I see from the poll results that I have a legion of Simon-lovers out there reading my blog. That's cool, I voted for Simon. I don't know how accurate the poll is though, seeing as I know of at least one person who voted twice. Although, to be fair, if you stop and think about it, my husband definitely is both Simon AND Theodore-ish.
For a Simon-related aside, a couple of years ago the interpreters in my building came up with labels for one another. We had "The Militant One," "The Soft-Hearted One," and "The Brainy, Organized One," just to name a few. I, naturally, was labeled "The Brainy, Organized One."
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Apparently, there is no kindness in my heart
I'm all fired up, and not in a good way. I just had one of the most aggravating telemarketing calls ever. I'm so ticked off that I have to blog about it.
I just got off the phone with this woman who was calling on behalf of some society that helps blind children (I'm not sure what she said the name of the group was) and she wanted to sell me some products "packaged by blind children." They were products like low-energy/high-efficiency light bulbs and heavy-duty trash bags. I politely said, "No, thank you, I'm not interested at this time." And this woman kept asking me to buy these products and I kept politely refusing. So then she decided to guilt-trip me and that's when things got interesting.
She asked me if I was aware of the conditions of these children's lives and I said, "Yes, I am, I work with special needs children everyday."
"So," she proceeded, "you know that these children have disabilities and need our support?"
"I do," I succinctly answered.
"So why won't you help these children?"
"I do help them, I work with special needs children everyday."
"Well, you know our products are sold on the honor system, so you would not need to pay for them now. In fact, our lowest priced product is a set of scented candles for $20."
"No, thank you."
"So, you are unwilling to help these children?" (Meanwhile, every time I turn her down, she becomes more and more snide).
"It's not that I'm unwilling, I help children with special needs everyday. I'm just not interested in purchasing your products."
(And this is what really set me off): "Well, I hope in the future you can find some kindness in your heart to help these blind children."
(In a calmly controlled voice), "I work with special needs children everyday and I'm perfectly aware of their home situations. For you to assume that I'm some kind of cold-hearted person because I won't purchase your products, is totally off-base."
The conversation ended soon thereafter.
I was, and still am, very angry with this woman and the ridiculous guilt-trip she was trying to lay on me. Umm, no. In case I haven't mentioned it, I work with children who have special needs everyday. It's my job. Part of my job is to ensure that these students learn functional skills so that they can become productive members of society and not have to rely on some stupid woman selling overpriced products over the phone to give them a handout. You know, if I wasn't interested and passionate about working with those children, I wouldn't be doing what I do...everyday.
Whatever, just call me Ebenezer Scrooge.
I just got off the phone with this woman who was calling on behalf of some society that helps blind children (I'm not sure what she said the name of the group was) and she wanted to sell me some products "packaged by blind children." They were products like low-energy/high-efficiency light bulbs and heavy-duty trash bags. I politely said, "No, thank you, I'm not interested at this time." And this woman kept asking me to buy these products and I kept politely refusing. So then she decided to guilt-trip me and that's when things got interesting.
She asked me if I was aware of the conditions of these children's lives and I said, "Yes, I am, I work with special needs children everyday."
"So," she proceeded, "you know that these children have disabilities and need our support?"
"I do," I succinctly answered.
"So why won't you help these children?"
"I do help them, I work with special needs children everyday."
"Well, you know our products are sold on the honor system, so you would not need to pay for them now. In fact, our lowest priced product is a set of scented candles for $20."
"No, thank you."
"So, you are unwilling to help these children?" (Meanwhile, every time I turn her down, she becomes more and more snide).
"It's not that I'm unwilling, I help children with special needs everyday. I'm just not interested in purchasing your products."
(And this is what really set me off): "Well, I hope in the future you can find some kindness in your heart to help these blind children."
(In a calmly controlled voice), "I work with special needs children everyday and I'm perfectly aware of their home situations. For you to assume that I'm some kind of cold-hearted person because I won't purchase your products, is totally off-base."
The conversation ended soon thereafter.
I was, and still am, very angry with this woman and the ridiculous guilt-trip she was trying to lay on me. Umm, no. In case I haven't mentioned it, I work with children who have special needs everyday. It's my job. Part of my job is to ensure that these students learn functional skills so that they can become productive members of society and not have to rely on some stupid woman selling overpriced products over the phone to give them a handout. You know, if I wasn't interested and passionate about working with those children, I wouldn't be doing what I do...everyday.
