Course Outline for Year 7, and more

Here is the semi-detailed Course Overview for Kieron, Year 7 (it's a doc). It's a more detailed version of this.

I am looking at it and thinking -- no way. It is way too much. On the other hand, there's no time frame yet -- and I'm not even sure I'm going to PUT a time frame on the content. My syllabus this year may be something more like a time-period-spent checklist plus tables of contents, so I can keep the accountability of this year without a feeling of having to speed up or slow down to meet the requirements of the syllabus.

I still have determined to go slowly..... and look for connections, and time to ponder.

By the way, this seems like a good occasion to talk about something that I was very happy to hear Angela at Three Plus Two mention -- hyperfocus.

From this article:

ADD suffererers will sometimes hyperfocus on a desired subject in order to accomplish a task. This is very similar to "paying attention" as non-ADD people will do. With so many distractions, we have to narrow our field of attention to a specific task, blocking out distractions like a person might block out the cold weather by pulling a blanket closer around them....

My routine day is filled with hyperfocus. With a few exceptions, if I do not hyperfocus on a task, it will not get done. Those exceptions are usually _very_ routine things that I do each day without fail (brush teeth, shave, go to work, etc).

As an example, I know that flossing my teeth is a beneficial task because my dentist tells me so. So I should do it each day without fail. However, I have fallen out of that habit. Getting started back again is a major undertaking for me. Its not that I need to be reminded, its that I have to hyperfocus on the task so that I can prioritize it correctly and get the task done. A reminder note or to do list will not sufficiently help me to pay attention to this detail. ..

Once I am hyperfocusing on a task, .. that task gets all my attention. Attempts to communicate with me during that time are seen as distractions and are irritating. It is physically hard to break the hyperfocus, then concentrate on another task, and then to resume the hyperfocus. Frequently, after I read a book for hours, I am literally a zombie afterwards because I cannot easily break the hyperfocus.

My day is a regular pattern of moving from hyperfocused task to hyperfocused task.

I am not sure if I am ADD -- never diagnosed anyway -- but I know I totally do this. Indeed, this description explains a LOT to me. And the coping mechanisms mentioned were extremely helpful.