Get a Second Opinion

It is not the best thing to insinuate, "I know what you want, and you don't know what you want, and I am going to make you have it." 

Whether you are a fanatic for sign language, Deaf Culture, cochlear implants, hearing aids, oral/aural methods, cued speech, AVT, or what have you, you need to consider everyone else and what they may want or what they think works best for them.

Often I hear from parents of deaf and hard of hearing children stories about doctors, teachers, and other professionals practically force feeding them their ideals without asking them first or considering who they are and what they may want. People new to deafness or hearing loss issues are often overwhelmed and feeling lost. Last thing they need is someone demanding that they do as they say and not consider other options. They need all the information they can get. But, it is up to the person who needs help to seek out the information and it is up to the professionals to make the information available and to provide guidance. Everyone, even audiologists, deserve a chance to voice their opinions and knowledge to people seeking information about deaf and hard of hearing issues.

It is better to say, "Oh, okay. Here is a lot of information about this and that. Here is what I think about it in my professional opinion (and/or from personal experiences). If you have any questions please let me know and I will do my best to assist you." Then walk away and let them be until they ask for your help again.

It's like buying a new car. Are you going to go to the first dealership in town and immediately buy a car? No, most people would do the research. They will ask friends, family, professionals, do some research online. People will often shop around and ask many questions until they feel they have come to the right decision. Hopefully, no one would fall for the one person who says, "I know what you want, and you don't know what you want, and I am going to force you to have it. Ready to buy what I have to offer?"

Please consider all options. Do your research. Don't go by what one person says, always get a second opinion.

(e

"Cronies" on DeafRead? Really?

I see that several people within the deaf and hard of hearing blogging community often call Mike McConnell's, Candy's, and the Holism's followers or friends "cronies".
What are cronies exactly? And why are most people using this term?
Crony is supposed to mean old friends and companions.




From Merriam-Webster online dictionary:

Definition of CRONY
: a close friend especially of long standing : pal
Examples of CRONY
The mayor rewarded his cronies with high-paying jobs after he was elected.

Origin of CRONY
perhaps from Greek chronios long-lasting, from chronos time
First Known Use: 1656

As some of you may be aware, the term crony has changed over time to mean something negative. According to Wise Geek, people began to use crony to describe crooked politicians unfairly awarding their friends with high paying jobs within the government.

From Wise Geek:

In the original sense, “crony” appears to have emerged at Cambridge in the 1660s, and it is believed to be derived from the Greek khronos, or “time,” the same root behind words like “chronology” and “chronometer.” Originally, cronies were simply old and well-established friends who were viewed as pleasant and enjoyable company. In the 1900s, however, the term began to acquire more sinister implications, as politicians set their friends up with lucrative government contracts or positions.
The traditional sense of the word is still retained in some circles, but people more commonly use “cronies” with a sinister bent, suggesting a whiff of corruption and nepotism which goes beyond simple friendship. Cronyism is illegal in many countries, as are other forms of corruption, but it can sometimes be difficult to prove, and politicians may choose to take advantage of this to advance their friends in the political hierarchy.

I just thought it was interesting how many people like to use the word crony to describe people associated with bloggers who are simply voicing their opinions, whether you agree with them or not. I don't see how these bloggers are illegally advancing their friends or followers within the political hierarchy.

Are there any other words we can use for people who are friends with these corrupt and evil bloggers running amok on DeafRead? I am just sick of seeing this word. Let's think of something else. It is getting boring.

And please take the time to look up the definition of a word and see how it is being used today before throwing it around carelessly.

(e                            

Assistive Listening Devices At The Movies

The last time I was at the movies, I asked about assistive listening devices or captioning services for deaf/hoh people. They busted out some old and dinky head phones. I wasn't sure what to think. I was hesitant. Because I didn't understand how they would help. The person did not know how they work.  And I didn't like the idea of wearing used head phones. The person assured me that they have been cleaned.

No thanks.

Has anyone tried the head phones? How do they work? Are they helpful?

(e

A Day in the Life of an Itinerant Teacher (at Least for Me)

4:55 a.m. - Alarm went off. I cursed at it, turned it off, and rolled back under the covers in bed.

