oh no you put it in words 😭

[@skyesthelimitro]

Adulting homework? .... Did.... Did y'all not have to do your own chores in high school? I did everything you listed in high school.... Granted, i lived with my single dad and he was stressed enough about working 9-5 and then genuine cleaning, plus i had frequent regular appointments i needed to learn to make, and he was teaching me how to do said cleaning for when i move out (which i recently learned we've both been doing wrong because he's self taught and apparently there are way easier and better methods for all of it but it is what it is ig) so if i was smart enough and had been previously taught how to do a chore it was on me. Anyway, my point is, that's not like homework, it's more like survival skills indoors. To me coming and cleaning every day makes me like the Bear Grylls of the indoors. It's just what you need to do to live.

[@theNaluK]

Ain't it the truth!!! Same with prepping for tests. Put it off until time to pull an all nighter. I can do some general maintenance, but the big cleaning/restore order cleaning is practically impossible to do until I have a guest visiting. Then I put it off until the threat of embarrassment kicks in and just rush to do it all at once.

[@iSaraSeantae]

​@@skyesthelimitro that's fine, it's just not how everyone's brain works regardless of what their chores were while living with parents

[@ariaphoenix2760]

This is me, 100%. I can never motivate myself enough to do class work until either 5 minutes before the due date or 3 weeks after it was due, and yet I almost always got As on tests and the like. So frustrating in the worst way possible.

[@MrThatguyandrew]

Oh man I feel this deep in my soul. I routinely aced tests and did zero homework. My Algebra 2/Trig teacher did me dirty though. He called me up to his desk and said that, despite me having a 92% in the class after the curve, since homework was supposed to count for 30% of the grade and I had done zero homework he couldn't give me a higher grade than a C-. I didn't end up getting diagnosed with ADHD until I was in my 30's but it should have been obvious way before then.

[@LeoInterVir]

I'm late 30s, need to get medicated for it. I did manage to get a degree by my late 20s but never a job in the field. Terrible time lining up with economic downturns.

[@arealdevilsadvocate]

I just recently got diagnosed at 42, but it's very much the same sort of story for me, too. I just didn't have teachers hate me so much because I kind of had a reputation for being the smart kid. Looking back at my life with what I know now and what we know about ADHD in general, yeah, it really should have been more obvious.

[@ob2kenobi388]

Oh my goddd that was EXACTLY my experience. They really gotta have teachers learn the signs of neurodivergence so the kids can have an environment more appropriate for them.

[@RaikuYTALT]

I've never related to a comedian so much...

[@Name-ru1kt]

Worst part about it is the whole fricken point of homework is to prepare you for a test. Homework shouldn’t be made the way it is.

[@RaikuYTALT]

@@Name-ru1kt on god

[@theforkedman3030]

Yeah I feel this one. Ez way to sum up my school grading is failed the class passed the final.

[@camryncallison3566]

I was the same exact way. I hated homework but I'm really good at test taking and I paid attention to the lessons

[@diraltmcallister3523]

Yuuuuuup. Big ditto here

[@theanarkiddie4569]

that… was not what Ben said camryn

[@camryncallison3566]

@@theanarkiddie4569 He said he never did his homework. With ADHD I guarantee he didn't do the homework because he had a hard time concentrating on it if he even remembered that he had homework. This is what I experienced which is why I said I hated homework. Just being smart doesn't equate to being a good test taker. Therefore he was both, same as me which is why I said I was a good test taker. So yeah, explain again how my comment was incorrect.

[@theanarkiddie4569]

@@camryncallison3566 you said you paid attention in lessons, he specifically emphasised in the clip how he was *not* paying attention in lessons - see the whole “tiles on the ceiling” comment. In your original comment you also spoke about hating homework - you later specified you meant *not doing homework*. An inability to do homework is more of a sign of ADHD, but just hating homework is something that all kids agree with. Those two points were why i originally said your first comment didn’t reflect what Ben said

[@Fireworker2K]

People always tell me that I was the kid that reminded the teacher to give homework - in reality I didn't do them anyway and was glad for every time I didn't have to feel guilty about it. Also, 147 tiles in the ceiling would be 7×21 or 3×49 tiles, both if which not a realistic size (when assuming square tiles).

[@aesir26]

I can definitely relate to this even as someone who did get diagnosed at age 8. "Smart but doesn't apply herself" was probably the main thing I saw in the teacher's comment sections of my report cards.

