I remember being quizzed on U.S. presidents in front of my class in the eighth grade. I could barely pay attention during these lessons, so I hadn’t fully absorbed the curriculum. When it was time to be quizzed, I wasn’t concerned about not knowing the answers. …

I slept through a midterm in my first semester of college. Why? Because the pressure of staying up late studying and waking up at 8 a.m. for classes had finally defeated me. The stringent due dates in all of my classes left me with no time for rest. …

Nothing like a sixth-grade report card to tell you you’re not good enough. I was an enthusiastic student — until I was told I wasn’t. I had no trouble learning and actually enjoyed it. Up until sixth grade all I got were A’s. You’d think I was a great student. …

On my first day in retail, I sat on the floor, in front of a shelf, as supervisors watched me organize bottles of sparkling water. And I got in trouble for that. Because apparently, sitting indicated that I wasn’t working with enough “urgency.” That was strike one. Some weeks passed…

I wonder how much faster I would’ve grown up if I could’ve asked for help. My dad’s entire parenting philosophy was physically disciplining me when I did something wrong. There was no room to question why what I did was wrong, or to say I didn’t understand. …

Ryan Douglass I never understood math. I still don’t. I’ve always been better at English. From pre-K to 12th grade, vocabulary and literature were my happy places, while numbers sent me spiraling through headaches and heavy breathing. I never said a word in my middle school math classes. I didn’t…

I wish I could say my ADHD has never affected my dating life, but I’d be lying. I can’t focus on anything very long, including text conversations with potential partners. There are so many ways to hurt people when dating, and one of the most common is leaving their messages…

Why It’s Time to Abolish Celebrity You don’t have to be a celebrity to act like one. Unfortunately, “celebrity” has transcended the elite class. Anyone who puts social climbing over community has internalized a celebrity mindset. …

the capitalist world forces us to see our fellow person as a competitor. we measure the value of others by their ability to fight back. one of something must die for another to survive. this militancy bleeds into our political parties. binary, because we are binary in thought. we are…