Whatever, just call me Ebenezer Scrooge.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Grand Scheme of Things
I am a member of a little understood, often misunderstood, profession: the education of deaf children. I've been interpreting for deaf children in the education setting for over three years now and it still never ceases to amaze me when teachers or other professionals say or do things that run contrary to the goal of educating said deaf children. I know they mean well, and they haven't been trained and/or educated on deafness and issues related to hearing loss, but sometimes I just want to tell them to stop and just think logically about deafness and the impact it could have on a child's education. Or sometimes, the teachers will be so intent on the little things that they lose sight of the bigger picture. The bigger picture being these kids gaining some kind of an understanding of the world around them and becoming independent.
Case in point: Monday in language arts the teacher was talking about the seven continents. I don't remember the reason behind this discussion (we were in language arts, not social studies) but the teacher kept singing this ridiculous song about the continents to try to get the students to memorize all seven. Now, censure me if you will, but I did not interpret the song; instead I employed the ASL technique of listing and I presented the continents several times in list form. At the end of this rigmarole of the teacher singing the song about eight times (and me listing the continents about thirty times), the teacher turned to me and asked if I thought that the student heard any of the song.
****Side Note: I cannot tell you how many times teachers have turned to me in the middle of class and asked me if so-and-so student has heard them. And about 99.975% of the time I will say, "No." That's my rote answer; the real answer is much more involved than a simple "no." Keep in mind that we're in the middle of class, a time when teaching/learning/thought processing, etc., is supposed to be occurring. Teachers ask me stuff all the time in the middle of class and I'm never quite sure how I'm supposed to respond. Like, am I supposed to drop my hands and answer them? Or am I supposed to try to interpret what the teacher just asked me and then reply using some janky form of SimCom (simultaneous communication=talking and signing at the same time and is literally impossible to do)? On days when I'm feeling particularly peckish, I just interpret the question straight and let the moment hang there, uncomfortably, until I finally turn and answer. I also hate it when teachers tell me not to interpret something, but I'm getting away from myself, that's a topic for another day. Anyway, back to the question of whether or not the student can hear the teacher...
First of all, depending on the student, yes, he/she can hear you. But I can't just say that to the teacher; teachers generally don't understand hearing and listening and comprehension. Hearing is not listening, listening is not comprehension. Also, hearing is not discrimination, meaning yes, the student hears noise and sounds, but he doesn't know what any of those sounds are. The ability to discriminate speech sounds can be quite difficult. Basically, some of the students who have some hearing ability hear Charlie Brown's teacher when you, the teacher, speaks. Now, you and I know what that sounds like. Yes, we can hear it, but does it have meaning?
Second, factor in all of the other noise in the classroom, which is more than just the students talking and making noise. EVERYTHING makes noise: writing, turning pages, moving one's chair, dropping a pencil, the heat register, etc. Interestingly, even though hearing people don't have the ability to NOT hear something (we can't turn our ears off, like deaf people can close their eyes), we're pretty good at tuning things out. But hearing aids amplify everything, not just the speech sounds. I've heard simulations of what hearing through amplification is like and it's difficult to pick out what is being said.
Third, I am not in that student's head. I can look at said student's audiogram and tell you what I think he can perceive, but as to what the student actually hears and then actually understands, I can't tell you. I don't know.
Those three points are what I really want to answer when teachers ask me if the student can hear them, but when we're in the middle of class I don't have time to expound on all of the finer points of listening and hearing, so I just say, "No."
****Side Note over, let's get back to my story.
Anyway, the language arts teacher asked me if the deaf student heard any of her song naming the continents. I, as I've just explained, said, "No." And then the teacher went on to express disappointment that said student had to miss out on it (believe me, kid, you weren't missing anything) and wondered if there wasn't some way that we could convey the rhythm of the song to him. I was flabbergasted by this teacher. And this is a teacher who is on the higher end of "getting it" when it comes to deafness. I just felt like we took a huge step backwards in our progress. And I felt like scratching my eyes out (but not really because then I couldn't do my job...well, I guess I could still voice-to-sign interpret, but learning new vocabulary would be super difficult). Normally, I wouldn't react so strongly to a statement like that, but this teacher was so earnest in her desire to get this kid to learn this song. Forget the fact that due to my stellar interpreting, utilizing the ASL linguistic feature of listing, this student now knows the seven continents, thus receiving the same understanding that the hearing students have.
I just wonder where the teachers' priorities are sometimes. Is it important for this boy to learn a silly song about the continents in language arts class? This boy reads at a first grade level but he's in the sixth grade. This boy struggles with multiple-meaning words. This boy has difficulty answering direct questions. He cannot always tell you the cause and effect of things. He will sign a beautiful answer to me but when it comes time to actually write the answer on his paper, he cannot. And you, language arts teacher, are worried that he didn't get to hear your song about the continents?
