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Monday, May 10, 2010

"Ritalin Or Recess?" Are Schools Promoting The Use Of Drugs? - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

"Ritalin Or Recess?" Are Schools Promoting The Use Of Drugs? - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Check out David Katz M.D. "Activity Bursts In The Classroom"
Program In Video Below

by C.J.

One of my friends, a NYC private school parent, called Ritalin "this generation's penicillin". He questioned "When did educators become medical professionals . . .recommending Ritalin to kids?" and continued on about just how prevalent its use was in private school circles. Well, we know teachers certainly don't "prescribe drugs" but there has been a quick-fix mentality within many schools to remedy numerous issues through the use of prescription drugs.

Another friend in Washington DC talked about how kids passed around Ritalin to study for SAT's and other tests, even if it wasn't prescribed to them.

A third friend told me how her second grader was recommended by the private school teacher to have her son consult a doctor for tests and recommendations for the son's "issues". The parent asked if and how her son was distracting the class or what exactly the problem was in question. The teacher responded that her son "was not disruptive to the class but had to go to the back of the class from time to time to stretch, unlike the other kids." Stretching for a