Neurodivergence and the Gentle Art of Rule-Bending

GUEST BLOG POST

By Art Koop

Art Koop juggles teaching, background acting, and creative projects — all while navigating the shift from full-time work to full-hearted living.

His journey is one of pacing, purpose, and making room for what matters most.

On rules;

At one time, I found security in rules.

There were some turbulent times - family deaths, moves - early on in my life, and a whole lot of unrecognized inattentive type ADHD.

Rules and religious traditions may have saved me from some unhealthy self-medicating risks.

Along with books.

However, I have come to see strict rules as more shackle than gate. Instead, I have guiding questions, which I have carried mostly internally and unarticulated.

At work, my guiding questions include...

• Have I provided the greatest possible opportunities for students, within curricular guidelines, for them to explore their interests and express their learning in authentic ways?

• Have I challenged students to ask deeper questions, to set high standards, to take healthy educational risks, to work as a team, to challenge convention when it doesn't stand up to reason or continue to function?

• Have I given credit to all those who have contributed to the collaborative efforts of educating, and to all that enhances our human experience - not just those "winners of history" who have unjustly claimed contributions of others as their own?

• Have I been honest about my own limitations, while still attempting to achieve more and learn more and create more?

• Have I invited others - be they colleagues or students - to be part of problem-solving

• Have I been willing to consider and experiment with solutions other than my own pre-conceived notions, and honoured those who suggested them and their courage in using their voices?

In the kitchen classroom...

• Have I provided the necessary resources, with good stewardship principles, to make it possible for students to try their own projects and creations?

• Have I made room for imperfection in my assessment, providing opportunity for students to get significant credit for learning from the process, and not just from a project outcome?

• Have I followed through on being the last line of defense against possible harms (this comes from teaching culinary arts, and being responsible for avoiding cross-contamination, washing the last dishes and getting necessary kitchen laundry done at the end of the day).

• Have I continued to challenge myself in studying and learning, both to be an example and to have more to offer my students?

With my family...

• Have I taken time to listen to then and to hear them

• Have I investigated their possibilities, and supported their paths toward being a combination of the best they can be and their most useful and supportive selves in community?

• Does my family feel the freedom to grow and be autonomous, but also the support to experience comfort in being home?

Closing Reflections

I went through some years in which my full set of tasks combined to be rather challenging, and brought me close to burn-out.

I’d have a full day high school schedule without preparation periods, no designated lunch break, and extracurricular responsibilities as well.

I took my breaks when I needed to.

I allowed students to take breaks when they needed to - with intention, communication, support, and follow-through.

My marking was not always done on time.

I don't always follow the letter of the rules.

The rules are intended to help make a smooth and functional work environment – but when the work environment is not actually set up to follow regular labour laws in terms of break times and supports, the rules as a group become a convoluted set of often contradictory requirements, and it is not possible to obey them all, simultaneously.

So, decisions need to be made, in the moment, about what is a higher priority with respect to the health and growth of the people in the environment, and that sometimes will mean letting less immediate or pertinent matters slide.

Final Thoughts

As a teacher, I am honest about how I feel during the day, and encourage students to be honest as well - with respect.

I know that I probably drive some folks nuts.

I am comfortable, however, with my guiding questions, and my own key performance indicators - signs of success (not here stated).

I do try not to undermine the feelings of security, bound to strict rule-following, that some folks just find helps get them through a day.

At the end of the day, though, those feelings of security are going to be secondary to my mental health, and to the answers to those guiding questions. How it is.

I'm in this place for only so long.

If I drive you crazy - I believe in you.

You can survive me.

~ Art Koop

---

Meet Art Koop

Art Koop is a married dad of 3 adult children. I’m a semi-retired teacher; I do substitute teaching, and will take contracts, but full year full time is a bit more than I have energy for right now, and students deserve to have a teacher’s decent level of energy.

My side hustle is background acting (being an “extra”). I am also currently working on writing a few books, and on a music project. Work increasingly gets in the way of what I want to accomplish.