Case in point: Monday in language arts the teacher was talking about the seven continents. I don't remember the reason behind this discussion (we were in language arts, not social studies) but the teacher kept singing this ridiculous song about the continents to try to get the students to memorize all seven. Now, censure me if you will, but I did not interpret the song; instead I employed the ASL technique of listing and I presented the continents several times in list form. At the end of this rigmarole of the teacher singing the song about eight times (and me listing the continents about thirty times), the teacher turned to me and asked if I thought that the student heard any of the song.
****Side Note: I cannot tell you how many times teachers have turned to me in the middle of class and asked me if so-and-so student has heard them. And about 99.975% of the time I will say, "No." That's my rote answer; the real answer is much more involved than a simple "no." Keep in mind that we're in the middle of class, a time when teaching/learning/thought processing, etc., is supposed to be occurring. Teachers ask me stuff all the time in the middle of class and I'm never quite sure how I'm supposed to respond. Like, am I supposed to drop my hands and answer them? Or am I supposed to try to interpret what the teacher just asked me and then reply using some janky form of SimCom (simultaneous communication=talking and signing at the same time and is literally impossible to do)? On days when I'm feeling particularly peckish, I just interpret the question straight and let the moment hang there, uncomfortably, until I finally turn and answer. I also hate it when teachers tell me not to interpret something, but I'm getting away from myself, that's a topic for another day. Anyway, back to the question of whether or not the student can hear the teacher...
First of all, depending on the student, yes, he/she can hear you. But I can't just say that to the teacher; teachers generally don't understand hearing and listening and comprehension. Hearing is not listening, listening is not comprehension. Also, hearing is not discrimination, meaning yes, the student hears noise and sounds, but he doesn't know what any of those sounds are. The ability to discriminate speech sounds can be quite difficult. Basically, some of the students who have some hearing ability hear Charlie Brown's teacher when you, the teacher, speaks. Now, you and I know what that sounds like. Yes, we can hear it, but does it have meaning?
Second, factor in all of the other noise in the classroom, which is more than just the students talking and making noise. EVERYTHING makes noise: writing, turning pages, moving one's chair, dropping a pencil, the heat register, etc. Interestingly, even though hearing people don't have the ability to NOT hear something (we can't turn our ears off, like deaf people can close their eyes), we're pretty good at tuning things out. But hearing aids amplify everything, not just the speech sounds. I've heard simulations of what hearing through amplification is like and it's difficult to pick out what is being said.
Third, I am not in that student's head. I can look at said student's audiogram and tell you what I think he can perceive, but as to what the student actually hears and then actually understands, I can't tell you. I don't know.
Those three points are what I really want to answer when teachers ask me if the student can hear them, but when we're in the middle of class I don't have time to expound on all of the finer points of listening and hearing, so I just say, "No."
****Side Note over, let's get back to my story.
Anyway, the language arts teacher asked me if the deaf student heard any of her song naming the continents. I, as I've just explained, said, "No." And then the teacher went on to express disappointment that said student had to miss out on it (believe me, kid, you weren't missing anything) and wondered if there wasn't some way that we could convey the rhythm of the song to him. I was flabbergasted by this teacher. And this is a teacher who is on the higher end of "getting it" when it comes to deafness. I just felt like we took a huge step backwards in our progress. And I felt like scratching my eyes out (but not really because then I couldn't do my job...well, I guess I could still voice-to-sign interpret, but learning new vocabulary would be super difficult). Normally, I wouldn't react so strongly to a statement like that, but this teacher was so earnest in her desire to get this kid to learn this song. Forget the fact that due to my stellar interpreting, utilizing the ASL linguistic feature of listing, this student now knows the seven continents, thus receiving the same understanding that the hearing students have.
I just wonder where the teachers' priorities are sometimes. Is it important for this boy to learn a silly song about the continents in language arts class? This boy reads at a first grade level but he's in the sixth grade. This boy struggles with multiple-meaning words. This boy has difficulty answering direct questions. He cannot always tell you the cause and effect of things. He will sign a beautiful answer to me but when it comes time to actually write the answer on his paper, he cannot. And you, language arts teacher, are worried that he didn't get to hear your song about the continents?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Post-Election Thoughts
I haven't thought too much about the outcome of the election. The school levy I voted on failed, which is what I was hoping would happen. The casino issue also failed, again, what I wanted to happen. I don't have strong feelings about any of the actual candidates for whom I voted. Some of them won, some of them lost. I'm more of a wait and see kind of person. As in, okay, now Obama has been elected, let's see what he does.
