Miss-Delectable
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Smaller classes don't deter Montana School for Deaf & Blind - Montana's News Station - Fair. Accurate. To the Point. -
The Montana School for the Deaf and Blind has been serving students almost since Montana became a state - but fewer students are attending the school than before.
The school moved to Great Falls back in the 1930's, and it provides kids in Montana with something they might not be able to get anywhere else. Children with hearing or vision impairments come from across Montana, filling classrooms at the MSDB in grades from pre-school up to 12th grade.
Betty Cook, an MSDB teacher, explained, "We try to make this a special place and we get to know our kids so well because obviously our population is so small."
And it's becoming smaller; the decrease in the number of students attending school here has been a gradual one. At its height in the 1970s there were about 100 students; five years ago, the number stood at 70, and now, there are just 50 students..
There are lots of reasons for the decrease, including fewer children born with hearing and vision impairments; technology advances that help those with impairments stay in more traditional schools; and a 1994 law that required school districts to provide services for these kids.
But school staff members note that sending kids here can still be a huge benefit, and estimate that of the kids eligible to come here, only one-fifth do. It can mean some kids that should be here are falling behind at their school.
Steven Gettel, MSDB Superintendent, said, “The reason we are here is because is we provide a place for kids to come to school when their home school district can't provide the services that they need."
Teachers here have more advanced education and understand the unique challenges of their students. As MSDB teacher Steve Sangwin noted, “When they get that overwhelming sense (of) ‘I can't do this, I really don't understand it’, they start getting frustrated. That's when it's really important to be able to get in there and intervene and say we can help."
The school has actually has more than tripled the number of staff doing outreach to students in districts across the state. There have not been any cuts on the main campus.
Sangwin explained, "Whether we have two kids in a class or five kids in a class or eight kids in a class, we need to have a teacher there." The decrease is a trend across the nation, but the school hopes it does turn around and that more parents decide to send their kids here.
Sangwin said, "We just understand that the parents make a great sacrifice to send the kids here and I think we have to keep that in mind all the time we are working with their kids."
The cost is free, and staff members note that the benefits - from the educational aspects to the social activities - make it well worth it.
We'll continue our look at the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind tomorrow by visiting with a Missoula family that talks about the hard decision of sending their daughter away to school in Great Falls - and the amazing successes they have had.
The Montana School for the Deaf and Blind has been serving students almost since Montana became a state - but fewer students are attending the school than before.
The school moved to Great Falls back in the 1930's, and it provides kids in Montana with something they might not be able to get anywhere else. Children with hearing or vision impairments come from across Montana, filling classrooms at the MSDB in grades from pre-school up to 12th grade.
Betty Cook, an MSDB teacher, explained, "We try to make this a special place and we get to know our kids so well because obviously our population is so small."
And it's becoming smaller; the decrease in the number of students attending school here has been a gradual one. At its height in the 1970s there were about 100 students; five years ago, the number stood at 70, and now, there are just 50 students..
There are lots of reasons for the decrease, including fewer children born with hearing and vision impairments; technology advances that help those with impairments stay in more traditional schools; and a 1994 law that required school districts to provide services for these kids.
But school staff members note that sending kids here can still be a huge benefit, and estimate that of the kids eligible to come here, only one-fifth do. It can mean some kids that should be here are falling behind at their school.
Steven Gettel, MSDB Superintendent, said, “The reason we are here is because is we provide a place for kids to come to school when their home school district can't provide the services that they need."
Teachers here have more advanced education and understand the unique challenges of their students. As MSDB teacher Steve Sangwin noted, “When they get that overwhelming sense (of) ‘I can't do this, I really don't understand it’, they start getting frustrated. That's when it's really important to be able to get in there and intervene and say we can help."
The school has actually has more than tripled the number of staff doing outreach to students in districts across the state. There have not been any cuts on the main campus.
Sangwin explained, "Whether we have two kids in a class or five kids in a class or eight kids in a class, we need to have a teacher there." The decrease is a trend across the nation, but the school hopes it does turn around and that more parents decide to send their kids here.
Sangwin said, "We just understand that the parents make a great sacrifice to send the kids here and I think we have to keep that in mind all the time we are working with their kids."
The cost is free, and staff members note that the benefits - from the educational aspects to the social activities - make it well worth it.
We'll continue our look at the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind tomorrow by visiting with a Missoula family that talks about the hard decision of sending their daughter away to school in Great Falls - and the amazing successes they have had.
