Vixen@f11.n203.z1.fidonet.org (Vixen) (02/21/91)
Index Number: 13686
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
Hi Fran,
It's me again! I wanted to further elaborate on your comments
concerning the quality of teachers and specifically, ASL teachers.
First, I should mention, I have had one ASL instructor at my
college who is just great! She is funny, she is considered one of
the best and is well liked and respected by the area deaf
community. She also considers that anyone learnig sign need to made
somewhat aware of both the walls and briges that exist between
hearing people and hearing impaired (which she does without
predjudice to either side.) She is great.
However, much of my class work is "independent study" and I have to
work with college provided tutors who have reached "interpreter"
level classes and occasionally I get a graduate.
It frightens me to say that a larger number of tutors, "I" have
had, I found to be impatient or rather slipshod and worst of all, a
few who seemed annoyed by both my impaired sight and hearing! (I
wonder for the life of me what these latter are doing this for?)
What frightens me about these types, is that though I attend a
rather small college, we have quite a large number of hearing
impaired students, we are located near "NorCal Center on deafness"
and it seems like everyone at my college signs a little, some of
the apparent attitudes of those enrolled in interpreter level
classes really concerns me. I even had one interpreter level
tutor, who took me to the college Enabling Center (for disABLED
students) for my class lessons which is often a busy bustling place
with lots of talking, laughter and general noise. At the time, I
was still hearing words in my better ear (with some discrimination
problems) without a hearing aid as long as I was in "close
proximity." My tutor actually took me to that heavily public
environment to work with me and became "angry" because I was not
able to hear him and could not communicate beyond signing!!! I
must be honest and tell you that I was hurt, frustrated and became
very angry myself and finally told the school where they could put
that guy!
I have not found the above attitude unusual with some of the future
interpreters I have had assigned to me and it really bothers me
both in thinking of these people interpreting for hearing impaired
and those who may go into teaching!
Also, as we sometimes often speak about deaf people who just can't
be bothered to talk with anyone who cannot sign as fluently as
they, I have seen that this very same attitude exists between many
hearinmg signers! They cannot be bothered to work with those or
include those who are less proficient. I find it an interesting but
very sad phenomenom. So just as we still have an "elitist deaf
community" there seems to have developed an "Elitist hearing
signers" communinty.
However, not wanting to speak only of the neagtive, I have worked
with and met many who are just the opposite in the attitude than
those I have written about above. Still, the above have been the
larger number in my personal experience.
I remember one time, with that interpreter level tutor, working my
class at the busy Enabling Center, I was having difficulty
understanding a sign. He was becoming impatient and I was becoming
upset. Just then, a deat student who I had taken ASL one with
apparently saw what was going on, she came over to me, "gently"
took my arms and my hands and fingers and helped me to form the
sign. She doesn't know it, but that "little thing she did" removed
my frustration and made me feel good for the rest of the day! It
was also the begining of my realization that not all deaf people
are elitist and some, even though I am not born deaf, actually even
do care about me having the chance to learn this new language. "She
should have been a tutor!"
But again, happily, when I have had a good tutor or teacher, they
have really really been good and had the kind of spirit that I know
I would want in anyone who would be teaching or interpreting for
me!
Keepin' the faith!
. Vixen
PostScript: Those teachers who teach through intinmation and
severity and are more concerned with exhibiting "their skills" are
not teachers and insult a most honorable and important proffession!
(But wwe all knew that! Heheh!)
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!203!11!Vixen
Internet: Vixen@f11.n203.z1.fidonet.orgFran.O'gorman@f94.n272.z1.fidonet.org (Fran O'gorman) (02/21/91)
Index Number: 13694
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
Hi Vixen,
Thank you so much for sharing so much of your experience
with me, it is really a shame you dealt with such unpleasant and
insensitive ASL instructors. (The first one --the nice one--
sounds super though-- kind of makes up for the bad ones.)
What I think is that it really all goes back to the art of
good teaching. Occasionally a person has that skill intuitively,
but more often it has to be taught. That's why there's such a
thing as an Education major in college. I was a public librarian
originally and got into education through the back door. I'm in a
combination Junior High School/Senior High School situation and
believe me when I say, we wouldn't get AWAY with assuming a
haughty or superior attitude towards our students. Today's kids
just wouldn't accept it. And here you were a motivated learner!
I guess these sign interpreters you encountered were merely
versed in sign itself, but had no training in education. That IS
a shame! Here in NY State we are not only required to be
certified in our specialty -the requirements for such includes a
certain amount of education courses- but the State mandates that
we receive periodic staff development training (not in our
specialty, but our techniques in teaching it) as well as that we
be evaluated regularly. It's not on how well we know 'our stuff'
that we're measured but on how well we communicate it. If our
students fail, we share in that sense of failure, and everyone
knows a discouraged student is less likely to succeed!
Simple humanity should dictate more in the first place...but
what can I say, I guess some people are just more "human-er" than
others...and some are just plain not human at all...
Actually I should say (for the record) my ASL instructor was
tough and I had a terrible time keeping up, but she wasn't THAT
bad. I was just a little embarrassed at my struggle and had to
keep reminding myself that the others were taking the course a
second time (except for the 2 speech therapists who were taking it
to 'brush up' on their skills). But my feeling was that, it (the
course) being so tough could scare off people who are more easily
discouraged and thus result in less people acquiring the skill
which would be a unfortunate.
Well enough of my ramblings/reflections...sorry for getting
carried away here... <grin> but I was also sorry to hear about
your bad experiences--they are just the kind of educational horror
stories that we in education want to put behind us, but I guess,
unfortunately, are like nasty weeds--tough to erradicate!
--Fran
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!272!94!Fran.O'gorman
Internet: Fran.O'gorman@f94.n272.z1.fidonet.org