5:02 - Second alarm went off. I looked at it and turned it off.

5:10 - I was still in bed staring at the ceiling, trying to talk my sleepy self into moving.

5:12 - I jumped out and proceeded to the kitchen to make strong coffee.

6:15 - After eating breakfast, watching the news on T.V., looking over my schedule for the day, and getting dressed, I finally leave the apartment.

6:18 - I come back to the apartment. I forgot my GPS.

6:32 - I was on the freeway on my way to my first school. It is about 50 minutes away. I listened to my favorite morning talk radio. During the show, I didn't hear what was said and wondered why the DJs were laughing while the caller cried hysterically on the phone.

7:21 - I arrived at the school. I got my paperwork and drank some more coffee.

8:05 - I scolded my pre-k student for purposely not paying attention to me and his interpreter. He refused to look at me. I gave up and I pretended to sob hysterically. My student looked up at me smiling and then quickly looked back down giggling. I wanted to hug him.

8:15 - A teacher told me her concerns about a parent. I agreed with her, nodding my head, asking her questions. Then she started talking about things that were not relevant. I looked at the clock and started to back away slowly, putting my hand on the doorknob to indicate that I needed to go. It didn't work. She kept talking. I had to cut her short and say that I needed to go to my next school. She apologized and continued to talk. I turned and made a quick get away saying to her behind me, "So sorry! I have to go! We'll continue this discussion tomorrow!" 

8:16 - An interpreter from another classroom at the same school, stopped me in the hallway. He wanted to talk about our student. I stopped and told him I am all ears (even though I was in a big hurry). It could be very important. It turned out to be no big deal and I was able to tell him what to do to solve the problem.

8:28 - I practically ran out of the school to my car. I had an IEP meeting in thirty minutes!

8:46 - I made it to the school and ran down the hallway to the classroom where the meeting was supposed to be held at 9:00. No one was there. 

9:05 - The mother showed up. I greeted her warmly and spoke to her in broken Spanish. There were a lot of awkward silences, as I tried to remember other phrases in Spanish. All I could think of were curse words and children songs in Spanish. Where is the translator?

9:08 - The teacher, school lead, and an administrator showed up. The translator still hadn't shown. No one was really talking. It was weird. I tried to look busy looking at my paperwork pretending to write down important notes.

9:20 - Hallelujah! The translator finally showed up. She gave us no explanations to why she was late. I glared at her throughout most of the meeting.

9:45 - Everyone agreed to the proposals. We made the necessary changes on the draft and I got all of the signatures I needed.

10 seconds later - Everyone, but the mother, took off.

10:02 - I walked with the mother to her car. With my broken Spanish and her broken English, I was able to learn more about her. I found out that she works 3 p.m. to 4 a.m. in a tortilla factory, making tortillas on the assembly line.

10:10 - After signing out, I left for my next student at yet another school.

11:05 - I heated up leftovers in the tiny smelly microwave in the teachers lounge. I sat down and looked over my schedule. Other teachers came in. I talked with them about unimportant things-the weather, shopping, Lindsey Lohan, how to make chili, and stuff. It was nice to not think about or talk about work momentarily.

11:20 - I left for another school, back to the school I went to this morning for the meeting.

12:25 - I waited for my student in her empty classroom. She was in music class.

12:28 - She and the rest of her class came spilling in the classroom. She smiled and got her pencil, paper, and books as I waited for her by the door. Her interpreter came up to me with some suggestions and things she noticed about this student. We talked about her social skills and how she interacts with new people, particularly new teachers or adults.

12:32 - My student and I worked on writing and following step by step instructions. We talked about how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We worked on building her vocabulary. There are many gaps in her language. She learned the words 'spread', 'butter knife', 'jar', and 'slice'. We talked about the many different flavors of jelly there are. She told me her favorite was strawberry. We talked about making a book together. It will be an instructional book about how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We'll use photos of the steps and her making the sandwich. She seemed excited about it. Good. :)

1:28 - I left for another school, a high school.

2:10 - I finally arrived at the school. I was stuck behind a really slow truck on the way.