[@beansoup4810]

Help how do i get diagnosed I'm a junior in high school and this all sounds uncomfortably familiar

[@TheGameMage_]

Ok story time: So I had this same experience but I WAS diagnosed with Aspergers and ADHD. The school knew this, and I was In an IEP for it. But despite that Middle school was the worst three years of my life. For let me count the ways I loathed that wretched place. For starters the teachers would complain about how I was not paying attention in class, despite doing well on the tests, but again refused to do the homework most of the time, to the point I had a teacher rip the paper I was drawing on away from me, they tore it up and threw it away and told me to focus. I was paying attention, I just liked to draw and doodle. Another reason I loathed that wretched hole of infernal torment was the fact every other day at lunch, every single at lunch would try to talk loud enough to be heard over every other kid, resulting in it being really loud, and every other day the same women would yell at everyone to be quiet. Now the issue there is I HATE loud noises in general. So that caused me a great deal of stress, add on top the bullying that the school literally never did anything about, and the fact that since Elementary school I have been cursed to be Forever tired no matter how much sleep I get, I was easily agitated and I would hit people that pissed me off, not in a bullying way but if they kept pissing me off kind of way (yes I know I have anger issues) now I have no issue looking back on getting in trouble for that, but when I hit someone it was in a moment of increased stress, and when the moments over I cried because I knew I just hurt someone and Im going to be in trouble... again, and I was sorry for attacking the person afterward. But I remember the Vice principle yelling at me to "stop crying crocodile tears" when I was sitting in her office crying after the fact. (Hated her. Also I think at one point in middle school I got diagnosed as a Little bipolar but never again afterward, I also didn't have any behavioral issues after leaving that wretched place either. And just so you dont think Im exagerating the reason I disliked the vice principal here's another reason why I despised her, back in middle school, I used to get bullied, and one day a kid knocked the books out of my hands as I was walking to class in cramped hallways (they were not exactly narrow but they had lockers on one side, and too many d&mned kids in one area) anyway the kid grabbed the glasses off my face and threw them across the class room breaking them. The kid told the stupidest excuse to the vice Principle when we were sent to her office which was "He had a look in his eye like he was going to attack me" and got us both suspended, I got in school suspension and he got out of school. High school was better, when that same kid did something stupid, they didn't tolerate his stupidity and expelled him when he spat in the face of an administrator. I also didn't have any behavioral issues in high school either, nor was I constantly stressed, nor was I bullied (though I did become a meme and the most known person on the school for running through the halls everyday, for 4 years)

[@alexandersen1372]

oh god this smacked me in the face. still enjoyed math though. I took calculus for fun when i needed an elective for college.

[@nomad-8260]

Psychopath

[@setojurai]

YO! Fellow ADHD

[@LeoInterVir]

In college I took extra levels of calculus and similar classes despite not being a math major. I enjoyed it. Maybe my major should have been math.

[@setojurai]

@@LeoInterVir I took an experimental math course that did everything from Algebra to advanced geometry.

[@LeoInterVir]

@@setojurai all the math classes I did: PreCalculus with Trigonometry Calculus 1 Calculus 2 Differential Equations Calculus 3 Linear Algebra

[@THE_HOLY_BRICK]

I actually did the math on the celing thing, there is 23 by 23 dots (529 dots) in each tile in the ceiling in all of my classes so i just had to find the amount of tiles on each side, multiply those, and then multiply that by 529 to get the amount of dots in the ceiling.

[@lydialukes522]

Yeah getting diagnosed as an adult means seeing doctors which means making phone calls. I don't like making phone calls so... Left undiagnosed. High School I loved German and Chemistry (followed by all the maths). I don't remember the teachers not liking me as a person just didn't like all the missing homework assignments. I loved how you explained the whole could ace a test thing because we do pay attention in class it just doesn't look like how the rest of the kids who are paying attention are paying attention in class.

[@ramseyremedy3805]

This describes me so well. Minus the part about borderline strangling anyone who crossed me.

[@AndelinaMarie]

So relatable. I never did homework but did a chunk of class work & all tests, as an ESE student. I would just use my ESE as a reason I "couldn't" figure out my homework even tho I passed everything else(most of the time lol)

[@spectre4678]

What’s an ESE student?

[@PizzaMadeMeFat]

@@spectre4678 Exceptional Student Education is specially designed instruction and related services that are provided to students with disabilities and students who are identified as gifted

[@spectre4678]

@@PizzaMadeMeFat oh ok thanks

[@Definitelyabird_73]

“I never did any home work” same, I can’t get myself to sit down and do the work unless I’m in school but then I get it done as fast as possible

[@canoepick1140]

I so felt that. Perfect description of my school years.

