Welcome to California School for the Deaf

Welcome to California School for the Deaf!

For the last several months I have been facing many difficult obstacles. Teaching is a rewarding and challenging career – but it can be incredibly difficult when both the teacher and her students are Deaf. I have learned to overcome several obstacles as a Deaf teacher, but I fear that the road ahead will never be without some added challenges.

My biggest barrier to teaching, and one of my pet peeves, is finding so many teacher resources and videos online for hearing teachers and students. It is difficult for me to come across so many videos online that I cannot access because the videos do not provide close captioned. In fact, I found one good video that discussed teaching ASL to high school students and guess what!  It did not include close captioning! This is a strange irony to me. If someone is going to create sign language videos, they should be aware of the importance of turning the captions on so that the Deaf can understand the material!!!  As a Deaf person, how will I be able to use these resources, which are related to my profession as an ASL teacher? How? Tell me!

I am currently working with a group of ASL teachers and a committee from Gallaudet University to create a set of ASL standards for K-12 students. These standards will apply to Deaf students who use ASL as their primary language. Once these ASL Standards are determined, we will release them to the public. Then I will be able to continue working with other ASL teachers to develop and establish an ASL curriculum.

This is long over due. Dr. William Stokoe Jr., Professor Emeritus at Gallaudet University, recognized ASL as an official language back in the 1960s! Nearly 55 years later, there are still no ASL standards or curriculum for students in K-12.

Now you may be wondering why I am sharing this information. I plan on sharing what I have learned from these online courses with the people who serve on this committee. I will make sure that we as a committee cover some of the topics that I have learned from these classes.

Next month a new school year will begin, and I am looking forward paying even more attention to the all of the students in my classes. When my students find out that they are required to take ASL as one of their course requirements, they often complain and ask “Why do I have to take ASL, I already know ASL!” Then one year later, these same students leave my class feeling empowered. They now have enough understanding to be able to debate with others who choose to only teach their Deaf children in Spoken English. These students now have the skills to argue the benefit of providing a child with two languages at a very young age: ASL and Spoken English. My students now understand that providing two languages can begin at a very young age – even with newborns! When my students understand that a child is getting a late start on learning ASL when they begin at the age of 5, then I know I am heading in the right direction with their learning!