2:15 - I quickly checked my emails and cursed the school's computer for being so slow. I got an email from this school's lead asking to see me after 3:30. I got another email saying that my meeting with a teacher at 4:00 has been canceled. Sweet.

2:30 - I arrive at my student's MO/MI classroom. She was sitting with her friends playing a game; a memory game. She was having fun. She did not greet me or acknowledge that I was there, even though she saw me. I told her that she was being very rude and that it is always nice to say "Hello" or "Good afternoon" to your teachers, especially if you haven't seen them in a week. She rolled her eyes at me and grunted. I became pissed. I told her to stop playing the game and come with me. I told her three more times, and then she finally stopped and came with me to another room. I scolded her and told her why I was scolding her. She listened and then apologized. She said that she was tired and not feeling great. I told her that I understood that and said that it was no excuse for disrespecting me. She starts crying a little. Aaw. : ( But, I kept my stern 'teacher' look and calmly asked her what was wrong. She talked a little about how she wanted to play the game with her friends and how she was tired. I told her that we can play this fun game, as long as she uses sign language and cooperates with me. Then I asked her, "Where's your smile?" She smiled at this. We played the game and worked on how to interact and greet other people appropriately (hello, how are you, what is your name, nice to meet you, etc.). We practiced this through role playing, over and over and over again.

3:34 - I got caught in the "traffic" of high school students in the hallways, leaving to go home. Some kids made out in front of me, groping each other. Eew. 

3:37 - I am in the office with the school's lead. She told me that one of my students was refusing certain services (small group testing, math support classes). Good for him! He has been doing extremely well in math that he no longer requires these services. He is becoming independent; making his own decisions. But, let's see what mom has to say about this. I talked with the lead about calling mom to discuss taking these services off the IEP. 

4:10 - I left the school walking towards my car.

4:36 - I arrived at my office and dropped off some equipment I picked up from one of the schools.

4:48 - I left to go home.

6:07 - I am finally home, after the long commute and some traffic in the city. I sat for a minute, exhausted.

10:30 - I set my alarm and went to bed ready for sleep. I wondered what tomorrow will bring me.

How I Became an Itinerant Teacher of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

I sort of stumbled into this job, being an itinerant teacher of deaf and hard of hearing students. Before, I had no intention of becoming an itinerant teacher. I thought I would just be a classroom teacher, either at a school for the deaf, in a self-contained classroom, or general education. When I applied to the job, I did not know that it was for an itinerant teaching position.

Before becoming involved with education, I was an 'artist' working part-time in an art store. I dabbled in film making and ceramics, while I was a painter hardly selling paintings (due to lack of motivation). I taught art to elementary aged children at various schools from time to time.

Then one day I met this student at my very first job of teaching a class.

A tiny girl, eight years old at the time, came up to me smiling, "You have hearing aids too!"

"What?" I mumbled, as I tried to figure out how to control the chaotic students in the classroom.

"In your ear. Hearing aid!" she squealed excitedly, pointing to my ear.

"Oh, yes. I do. And you do too," I acknowledged, still not getting it.

She kept looking at me smiling and she started asking me questions about my hearing aid.

"When did you get it?" "Why do you have hearing aids?" "What can you hear?" "How much is your hearing aid?" she asked. 

Finally, when I was able to get the class to calm down, I sat down with her and tried to answer all of her questions. Sadly, I did not really know how to answer her questions. I did not fully understand what my hearing loss was or what it meant. But, I was so taken back by how excited this girl was. Before, she was pretty quiet and kept to herself. Now, she was chatting it up with me.

It made me feel good. I liked that we could relate to each other and that I shared something interesting and personal with this little girl, unlike the other students I worked with. Most of all, I really liked how she reacted to this. She was so happy and excited.

During the brief time I taught in her classroom, we talked about our hearing aids, I taught her how to clean and care for her hearing aid, and we discussed things we could hear or not hear. It was fun.

I learned that I really did not know or understand my hearing loss. If you gave me my audiogram, I would not really know how to read it. All I knew was that my left ear hears nothing and my right ear hears pretty well. I really did not know anything. I knew very little sign, pretty much only the alphabet.

