Merry Christmas Largesse

As it has done for the past 15 years, the Sertoma club of Columbus threw a Christmas party for the deaf and hard of hearing students at Key Elementary today. I was lucky enough to help chaperone. What a true delight.

The format is predictable for the students and the teachers: pizza and soft drinks, cake and cookies, candy canes and a gift to take home. Stale? Never! Students anticipate the party each year...usually beginning in August as they return to school: Mrs. Whiteside, you remember Santa? The Sertoma secret to success? Santa Claus communicates with the students in their native language: American Sign Language. That's a pretty special Santa! (You may view video WTVM's report of the event here.)


I wrote earlier this week about the challenges of fund raising for civic clubs. And, yes, I was a bit grumpy about the Exchange club circus across from our house. But I was reminded today about why these clubs work so hard to raise money. They surely paid it forward with their largesse. Now it's my turn.

Encouragement from an Unlikely Source

Background: My students are adorable - all of them - in strikingly different ways. Sometimes I forget that learning speech and language skills is hard. They need encouragement, which I try to remember to give generously.

Observation: Hard of Hearing students usually don't acquire language, including pragmatics (social forms), as quickly or as completely as their hearing peers. Because of this, Hard of Hearing students may be quite direct in their comments. Many times hard of hearing students have made pronouncements to me about my age, hair style, weight, clothes, make-up. Whatever they see and think, they share - uncensored. Usually, I think their observations hilarious. There's no room for thin-skin in this field.

Setting: My desk at school; the last five minutes of my fifteen minute working lunch, just prior to an IEP committee meeting for a second grade hard of hearing student's annual review. My student enters to complete one last evaluation item for the review.

ND: Hi, Mrs. Whiteside. What's that?

EW: Hi, ND. Soup! I've got one more bite of my lunch.

ND: What kind is it?

EW: Cabbage soup.
ND: Is it good?

EW: Not particularly.

ND: Why are you eating it?

EW: Oh, I'm on a diet.

ND: Me too!

EW: (Puzzled - she does not seem pudgy to me.) You ARE?

ND: Yes, and I'm doing the Wii Fit too.

EW: Really???

ND: Watch! (executes several fitness moves quite agilely)

EW: Wow! Is your mom doing Wii Fit with you?

ND: No. She's not losing weight!

EW: (big laugh) I don't know if I could do those moves either!

ND: (Surveying me up and down for several seconds.) Mrs. Whiteside, you're looking better! Know how I know? Now your pants do like this (draws parallel lines in the air with her hands), and not like this (draws parentheses)!

EW: (Big Smile) ND, you made me feel better today!

ND: I did???
EW: Oh, Yes!
ND: (Big Smile)

So, in this exchange, my Hard of Hearing student used very appropriate pragmatic language to give encouragement. What a great way to end a week of speech/language work!

Interactive Multimedia ASL Vocabulary

I am keenly interested in vocabulary development for all students, but especially for those who have limited access to the informal language-learning opportunities commonly afforded most children through exposure to ordinary conversation in the home: deaf children. In looking for a way to make vocabulary aquisition motivating, meaningful, and permanent for my deaf
students, I created American Sign Language (ASL) multimedia storybooks and interactive game-like instructional activities based on popular children's literature.


My students interacted with the books for five weeks during speech therapy sessions. Not only did they improve their understanding of the words taught, transfer that learning to their everyday lexicon, and demonstrate understanding of the stories, but they also loved interacting with the words within the multimedia activities. Their excitement in learning words with technology was inspirational for this old lady!