My daughter can listen and write notes all day and not retain a word, but if she is drawing she listens and has an automatic recall of everything that was said.
It's great to hear that she's found something that works for her. Drawing can definitely help some students focus. Here's an article about it that she may find interesting: learningliftoff.com/students/gifted-students/benefits-of-doodling-in-classroom/
As a former problem student myself, I can tell you that getting angry at us doesn't help. It makes us not care even more. Also I almost got one of my teachers fired for how angry they got at me. It doesn't take a whole lot to get to know your students and the difficulties they're facing. For instance, I would sleep a lot in class. Teachers hated it. Nobody bothered to get to know why. It was because I was too scared to sleep at home. Sometimes having extra patience and understanding is the best way to handle things.