[@jeremyyates1026]

Same I had adhd made a 99 in biology aced both exams with a 100. the teacher told the story in front of the class she was going through checking to make sure everyone passed. her assistant pointed to mine and said he made a 100 she was shocked lol. she knew I was smart but it was still a surprise. That teacher was excellent for adhd kids and it helped that I loved science.

[@d.mitchell7809]

Hey, this sounds exactly like me right now in school! . . . I think I need to ask my doctor something...

[@prussiaball1871]

It's pretty common, but we definitely have to work harder. I know it sucks but clearly we can do it since we do all the time

[@niabiii]

all they do is give you medication and send you on your way, I would suggest looking up an adhd coach as well, there are some online that are covered by health insurance

[@prussiaball1871]

@@niabiii yeah, you have to ask specifically for therapy because they can't extort you if you don't get addicted to the prescription meth

[@niabiii]

@@prussiaball1871 precisely, our whole healthcare system is putting a bandaid on an open wound and covering up the symptoms instead of fixing the problem so they can siphon your pockets as much as possible. All the while (sometimes) putting you into debt comparable to a mortgage, which also happens to be completely exploited.

[@iciclecold2991]

I relate to that so much... worst part of homework is that it was invented as a punishment. It was NEVER supposed to be normal.

[@endrtrn]

I've never felt more called out in my life

[@theworldsgreatestjidiot9667]

I was diagnosed with A.D.D when i was in third grade so ever since then I was slamming back somewhere around 12oz of coffee every day till highschool and i was somehow the most mellow and sleepy kid

[@theladycata9648]

I was diagnosed in fifth grade, but no one did anything to help me after I decided that the side effects of adderall weren’t worth it so I still ended up as that kid in high school. Most of my teachers tried so hard because they could tell how smart I was but they had no idea how to deal with me

[@DeclanMecha]

This was me too! Thankfully, my English teacher had this lunch detention policy where you had to finish your homework in his room during lunch, but you also got to eat in the room. That was AMAZING for me because I got to be out of the chaos of the lunch room AND do my homework on school time. He hated that I figured out how to game his system to my benefit.

[@abigailblackmon1144]

This is so relatable. I don't need more evidence that maybe I should be talking to my doctor about the possibility of ADHD 😅

[@THEREALSEVEN]

Did you? If not then here’s a reminder lol

[@shelbyheaser8804]

THANK YOU!!!! That's exactly how I was in school and mum never even thought about ADHD because she's the exact same way

[@xdch08]

Can confirm, I was the exact same way except the teachers were more surprised than anything, a single B on a test and all of a sudden, we need to have a full talk in private

[@HelloThere-dl2op]

At the end there was such a relatable feeling, just put the hand on the face and laugh. Fake laugh, hiding real pain

[@kodai7380]

Preach brother! 😂 I loved college, I literally slept through most classes and still had the best grades in class. Half of my teachers hated me, the other half made me teachers aide just to keep me busy.

[@smocast738]

Painfully relatable. I was diagnosed early on with ADHD, but my family didn't tell me until I was nearly graduated.

[@phoenixgate007]

I could never keep up with the readings in high school or college but made the dean’s list. I found I learned best in person (hard when you’re chronically ill) and took great notes. It pissed off my teachers something rotten when I’d do well without doing the homework but no one knew I had ADHD.

[@kingflumph5968]

To my fellow teachers, a student like this might present a great opportunity to have a sit-down and figure out a way to help them build Independence and executive control skills! Because even if they don't need the homework for extra academic practice, everyone's still got to be able to work on a timeline, in an unstructured way, and be able to manage obligations, so maybe you can find a more engaging and meaningful way for them to practice those things!

[@AlphaLinkX]

Nah. If teachers did that, then I wouldn't have had a life long feeling of being worthless. It's much easier that they just treat me like I'm lazy and that somehow I'm "making fun of them" by not doing homework and getting 100%'s on tests. 😂

[@kingflumph5968]

@@AlphaLinkX I'm sorry that happened to you! Unfortunately not all teachers have the luxury of being able to do what I described either, many of us are working in highly restrictive systems. I hope that starts to change year over year.

[@pokejo1281]

I was like that in school. My son is same as well. He comes to me with his thoughts and he amazes me all the time. Hrs just so smart.

