Utilizing signs in hearing schools

[Dixie]

You would think they would do that, but they were all laid off due to budget cuts. That was why the school shut down. Most of the deaf and deaf/blind students were transferred to FSDB. Just a few remained.

It would be nice if some really big kind-hearted philanthropist would step in and give money that would allow these schools to continue to function for at least one more year so that the schools could buy some time to get funding to remain open through grants, awards, and other financial opportunities.

I just hope it doesn't get so bad that State Departments of Education will begin to shut down state run schools due to 'budget problems' and force these kids to go to their local school districts were resources are limited if non-existent. Heck I was the only d/hh in my school when I was a student and there was no support services offered to me which I believe would have been very beneficial. I might have fared better academically. Although once you get support services they start steering you towards vocational studies rather than pursuing a post-secondary academic degree. Silly hearies, they don't understand that there's nothing wrong with our brains!

 

[Reba]

What do you think of hearing teachers/principals using a few select signs in their hearing schools (ie: quiet, sit down, pay attention, look-at-me)?

To what end?

If the hearing kids run into deaf kids at the mall they can tell the deafies to sit down, be quiet, look at them, and pay attention?

I'm not against teaching sign language to hearing kids in hearing schools but this doesn't seem to be the right approach if the intent is to make hearing kids comfortable with communicating with deaf kids.

Just my opinion.

 

[jillio]

I was thinking of the children's programming like Dora the Explorer, or the basic Spanish words and counting that is shown on Sesame Street. It might help with barriers between hearing and deaf. Start with the children, make ASL more mainstream.

Sesame Street did a good job of that. But they showed ASL being used as communication.

 

[Journey]

To what end?

If the hearing kids run into deaf kids at the mall they can tell the deafies to sit down, be quiet, look at them, and pay attention?

I'm not against teaching sign language to hearing kids in hearing schools but this doesn't seem to be the right approach if the intent is to make hearing kids comfortable with communicating with deaf kids.

Just my opinion.

I am thinking the intent, just like with the use of the lights or the finger countdown, is to add variety to the way in which they communicate oft-repeated messages the students or to enable them to express such messages where voice is not overly effective (such as over the noise of a loud group of children).

 

[Journey]

Ok, mulling everything over (I think all opinions are valid) let me ask this ... When a person borrows (correctly) parts of a language other than their own to facilitate learning in, or add variety to, their own language environment is this disrespectful, does it devalue the other language?

 

[Sunshine]

I think very weird schools want promote ASL hearie kids, not Deafie kids. Plus, I wonder they will use ACTUAL signs or just make up signs? Tell kids this random hand movement mean this random thing, call it sign language? Not like. Seem perpetuate idea sign language just hand gibberish, instead actual real language.

Now, if schools want go ASL immersion, this cool. Create kids actually fluent actual ASL. Great idea! Not like when people use sign only until child speak, then drop altogether. Annoy. Not some trend! Not fashion accessory.

 

[Journey]

Thanks for your thoughts Sunny. These questions are just "what ifs"(I don't know of any school that promotes ASL hearing kids) and my questions are based on the idea that they are using the sign correctly.

 

[Journey]

"As for visual cues, I loved it when the teacher would use these." Dixie, this is part of what got me wondering about this topic . I thought some might be fine with the idea and others would not be - I am interested in the reasoning behind both opinions.Then further thoughts lead me to wonder if the common act of borrowing from another language is seen a devaluing that language, whichever that language may be.

 

[jillio]

"As for visual cues, I loved it when the teacher would use these." Dixie, this is part of what got me wondering about this topic . I thought some might be fine with the idea and others would not be - I am interested in the reasoning behind both opinions.Then further thoughts lead me to wonder if the common act of borrowing from another language is seen a devaluing that language, whichever that language may be.

That would depend on how it is being used, I would say.

 

[shel90]

To what end?

If the hearing kids run into deaf kids at the mall they can tell the deafies to sit down, be quiet, look at them, and pay attention?

I'm not against teaching sign language to hearing kids in hearing schools but this doesn't seem to be the right approach if the intent is to make hearing kids comfortable with communicating with deaf kids.