One cool thing that happened at school the Wednesday after the election (we didn't have classes on that Tuesday) was a discussion I had with one of the deaf students about Obama. These deaf students who I work with are so cut off from so much information, I basically had a conversation about general presidential stuff. Like, the president serves for four years and then we vote again. The little boy didn't quite know what happened to a president after his term is done. He didn't realize that there are men who used to be president who are still alive. He was kind of equating all presidents with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, not realizing the connection between Presidents Washington and Bush (that the presidency is an ongoing office). Randomly, then, when I was discussing past presidents I had to explain that there is a difference between being dead and being killed. This little boy and I were supposed to be doing science homework, but sometimes conversations with the deaf students about real life occurrences take precedence.
One cool thing that happened at school the Wednesday after the election (we didn't have classes on that Tuesday) was a discussion I had with one of the deaf students about Obama. These deaf students who I work with are so cut off from so much information, I basically had a conversation about general presidential stuff. Like, the president serves for four years and then we vote again. The little boy didn't quite know what happened to a president after his term is done. He didn't realize that there are men who used to be president who are still alive. He was kind of equating all presidents with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, not realizing the connection between Presidents Washington and Bush (that the presidency is an ongoing office). Randomly, then, when I was discussing past presidents I had to explain that there is a difference between being dead and being killed. This little boy and I were supposed to be doing science homework, but sometimes conversations with the deaf students about real life occurrences take precedence.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Thoughts on Election Eve
Well, tomorrow's the big day...the day we've been waiting for for two years. I personally cannot wait for the elections to be over and done with and for my mailbox to not be inundated with propaganda. One of the downsides of not being affiliated with one party or the other is that I am sent endless amounts of campaign postcards and fliers. Yes, people, when you contribute to one party or one campaign or another, YOU are responsible for the ridiculous amounts of wasted natural resources that I find in my mailbox everyday. If anyone cares, for the record, I have received roughly triple the amount of mailings from the Obama campaign that I have from the McCain campaign. Often, I received multiple postcards and mailings from Senator Obama's campaign on the same day. I thought the Democratic party was supposed to be the more earth-friendly of the two major parties.
Well, of course, there are also several issues on the ballot this year. Here in Ohio, we have to vote on another casino issue, a payday lending issue, and of course there are massive amounts of school levies on our ballots. I've made no secret of my long-held contempt for school levies (see March's entry "I voted today!"). I should perhaps say that I'm not against certain school levies. I am against school levies that involve mills/millage/property values/property taxes. I suppose I would be in favor of a school district income tax, because I feel that an income tax is more fair than assessing taxes on properties. The county where Mom and Dad live just went through a big scandal when the auditor's office inappropriately assessed property values and I find that to be a perfect example of why property taxes are a hideous way of funding schools. Add to that the discrepancy that occurs between school districts in high value areas versus school districts in lower value areas, and the fact that the state supreme court has ruled Ohio's school funding system unconstitutional (they ruled on this TEN YEARS AGO), and you have several reasons why I hate school levies and refuse to support them.
The school district where I work is not voting on a levy this time around, but the district in which I live is. I already voted (early voting on Saturday) and I voted against it.
I also voted no on the casino issue. Some people may be surprised by this, knowing my affinity for sitting at the poker table for extended amounts of time, but I'm sick of groups coming into Ohio and trying to set up casino gambling. Do I think Ohio should have casinos? Yes and no. Yes, I would love if I could legally sit at a poker table in Ohio and take people's money. Yes, thousands of people cross the border to gamble in the West Virginia, Detroit, and Indiana riverboat casinos. Yes, opening casinos would mean jobs for thousands of Ohioans. Yes, profits from the gambling industry could be used to fund other state projects. Yes, a casino resort could liven up the economy for an area. No, I don't think casinos are a reliable way of earning money for state projects. No, minimum wage jobs are not going to replace the thousands of high-paying union factory jobs the state has lost. No, low income people should not be spending their limited resources in a casino. Yes, people become addicted to gambling and spend more money than they should (or even more money than they have). Yes, it's possible that a casino could lead to increased crime. Yes, casinos are tainted (but only minimally so if you're playing poker).
