Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
I believe that every child can learn, even if they come with multiple disabilities with
that deafness, or they come and they are just deaf. But I think they all can learn, somehow,
some way. So we work hard to try to make that happen.
Why do you think that Granddad wanted to walk to a high hill?
Why not low hill?
Because the high hill we can stand and see everything below. If it's a low hill,
you won't be able to see because of the trees and everything. So,
my favorite, it's best
— Mole says — my favorite. We go up and walk.
Good!
The beautiful trees, we walk for a long time.
Very good!
I wish that all teachers knew that deaf students are very capable. And just to hold them to
the same expectations as they would any child.
Okay, and how about over here? Who wants to share?
I think he's in the middle of nowhere and he's just having dreams.
Any particular dreams?
Maybe he's in like a boat or something, and he gets shot out of it and into a tree.
And he wakes up and sees where he is, he looks around, doesn't know where he is.
Alright, let's, okay, let's see.
Treat them just like any other child; if they're not paying attention, if they're not doing
what they're supposed to do, you know, the teacher needs to treat them just like everybody
else. Sometimes I think people think "Oh, it's the poor deaf child" and they tend
to give them a lot more room when it comes to discipline and stuff a lot of times. And
also academically. Most of the children, not all, but a lot of the children here have pretty
good language and are doing very well in the classroom. Just, you know, try to remember
to treat them the same you would any other child as far as what you expect from them
academically; homework, reading, their math, anything else with the other classes.
The most important thing is to have high expectations for the deaf students. Although deaf students
are extremely individual in terms of the previous background that they've had, whether or
not they've had any type of early intervention, does the child come from a home in which the
parents know signing, if they've selected signing for the child, does the child come
from a background where English is not the child's home language. So there are many
different factors that are involved in thinking about what's appropriate for a deaf student.
The family, of course, is the biggest determiner of that, in terms of mode of communication,
and family support. But I would say generally for a regular classroom teacher to have high
expectations of a deaf student. But realize that deaf students enter schooling with different
types of knowledge, different types of experiences.
I think the regular classroom teacher, in order to educate the deaf student, really
needs to know about that student, just like she would the hearing students in the classroom,
and get to know the background of the student, because that plays an important role when
the child comes in day after day. I also think it's important for them to learn about Deaf
culture, and what that brings with the child, as well as deafness itself. You know, how
greatly deafness impacts the language with the deaf child. The regular teacher needs
to learn about the mode of communication that the child may use. Some of our students use
American Sign Language, some of our students it's more Pidgin, but it would be important
for them to understand that there is a difference.
I would probably advise a regular classroom teacher to consult with the teacher of the
deaf, who probably has the primary information about the student. I do think that it's
very important that the regular classroom teacher knows, what are the child's interests?
Is the child interested in sports, what types of activities does the family do, because
that way, you could make some real life connections and lessons to what the child is interested
in, and therefore, it's going, the information, the heavy academic information is going to
be more accessible to them, and more relatable to them.
When I've taken sign language classes a lot, one of the first things they did was
kind of to dispel a lot of the rumors people think about deaf people, you know, that deaf
people can't drive, they read Braille, or they think, you know, there's just a lot
of silly little things that often times people don't know or don't realize.
I had one regular ed teacher who did share that, you know, she didn't realize how often
deaf — profoundly deaf — kids will make little noises. And, you know, I was like,
"that's good to know," because then if we do have a teacher who has never had
a deaf child, it's good to let them know, "well, they might make these little noises
because, you know, they're not totally silent."
Ask Ryan.
We do a lot of teaching the pragmatics of language, you know, what's appropriate to
say, what's not appropriate responses you give to people for questions they might ask.
We do lots of role-playing and try to work on the social skills, because they have to
be taught. Some of the other factors are really learning the child as an individual. Some
of our children need just a little bit, some of our children have greater needs. And that,
you know, the regular ed teacher knows what those are and is sensitive to that. And some
of it we learn by doing. Some of the grades they may play a variety of games to learn
concepts, like Jeopardy and things like that, so we've learned that in order for the deaf
student to be successful and to participate, you've got to give the lag time, because
the interpreter has to sign some things, and so we change how you might play the game,
or we, the teacher might have to count to three before anyone can push the buzzer. So,
you know, I find the willingness of a teacher to make those changes, to accommodate, that
I have a child that has special needs in the classroom. That is just a great thing.