Focus is an easy subject to address since I must be guilty of using that word at least twenty times a day with my students.  It appears to be a mysterious goal which is at present an unattainable treasure.  Yes, I am taking into consideration the young age of my first graders and their level of expected thinking skills.  However, based upon my past experience with teaching first graders, today’s children have far less ability to focus on a task at hand in school than my previous students.

    I am aware that gifted children love to “think” and create in their imaginations.  However, at some point, they must be able to “focus” on the task at hand.  Yes, many children who are exceptional can multitask.  Yet, what I am observing today is an inability of these students to organize their thinking into any discernable form.  As they write words, sentences, and answers to problems, they often leave unfinished thoughts, words, and sentences.  When I ask them to read over their writing with me, they don’t even seem to notice these unfinished thoughts.

    My husband and I often comment that advertising on TV is a lot like the thinking and focusing patterns of our students.  Scene upon scene jumps from one to another faster than a person can read the type on the screen.  The scenes may or may not have any common thread running through them.  “What was that all about?” is a question we often ask each other.

    I often think perhaps our students are becoming more and more hyperactive due to the many chemicals to which they are being exposed everyday of their lives.  But I do have a few, a precious few, who are able to focus 95% of the time on school tasks without any problems.  How can they accomplish this when the vast majority cannot?  I do not have the answers, but I do have some thoughts to consider.

    The “focusing” students I am working with seem to have a few common traits:  they are usually quiet in class.  While others are talking, playing with pencils, watching other students, these “focused” children are attending to my every move, word, and demonstration.  So, I do wonder if perhaps their parents took the time to converse with them, to listen to their questions and stories, and asked questions and welcomed their opinions.  Having their ideas valued by the parents may cause them to repeat their efforts to be “plugged in” to the world around them.

    Maybe the unfocused children are used to waiting for their parents to stop phone conversations…keeping themselves occupied as best as they can.  Maybe these students don’t receive opportunities to discuss their ideas or to feel their input is valued.

    I do know that other children are so focused upon their own wants, needs, and desires that they act as if no other student is present in our classroom.  These students talk over others, never wait for their turn to speak, and demand the teacher’s attention by yelling out to the teacher to call upon them.  

    So many of our students in schools everywhere are taking ADHD prescriptive drugs, that I am surprised we still have such focusing issues.  However, we don’t seem to be winning the battle for their minds.  

    I know that leadership focusing skills entail much more than what I am trying to teach my students.  But we are going to have to solve these basic focusing skills in everyday tasks for leaders of the future to have a task force with which to work.  

    Parents can help us with these little ones by not ignoring their children’s questions…or by giving adequate explanations rather than a quick “brush-off” answer.  Parents can begin to stop repeating directions over and over for their children.  That causes poor listening skill development.  Asking children to repeat directions given to them before actually trying to do the requested action would also help students learn to focus on what is being said.

    If students are trying to do their homework while watching the TV or listening to music with vocals, put a stop to that practice.  Once they become able to carry out a task easily with one request or explanation, they might gradually add background music.

    In these early years of learning, we work toward “automaticity” in student skills.  Once a program is set in his brain’s memory paths, the person is better able to multitask and have positive success.              

- Kay