I just received an essay by a student I had in 3rd grade. She is now in 11th grade. I always wondered what differences I made and how they viewed me as a deaf teacher. I always had a hard time with teaching because I teach regular education 3rd grade. Of course this made me cry. I am just excite that she is turned out to be a wonderful citizen.
Mrs. Deleon was the best teacher that I ever had. She wasn't necessarily
always the nicest or the the funniest, but she was the best. I've had many
wonderful teachers throughout my schooling but she stands out among them because she was deaf. Because of this, she taught her students something that most teachers can't. She taught us to communicate more with our hearts than with our words.
As third graders most of us had never been around anyone with a hearing
impairment before. We had no idea what to expect. In the beginning, we took advantage of the situation. If Mrs. Deleon couldn't hear what we were doing, then we had a much better chance of getting away with things. However, she had a very famous saying for situations such as these. Mrs. Deleon often said, "If I don't catch you today, then I will catch you tomorrow, and if not then, it will be the next day." It was a surprise to us all when she was right.
Like any other third grade class we had vocabulary words and spelling tests, but we also had something that most others don't. We were slowly learning a second language. Each day Mrs. Deleon would teach us a few words in sign language and during out free time she had several books for learning sign language that we could look at in class. Many of us, me included, became very interested in learning the language of the deaf and became very fluent.
In the end, we realized that our teacher not being able to hear what was
going on all of the time wasn't an advantage. It was a test of character.
She learned to read our emotions and to hear the things that we weren't
saying. In turn, we all learned to do the same. In less than a year, we had
become better people. We were more understanding, and knew what it meant to read between the lines. We could read things in people's faces, and most importantly, we could use a new language otherwise unknown to us.
I'm now in high school and on the road to becoming a special education
teacher. I've been told many times how much sign language can benefit me in that field of work. I could never thank my teacher enough for giving me
that push into the right direction. She has forever changed my life with
language, although not necessarily with words.
Mrs. Deleon was the best teacher that I ever had. She wasn't necessarily
always the nicest or the the funniest, but she was the best. I've had many
wonderful teachers throughout my schooling but she stands out among them because she was deaf. Because of this, she taught her students something that most teachers can't. She taught us to communicate more with our hearts than with our words.
As third graders most of us had never been around anyone with a hearing
impairment before. We had no idea what to expect. In the beginning, we took advantage of the situation. If Mrs. Deleon couldn't hear what we were doing, then we had a much better chance of getting away with things. However, she had a very famous saying for situations such as these. Mrs. Deleon often said, "If I don't catch you today, then I will catch you tomorrow, and if not then, it will be the next day." It was a surprise to us all when she was right.
Like any other third grade class we had vocabulary words and spelling tests, but we also had something that most others don't. We were slowly learning a second language. Each day Mrs. Deleon would teach us a few words in sign language and during out free time she had several books for learning sign language that we could look at in class. Many of us, me included, became very interested in learning the language of the deaf and became very fluent.
In the end, we realized that our teacher not being able to hear what was
going on all of the time wasn't an advantage. It was a test of character.
She learned to read our emotions and to hear the things that we weren't
saying. In turn, we all learned to do the same. In less than a year, we had
become better people. We were more understanding, and knew what it meant to read between the lines. We could read things in people's faces, and most importantly, we could use a new language otherwise unknown to us.
I'm now in high school and on the road to becoming a special education
teacher. I've been told many times how much sign language can benefit me in that field of work. I could never thank my teacher enough for giving me
that push into the right direction. She has forever changed my life with
language, although not necessarily with words.