The main reason I've repeatedly voted no on casinos issues is that it's never been on the ballot as a simple, "Should the citizens of Ohio be allowed to build casinos?" It's always been set up for specific groups, i.e. Indian tribes (please, we live in Ohio, someone please show me where I could find a pure-blood Shawnee), racetracks already in existence in the state, or other casino-owners trying to establish a foothold in Ohio. I don't like the specificity and the restrictions of the ballot initiatives. If the state is going to allow gambling, fine, but let's not only allow for certain groups or in certain areas. When I read the ballot on Saturday, it was quite plain as to the specific location that this ONE casino could be built. No, casinos should be all or nothing. Not this mamby-pamby, only one casino is this one location.
Speaking of gambling, have I mentioned the stupid keno games that Governor Strickland pushed to be put into place? Keno is for old women sitting at the buffet in Vegas. Keno is not for bars in Ohio. Keno is not going to solve the school funding issue in Ohio. Keno is a ridiculous (and practically instantaneous) way for people to waste their money. I hate keno.
Well, of course, there are also several issues on the ballot this year. Here in Ohio, we have to vote on another casino issue, a payday lending issue, and of course there are massive amounts of school levies on our ballots. I've made no secret of my long-held contempt for school levies (see March's entry "I voted today!"). I should perhaps say that I'm not against certain school levies. I am against school levies that involve mills/millage/property values/property taxes. I suppose I would be in favor of a school district income tax, because I feel that an income tax is more fair than assessing taxes on properties. The county where Mom and Dad live just went through a big scandal when the auditor's office inappropriately assessed property values and I find that to be a perfect example of why property taxes are a hideous way of funding schools. Add to that the discrepancy that occurs between school districts in high value areas versus school districts in lower value areas, and the fact that the state supreme court has ruled Ohio's school funding system unconstitutional (they ruled on this TEN YEARS AGO), and you have several reasons why I hate school levies and refuse to support them.
The school district where I work is not voting on a levy this time around, but the district in which I live is. I already voted (early voting on Saturday) and I voted against it.
I also voted no on the casino issue. Some people may be surprised by this, knowing my affinity for sitting at the poker table for extended amounts of time, but I'm sick of groups coming into Ohio and trying to set up casino gambling. Do I think Ohio should have casinos? Yes and no. Yes, I would love if I could legally sit at a poker table in Ohio and take people's money. Yes, thousands of people cross the border to gamble in the West Virginia, Detroit, and Indiana riverboat casinos. Yes, opening casinos would mean jobs for thousands of Ohioans. Yes, profits from the gambling industry could be used to fund other state projects. Yes, a casino resort could liven up the economy for an area. No, I don't think casinos are a reliable way of earning money for state projects. No, minimum wage jobs are not going to replace the thousands of high-paying union factory jobs the state has lost. No, low income people should not be spending their limited resources in a casino. Yes, people become addicted to gambling and spend more money than they should (or even more money than they have). Yes, it's possible that a casino could lead to increased crime. Yes, casinos are tainted (but only minimally so if you're playing poker).
The main reason I've repeatedly voted no on casinos issues is that it's never been on the ballot as a simple, "Should the citizens of Ohio be allowed to build casinos?" It's always been set up for specific groups, i.e. Indian tribes (please, we live in Ohio, someone please show me where I could find a pure-blood Shawnee), racetracks already in existence in the state, or other casino-owners trying to establish a foothold in Ohio. I don't like the specificity and the restrictions of the ballot initiatives. If the state is going to allow gambling, fine, but let's not only allow for certain groups or in certain areas. When I read the ballot on Saturday, it was quite plain as to the specific location that this ONE casino could be built. No, casinos should be all or nothing. Not this mamby-pamby, only one casino is this one location.
Speaking of gambling, have I mentioned the stupid keno games that Governor Strickland pushed to be put into place? Keno is for old women sitting at the buffet in Vegas. Keno is not for bars in Ohio. Keno is not going to solve the school funding issue in Ohio. Keno is a ridiculous (and practically instantaneous) way for people to waste their money. I hate keno.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Time Has Come
Yes, faithful readers, the time has finally come for the ASLTerp blog to insert a picture into a post. I was really just waiting for the perfect picture to find its way to me...and it finally has. This picture is from an episode of The Soup, a show on E! that I don't normally watch, but I saw a video clip of the show on the Internet and knew that I had to find a picture of Spaghetti Cat. I must say that Spaghetti Cat bears a strong resemblence to a certain cat of my sister's. Perhaps Gracie isn't just all fluff from her fur, maybe she's been getting her fill of carbs from large plates of spaghetti?
Anyway, check out the original The Soup clip that debuted Spaghetti Cat and then check out a follow-up clip when Spaghetti Cat makes a random guest appearance on the show. There's also a Spaghetti Cat rebuttal from The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
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.
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.
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