Unboxing Education

If you’re a teacher with or without ADHD, you know the importance of finding tasks that not only help you stay productive but also give your brain that rewarding dopamine hit. 🧠✨ The key is to match those tasks with how you naturally feel motivated and appreciated . Hack your brain by applying a framework to your tasks for maximum dopamine hits: 💖 The 5 Love Languages : Describe how people experience and give appreciation. 💡 Clifton Strengths : Focus on individual talents and motivators. ⚠️ Decision fatigue and analysis paralysis are real! Here are some ideas to get you started: 🔋 Dopamine-Boosting Tasks by the 5 Love Languages 💬 Love Language 🔧 Examples of Dopamine-Boosting Tasks Words of Affirmation 💬 Make positive calls or emails home; write thank-you notes; keep a wins journal; post encouraging sticky notes. Quality Time ⏳ Schedule focused 1:1 check-ins; collaborate with colleagues...

Between coaching, consulting, parenting, and studying policy, writing can easily fall to the bottom of my list, even though it's really my first love. I’ve always loved ideas, but the process of getting them out of my brain and onto the page hasn’t always been easy. As someone with ADHD and dyslexia, I often struggle with executive functioning, writer’s block, and imposter syndrome. Generative AI has become a surprising ally—one that’s helped me build momentum, stay productive, and still feel like *myself* in my writing. ⚙️ How I Use AI in My Writing Process I use tools like ChatGPT to draft initial copy for blog posts, workshop materials, emails, and more. I’ll often start by giving a few prompts about the message I want to get across or the audience I’m writing for. The AI helps me generate that first messy draft—the hardest part for my brain to start on its own. Any time I have an idea, rather than just jotting it down on a piece of paper (that, let's be honest, I'm...

🧠 I have ADHD. Two of my children have ADHD. And still,  even knowing what I know now, it's a struggle. Why? Because when ADHD runs deep in your family, the symptoms don’t always feel unusual. They feel familiar . They feel like you. Like home. Like “just how we are.” But that sense of normalcy can be the very thing that delays support—and as both a teacher and a mom, I’ve seen just how important it is to name what’s happening and get help. 👀 When ADHD Runs in the Family, It Hides in Plain Sight ADHD is one of the most heritable mental health conditions— up to 80% of its traits are passed genetically ( PMC , EBSCO ). So when one child has ADHD, there’s a good chance others in the family do too, whether they’re diagnosed or not ( ADDitude ). That’s exactly what happened in my house. And in my classroom, I’ve seen it play out again and again: Parents say, “I did the same thing as a kid and turned out fine.” Families build elaborate systems to work around c...

Some days, I feel like I’m juggling flaming swords while riding a unicycle—on a Zoom call. Generated with Firefly AI That’s life as a teacher with ADHD. People often associate ADHD with kids, daydreamers in the back of the class, impulsive behavior, or forgotten homework. But ADHD doesn’t disappear when we grow up. For many of us, it follows us into adulthood—and for some, it’s not diagnosed until we’re already deep into our careers. I’m one of those people. And I’m also a teacher. The Daily Challenges Teaching is a job that requires organization, multitasking, emotional regulation, time management, and attention to detail. You know, all the things that ADHD loves to mess with. Here’s what that can look like for me: 🧭 Planning paralysis. I can see all the possibilities, ideas, and resources. But choosing one direction and sticking to it? That’s the hard part. 🕳️🐇 Hyperfocus rabbit holes. I’ll spend three hours crafting the perfect lesson slide deck—only to realize I forgo...