[@MKinney83]

Flunked out of college for the same reasons!!! That is EXACTLY how I skated through my school years

[@LeoInterVir]

I went back, almost dropped out again, got a degree, economy went to shit, tried getting lower end jobs, was either over qualified or under qualified, got burned out, now making minimum wage in a dead end job in an unrelated field, economy shit again.

[@Nemokiddy]

Same dude, same! The biggest issue with it: I'm now so used to be good from the start in things, that I get overly frustrated when I suddenly don't understand something and have trouble with putting in the work to reach my goals...

[@kathyroux7386]

I was undiagnosed ADD, too. Unfortunately I also had undiagnosed autism and dyslexia. So I got A's on all the tests but had to spend 5 hours a night on homework. I was 21st in my high school class, but I failed at mostly life until I got diagnosed with everything later in life. It's just nice to know l'm not a screw up.

[@supremeoverlord0]

Are you me? I seethe at how much time it has taken/takes me to get even the most minimal of work done.

[@skeezixx]

Nice. As a parent of a kiddo with ADHD... And as a teacher who was undiagnosed ADHD. I feel this bit in my bones

[@lowpolyraccoon]

This called me out real hard, I hated doing homework and never turned it in but I'd still get high scores on my tests

[@ArtByZac]

Same, I grew up undiagnosed adhd and autism and got put in the gifted class as soon as the township allowed it. I hardly ever did my homework, never had to study, and passed all my classes from 3rd grade to senior year of high school with As and Bs. Once I got to college my GPA dropped from over a 4.0 to a 2.7 because it was the first time I’d ever had to actually work for my grades and because I had to *make my own routine* and wasn’t medicated everything fell apart.

[@brandonpeterson3434]

I feel for this. I relate so much.

[@jessicashenefield1546]

This has nailed one of my kiddos. They've gotten more homework heavy for the grade because of those that don't test well so he's failing because he doesn't do the work but he does fine on the tests. And they keep putting him in upper/honors classes because he HAS the brain for them, but they're work heavy and this kid is allergic to effort.

[@Vaporfry]

i feel this in my bones

[@ExhaustedScarf]

I was diagnosed at 8 years old, let me tell you man, it is absolutely the literal exact same experience. No homework. Not even classwork. Just tests and stealthily eating an entire box of chalk to induce vomiting so I can leave the classroom, then just fuck about in the halls for the rest of class until the bell rings again

[@bethmahadocon1887]

I was the same. Never did the homework, aced the tests and aggravated the hell out of my teachers.

[@alisonj1384]

Inattentive adhd here 🙋🏽‍♀️I was never happy with my homework and spent hours doing it. Was told I had potential but needed to stop procrastinating and pay attention. Diagnosed at 43 and still learning.

[@Sir_Bukkit]

As someone with ADHD, you just made my day man. Be safe out there!

[@hollybrown9706]

EXTREMELY relatable. I have autism, but since there's so much overlap it's kinda like different cause, same result. It gets better.

[@ishashka]

Same here, the knowledge just sort of flowed into my head without any effort. Until I went to college, where I failed first semester 3 times because the material was too complicated to "learn" this way. I tried again at 25 and it's pretty much effortless again, partly because I managed to get a surface level understanding of all the subjects through scrolling wikipedia, watching youtube videos, and doing personal projects (which I always abandoned after 3 weeks). Better mental health also probably had something to do with it

[@ahhh844]

Yup I was the exact same way, except add on anxiety and depression to that and you get me freaking out thinking my teachers hate me over not doing the homework

[@ur_leastfave_brunette]

Undiagnosed ADHD in school can be so frustrating when it comes to teachers.

[@adrianruiz3114]

Omg Ben i had the same problem in highschool teachers hated but also liked me with a passion mostly because i helped everyone one else out

[@potatoman2567]

“Wow there’s 147 tiles in the ceiling” Me during a test be like like that tho

[@AMGd3]

Yep. I loved learning and homework filled me with anxiety

[@mariekastler5391]

I am, FINALLY, starting to forgive myself for my "wasted potential" and realize how Well I've done. People are Still mad at me for being happy at my current level of not success. Framing is So Important!

[@Salt_Master_Queue]

If I was asked that, I, too, would vigorously smh in ADHD denial as well.