Just my opinion.

Now, that is a frigtening thought...give the hearing kids the impression that they can only learn signs to order deaf children around. It could create a serious bullying scenario.

 

[Journey]

That is a frightening scenario Shel but I only used those examples off the top of my head. Perhaps I should have used 'good morning', 'ready?', or 'awesome' as examples.

For all, here's how I got to wondering about this topic. Someone had asked me how I first got involved in the deaf community and why I wanted to learn sign language in the first place. Thinking about it took me back to when I was a very little girl in "Brownies" (an organization for little girls similar to Boy Scouts). For some reason - can't remember why - we were taught the ASL alphabet and a few very basic signs. As I grew up and went through school, I never encountered any form of sign language again nor any deafies. But, I often thought about that experience in Brownies - the way I could 'talk' with my hands had fascinated me and stuck with me. Fast forward many years to when I made a career change from teaching full time plus coaching every evening and weekends to one part-time job. I finally had some free time in the evenings. I wanted to take some sort of class at night and found out there were ASL classes. I jumped right in . So ... if it wasn't for the Brownie leaders introducing me to the idea that people could talk with their hands, I would never have learned ASL or met so many wonderful people in the deaf community (including one of my now dearest and closest friend and her family), and I would not have become aware of deaf triumphs and deaf struggles. It was these few simple signs from hearing leaders in a hearing environment that gave me the gift of the deaf community years later.

So, I wondered, isn't some sort of educational exposure to another language/another culture, better than none at all?

 

[Reba]

...So, I wondered, isn't some sort of educational exposure to another language/another culture, better than none at all?

If that language and culture are presented as such. Just tossing out random signs isn't the same as explaining that these signs are real language, and how they fit into the Deaf culture.

That's why it's hard to say it's either a good or bad idea. We don't know that much about how it will be presented.

 

[TWA]

What do you think of hearing teachers/principals using a few select signs in their hearing schools (ie: quiet, sit down, pay attention, look-at-me)?

In a classroom setting, using it as anything other than what it is intended to be--a language--is disrespectful and counterproductive to ASL and the people who use it. What you propose is akin to training a dog to follow commands of hand gestures. It would teach the children not to respect ASL as a form of communication, but as a tool for being commanded. That's a horrible way to think of ASL.

If the teacher wants to use ASL as a way to teach appreciation of other languages, the same way Spanish might be used in a class for instance, then I absolutely would encourage it.

 

[mbrek]

Although I must say, most teachers these days already have too much to do with too many students. I really hate to burden them with yet another "good idea".

I still vote to integrate it into a children's cartoon show somehow. My main goal would really be to have children see signing as a normal, everyday thing help eliminate the "freak show" reaction.

 

[Journey]

You're right Reba, I don't have a clue how it would be presented either haha. But, for me, it is something worth figuring out if we think it would be beneficial to plant the seeds of deaf awareness early in a child's education/life.

“Never lose an opportunity of urging a practical beginning, however small, for it is wonderful how often in such matters the mustard-seed germinates and roots itself.” ~unknown~

 

[Journey]

Thanks Alex and mbrek, love the feedback .

 

[dogmom]

I agree with Alex and Reba

 

[Journey]

Alex, again, I did not mean to highlight 'command' signs as examples - although clearly I did, my error.

 

[TWA]

Alex, again, I did not mean to highlight 'command' signs as examples - although clearly I did, my error.

I know you were just thinking of examples off the top of your head. But hopefully the part of my post discussing ASL as a language that needs to be respected and presented as such in a classroom is that part that sticks, not the critique of your examples.

 

[allura]

Hi,

I think that's a wonderful idea! The daycare that my son and daughter went to teaches select signs to the children. I was thrilled when I found out that they were doing that. My son (he's 2) will still sign please when he speaks the word please.

Edited to say: I'm taking an ASL class, now. However, I'm having a hard time locating one for my daughter who really wants to learn. I would teach her, but I'm an ASL newbie. So I would be happy if she was able to learn it in school.