meds are helping my son conform a bit better to the rules of the classroom. While his curiosity and energy will be great strengths in life, right now they have interfered with accomplishing tasks at his desk.
He has just enough self-control now to stay in his seat and finish the task vs. stop on question 5 (which looks hard or boring) and go look in the fish tank. And because he stays in his seat:
1) he does not get reprimanded by the teacher for leaving his seat
2) he does not get reprimanded by the teacher for not finishing his work
He's being getting all this negative attention, probably 8-10 times per day for 180 days of the year. No wonder he's been hating school!

Do track your side effects - if they are a problem for you, then try another drug. You should be able to find one that helps w/o bothersome effects (like overemotional response as it wears off)

Also, for your mom - Dr Edward Hallowell has some awesome books on ADD that are helping me so much. SuperParenting for ADD is my current favorite. It talks about the strengths that a person with ADD has, but how their strengths don't often match with teacher expectations. But, if you ask for some type of alternative the teacher may say, Sure, that's fine! So, instead of giving a stand-still 5 minute speech on George Washington's life, maybe you ask to do a "one man show" and re-enact some of Pres. Washington's greatest life events, in costume and British accent.

good luck, and know you are not alone!