The Funny Thing About Deaf Kids...

is that they're deaf. Now, I realize to most of you that may seem like an obvious statement. Duh, they can't hear, they're DEAF! But the ability or inability to hear, as the case may be, is really interesting. There's this idea among some of the deaf students that hearing people know everything; and to them it seems as though we do. Think about all of the information you glean just by listening to ambient noise. You hear snatches of conversation at work, you listen to the news on the radio when you drive to work, you hear the kids in your class asking the same stupid question the deaf student might have, but is too embarrassed to ask, etc. I am continually surprised by what the students I work with know (as opposed to what they don't know) because for the deaf students, everything has to be directly taught. They can't pick up on the incidental learning that the hearing kids experience. I don't mean to say that the deaf students are stupid; they're not, they're actually quite bright, but none of the students with whom I currently work have families who know sign language. This means that when the student leaves school and arrives at home, he or she is no longer able to communicate fluently with anyone.

I remember sitting in class one year when the deaf student suddenly reached over and punched me in the arm. Now, it's not unusual for the students to touch me or tap on my arm or leg to get my attention (the two sixth graders I work with this year will actually grab my arm and hold on until I finish signing), but it IS unusual to be punched in the arm. So, this student punched me in the arm and I looked over and asked why the heck he was punching me. He just smiled and pointed to a picture of a VW Bug in the magazine he was reading. I was amazed that this kid knew what a "slug bug" was. Seriously, amazed. For a kid whose family doesn't even understand the simplest of signs, someone, somewhere was able to convey to him that when you see a VW Beetle, you punch someone in the arm for a "slug bug." Probably not a big deal to most of you, but I was fascinated.

One of the reasons why I haven't posted as often as I would like is because I'm pretty tired when I get home from school. Our school has three sixth-grade students who use interpreters and those three students are killing me. They're so out there. They're all very different and they're all very challenging. Typically clueless sixth-graders. The one little girl is incredibly argumentative. She is so stubborn that she will argue with me over sign choices in the middle of class. And normally, I'm all for the student's preferences and input on how I should best interpret in class, but this girl has learned a lot of incorrect signs. Or, sometimes there is more than one way to sign something (much like in English, there are synonyms) and she will not believe that there could be more than just her way of signing things. If she prefers me to use a specific sign (as long as it is the correct sign) fine, but I also want to expose her to more vocabulary and more choices for expressing herself.

One of the little sixth-grade boys also has CP and is in a wheelchair, which is a challenge for most of the staff at my school. They aren't quite sure how to deal with a student in a wheelchair who is also deaf. One of the special accommodations for this student is that he uses a specific restroom that is near the MH (MD if you prefer) room because it is specially outfitted for students in wheelchairs. It is also more private than the general student restrooms. The drawback is that this restroom has a heavy door that the student needs help opening.

Now, getting back to idea some of the students have that hearing people know everything...today as I held the door for the deaf student, I shocked him when he came out and I asked what he had been drinking in the bathroom. Apparently, he was unaware that opening a pop can makes enough noise for someone (me) standing at the doorway to hear. He was pretty astounded that I knew he had been drinking a pop in the restroom. I'm not omniscient, I just have better hearing than some.