So, I told myself that maybe I'll consider working with deaf children. I took sign language classes and then volunteered in various classrooms of deaf and hard of hearing students, while still working at the art store. Visiting schools and classes opened my eyes. Some classes were excellent and some were depressing. I wanted to work with deaf and hard of hearing students even more.

Taking American Sign Language (ASL) classes made me more interested in deaf and hard of hearing issues. I was fascinated by the concept of Deaf culture and deaf identity. I went to several deaf events and meet ups, trying to learn ASL. At first, I entered the interpreting program, but quickly found that it was not for me. Then, I left my art store job and worked in a mental health counseling center servicing deaf and hard of hearing individuals. It was a very interesting job. I will have to write about this job later. I continued taking ASL classes for three years, until I felt I was comfortable enough to use it on my own. I met many wonderful people and just absolutely loved it.

I knew what it was that I wanted to do.

So, I went to graduate school in New York and entered the Deaf Education program there. I studied for two and a half years and graduated with a masters degree in deaf education and early childhood education.

I came back to my hometown and was dismayed at how hard it was to get a teaching job, any teaching job. The ones who were honest with me, said that I did not have enough experience (then give it to me!) or that I was overqualified. Some made it obvious that they thought it was ridiculous that I attended and graduated from Ivy League schools to become a teacher.

After a few months of job searching, I decided to get a job at a daycare facility.

It was the worst job of my life. The facility was poorly managed and understaffed. I was constantly left alone with 10-12 needy toddlers. I worked 10-12 hour days. I changed stinky diapers at least 20 times a day, if not more. I was constantly sick. Every day, something horrible happened (Johnny gets bitten again, Emily falls and hits her eye on the edge of a table, Lilly is missing, David throws up as I change his diapers, poor Jamal has a 101 fever and had diarrhea two times, yet he can't go home until mom wants to pick him up or until he runs a 102 fever had diarrhea one more time). Usually these terrible things happen when I am left alone with ten children, unable to do anything about it until they send an extra person in the room with me).

I became mean. I screamed and yelled. I was exhausted. I passed out a few times in the classroom.

I found out later that the director was featured on this television show about female murderers. Apparently, a few years ago, she shot and killed her boyfriend. Don't ask me how she became a director of a daycare facility.

I lasted for six long months.

My last day there was the saddest. I can't even talk about it without crying. Poor kids. I hope they are doing well. I LOVED the little guys, it was extremely hard to leave them when I did.  : (

Parents, be very, very, very, careful about where you send your children to day care. Some of them are dangerous and vile places.

I left to take a part-time job teaching in a deaf/hoh preschool classroom within a public school. I loved it and was so happy to be doing something I thoroughly enjoyed and that I was no longer exhausted and irritable all of the time. I could not believe that I could have a lunch break and be able to go to the bathroom when I want to.

Then I landed two jobs. A part-time job as a parent adviser for families with deaf and hard of hearing children, and a full-time job as an itinerant teacher, my current job. I think I got really lucky with the itinerant position. They were really desperate to fill the position with someone who is certified in deaf education while holding a masters degree in deaf education. They were basically like, "You are hired!" before I started the interview.

So, here I am.  So far so good. I love my job!

(e

Job Description: Itinerant Teacher of Deaf/HOH

I thought that some of you would be interested in a brief description of my job as an itinerant teacher for deaf and hard of hearing children. However, to be honest with you, I am still trying to figure it out myself. I received no training whatsoever in itinerant teaching and was practically thrown into it to figure it myself last year. To help me learn more about what my job entails, I read many books on itinerant teaching and talked to other itinerant teachers.

It is a super interesting and satisfying job. It is also super frustrating and exhausting. Overall, I LOVE it! I don’t think I can ever go back to classroom teaching.

Itinerant basically means to travel. In other words, I am a traveling teacher; traveling to different schools serving various deaf and hard of hearing students (pre-k to high school).

This is my second year as an itinerant teacher of deaf and hard of hearing children.
An itinerant teacher is someone who provides educational support to deaf and hard of hearing students typically mainstreamed in regular education. I provide both direct services to some students and consulting services to their teachers and other adults who work with them. I sometimes work with my students, one on one (small group) outside the classroom or work with them in their classroom (inclusion). I may see some students only a few times a month, once a day, or a few times a week. The ages of the students I serve can range from pre-k to a senior in high school.