[@NamelessProof]

Favorite subject was definitely history for one reason. I had some amazing history teachers that made it genuinely interesting to pay attention to

[@thedirewolfking2274]

I’m literally the exact same way and I don’t think I have adhd but damn that’s cool me and Ben have something in common, OUR SCHOOLING PRACTICES

[@janetwilliams3497]

I feel so seen and validated! I have found my people!!!🎉

[@chiron.equine]

Yeah...This is relatable. I heard "bright underachiever" a few times. I got 90+ on tests and 0s on assignments. I graduated with a lot of 65-75s.

[@maxthedeadthing]

“smart in the most annoying way” holy shit if that isn’t having undiagnosed adhd

[@bekfastking2840]

I would get A’s on tests but still fail the class because I did none of my homework

[@laniegirl11]

So glad we are better educated about student needs and would likely have identified this student and been able to give him enrichments.

[@nicklapallo9090]

Oh man, that cuts deep in the soul. Me too man, man too.

[@dgymnast6473]

That is almost me. When I had a good teacher I would finish the homework in class. When I had a bad teacher I would take joy in their dismay at me acing the tests and quizzes and not doing a lick of homework. The amount of times my parents heard I was not living up to my potential was probably soul crushing. I wasn’t able to finish college but I am doing better than many people who did. I now make more money than any of my siblings and love what I do. An expert in my field and respected by most even if I am not the most consistent person. My rock star days balance out my ‘can’t function days’ enough to keep me going. Being good in school does not equal success.

[@sammyisanoctopus]

I feel this. I could diagram the exact locations of every drawer in my classrooms down to their handles. I could not complete an assignment on time though.

[@Ucatty2]

Same, up to a point. I was diagnosed as a child. Got the "Smart Kid, So Much Potential, If only she put in the Effort, Smart ass who got high test scores, no homework points, talks to much in class, who interrupts" Being diagnosed as a kid and knowing what the thing you have is called does not help much in gaining studying skills, or patience, when the damn brain ain't even wired that way.

[@Rupert.Moloch]

>Getting in trouble for not doing any of the boring tedious homework, despite acing the tests; and teachers misidentifying it as laziness SAME shit here… wtf?

[@tsunamislayer101]

VERY RELATABLE. I was this way in elementary and being diagnosed and in meds now (I do a lot better in school, I used to barely pass a single grade lol, I’m lucky to not have been held back) I am like “HOW DID I NOT SELF-DESTRUCT AT SOME-POINT DUE TO BOREDOM?!”

[@table2.0]

Not doing homework but still doing well is a mood, but honestly I enjoyed the subjects I was “just good at” and liked learning, so while I don’t have a favourite necessarily? I was fine. Until my lack of learning how to study/revise hurt me and I stopped being a “gifted kid throwing away potential” and became an absolute train wreck in college. I couldn’t breeze through it anymore, it was so hard and stressful and honestly I wish I could go back to secondary school.. I know how to make friends now, I’m better at art and I like the structure it gave me..

[@sarahnelson8836]

It’s called being twice exceptional!!! Both gifted and having learning disabilities and/or ADHD!

[@galanary]

BEN I am you rn I'm in highschool and about to get a yay or nay if I have ADHD and I am in the same situation. Ace the tests, won't do homework. This is 100% relatable to me

[@negaducksays9368]

Same! I was in mostly honors classes, but slept through half of them. I was even working 25-30 hour weeks while doing honors naps, and still somehow passing.

[@aiedle007]

ADHD is ultimately an advantage because it allows you to really absorb whatever interests you. It is just unfortunate what can happen if they are not constantly stimulated. I should know, I have ADHD and subjects that interest me I'm amazing at, those that don't, I could care less if I'm exceeding or just scraping by. I am glad that in elementary school, I managed to get all my homework done in class, after my mom had to stay on me to do it if I didn't in school, up until it stopped being required 90% of the time.

[@CyanSoups]

This is the most relatable bit I've ever heard.

[@gollygod]

I feel so kin lol. Though i did have a favorite but it was mostly bc of the teachers and a general interest, English class. But i never did homework but always did well on tests. Failed 9th grade history by 1 point even though i got almost a perfect 100% on my final 😒 it’s so frustrating that our education systems are based the way they are, if kids know the material it shouldn’t matter if they dont do homework

[@ashrowan2143]

I would've been like that but I also have a crippling fear of disappointing people. Which is why as a 23 year old my parents still don't know that I occasionally drink energy drinks because the fear of that disappointment is all consuming

[@glitch-key6086]

Im both happy and mad how much this resonated with me