It is not my job to determine my students’ education. The content of my students’ learning is set by the classroom curriculum and the IEP. I try my best to make sure that my students get the support that they need to succeed in the regular classroom. When I provide direct services to my students, I am not ‘tutoring’ them. I am helping them develop skills needed to help them succeed in the classroom (self-advocacy skills, basic reading skills, test-taking skills, language skills, how to use an interpreter, how to take care of their hearing aids, etc.) and to become more independent.
I would say that the majority of my time is spent consulting other adults, doing paperwork, traveling, fixing and replacing hearing aids and other amplification devices, and arranging and/or attending various IEP meetings.

My schedule can change at the drop of the hat. Absences occur. Traffic and car problems occur. Meetings occur. I have to be very flexible. Unpredictable things happen all of the time. A lot of times I am suddenly called to another school to deal with an issue or I may have to stay longer than usual somewhere. So, it is important that I am able to keep in touch via email or phone with teachers and administrators in case unexpected things happen.

The most frustrating thing would be when I am unsure how I can help a student and his or her teacher when they are put in a very difficult or complicated situation. Luckily, I have been fortunate to have worked with people who were willing to brainstorm with me and figure out how we can best help the student. It is definitely about teamwork. I cannot do this alone. It is also frustrating when a parent makes insane demands or asks for even more services for their child who is doing exceptionally well academically and socially, and the administrators let them get away with it. When this happens, I try not to scream as I look at my overbooked schedule to figure out when I can possibly find the time to eat lunch or go to the bathroom.
I love my students and teaching others about hearing loss, Deaf culture, sign language, and such. I regularly give presentations about these topics to various classrooms and teachers working with deaf and hard of hearing students.

I also love how the day goes by really fast and it is never boring. I am never bored or sitting around twiddling my thumbs (well, except when I am in meetings or have to sit in on a boring class).

Well, that’s it in a nutshell. I’ll be writing much more about my experiences in this blog. I hope this year will be easier than last year!

Questions?

(e

No Captions and Super Loud = Horrible Movie Experience

Saw a movie at the theater a few nights ago. It seemed like a great movie. Full of action, beautiful photography, and bizarre scenes. But, because it was not captioned, I had a hard time following what was being said. Visually, it was appealing, story wise, I hardly have an idea. So I can say that it seemed like a great movie.

Usually, with most uncaptioned movies, I can figure out what is going on. But, this movie had a very complex story and different exciting events occurred all over the place. You had to follow the dialogue to fully understand what was happening. I had an especially hard time understanding what was happening and why. The background or environmental noises were much louder than the dialogue.

Man, it was LOUD!! I think the theater installed a cheap sound system and is compensating for it by blasting the volume. I felt the vibrations in my profoundly deaf left ear and heard and felt the loud sounds in my right ear. It physically hurt. Occasionally, it felt as if someone punched me in my ears. At times, I took off my hearing aid and I turned it on t-coil mode to block out the especially loud parts of the movie. My sister and boyfriend both suffered as well from the occasional loud booms, crashes, and screams. They experienced ringing in their ears afterward. My sister said that her ears felt sore. Yikes.

I gave up on trying to figure out what was going on in the movie after twenty minutes and took a nap. Ugh. I should have left and asked for my money back.

I will definitely contact the movie theater and let them know that they may be contributing to increasing the number of hard of hearing and late-deafened.

(e

You Never Listen

When someone I know very well says, "You are not listening to me!" "You never listen to me.", I get angry and hurt. To everyday hearing people, if someone said these things to them, it may not really be a big deal. But, because of my hearing loss, I am super sensitive to any type of remarks about my listening skills.

I work very hard at listening. Sometimes I have to try very hard to determine what was just said. I may take some time to respond, I may ask you to repeat yourself, I may give a response that has nothing to do with what you said, or I may just not say anything. Why? Because I can't hear very well! How many times do I have to tell you this? Especially when I am not wearing my hearing aid.

Stop getting angry and accuse me of not listening. I know it is annoying. How do you think I feel?

(e