Next, I'd like to introduce you to Cindi Augustine. Cindi actually has a Childcare Worker degree (not specifically designated as a teacher of the deaf), and I remember seeing her as a bubbly, vibrant person who always had a huge grin on her face!
Even though I was only in her class for one short year, we still keep in touch via email and Facebook. Here is her write up:
1)
First, tell me a little bit about
yourself, how you came to be a teacher for the hard of hearing/deaf.
I
come from a large family and always loved to play school as a child. I have an
adopted brother younger than I by 12 years, and he had many special needs both mentally
and physically. As a teenager, I devoted a lot of time helping whenever I could
by visiting with him and the other youngsters at the Children’s Hospital. It
inspired me to read books about Helen Keller, and other children with special needs
and I became fascinated - and eventually obsessed - with the idea of helping
these children.
After
receiving my Childcare Worker degree, I worked mainly with children afflicted
with physical challenges, such as cerebral palsy, in the regular school system.
Eventually, I began working with kids affected by autism and other similar
challenges. I was never officially a teacher of the deaf, but my varied
experience with other educational challenges helped me get the job at the
Vancouver Oral Centre (now the Children’s Hearing and Speech Centre), where I
worked as a kindergarten assistant for 17 wonderful years.
2)
What's your first (or last) memory of me?
I
was your kindergarten teacher, along with Rae. I remember you as being very
shy, with very limited language skills. You liked to hide behind your dad’s
leg! I remember looking at your audiogram, and seeing the level of your hearing
loss. I recall thinking “Oh dear! How are we going to turn this child into a
verbal communicator!?!”
But,
your parents were determined, and with the help of a hearing aid and that
determination, everyone decided to give it the best shot possible. You were
always a lovely student in class, very happy and hard-working, and you loved
school. That’s why I remember you; there are many students I can’t recall as
well.
3)
As you were teaching me, what were some
of the things you found challenging, as a teacher? (and do you think I'm a
success story?)
First
of all, how could anyone doubt the success you’ve achieved? So many people with
hearing loss never learn to become good verbal communicators. With such barriers,
it’s far more difficult achieving high levels of reading and writing skills,
despite their IQ levels. It’s not very unusual to find these folks
underemployed and restricting themselves mostly to friends with hearing losses.
You are not only successful from an educational standard, but seeing photos of
you laughing and smiling with your husband and daughter, and from reading your
blog, is evidence that you have acquired the quality of life your parents and
teachers hoped you would. It makes me proud to have been a small part of your
journey.
I didn’t find you very
challenging because you were a happy child, eager to learn, and you really were
a joy to teach.
4)
Would you say that my parent’s
relationship with you contributed to my success?
I
would say that the parent/teacher relationship is always a factor in a
student’s success. But even more so when a child has a special educational
need. Communication and teamwork not only helps the teacher develop a more
individually-suited program for the student, but also increases the odds that
everyone is inspired to pull their weight in making the program work. Also, it’s
important to be aware that the student will always feel it when there’s stress
between parents and teachers. There’s no question it’ll interfere with the
student’s positive learning environment.
Your
parents are the type of parents teachers like me love to work with! They were
not only determined to get you the best education possible, they would not be
deterred by obstacles. They knew it was going to be a long road because of your
level of hearing loss, and they knew there would be bumps along the way. But
what mattered was that they were willing to work through them.
I
also recall what a great sense of humour they had! No matter what, they were
always so wonderfully positive. I remember them as always being ready with a
smile and a laugh. I know this encouraged all the staff to want to work even
harder for you! Your dad demanded nothing less than our best and his warm
nature went a long way to encouraging us to go the extra mile to help you.
5)
Do you have any words of wisdom for
parents who have a child with a hearing loss?
First
of all, never underestimate any child’s ability to adapt and learn. My family
was told by many doctors that my own brother wouldn’t grow up to be 5 years old
or learn to read. But my parents refused to let that influence them. My brother
proved the experts wrong. I don’t think that would have been the case if my
parents had quietly accepted that the experts knew everything. All children are
born willing and eager to grow and learn. All they need is the right support
and encouragement.
Secondly,
be willing and open to using all the technology now available. Cochlear
implants and hearing aids may seem daunting, but like glasses or wheelchairs
they’re tools for independence. Embrace them, learn everything you can about
them, and help your child accept them as wonderful devices. They should be viewed
as liberating, not limiting. When parents have a positive attitude about the
tools, then their children will develop one as well.
Third,
hold your child to the same standards you would hold any child. Don’t let their
hearing loss be an excuse for not becoming who they want to be. Don’t let any
special need lower your child’s quality of life. Instead, give them lots of
social and educational opportunities to help them achieve the best life
possible.
As
a parent, one of the most important roles you can play in your child’s
development is that of an advocate. Be educated about the choices available and
work with the experts as part of a team. You should feel that you and your
child’s teachers and doctors share the same goals for your child. You will
always be the expert on your child, and when you team with experts you trust on
hearing loss you’re more likely to get the best outcome possible.
Get
to know other families that share your challenges. Having a support network is
invaluable, as there will inevitably be times of getting through the lows and sharing
the highs. They will understand in a deeper way than most.
The
last thing I will say is expect bumps in the road, and don’t let them stop you.
Life is not a smooth highway. It’s more like a hiking trail with hard patches,
unexpected twists and dangers. However, there are also times of great
accomplishment and beauty that take your breath away. In many ways having a special
needs child is a blessing, because most parents learn amazing things about
their own strengths. There are tough challenges to be sure; but there are also
those occasions when conquering the challenges cause great feelings of success
and contentment.
6) What were some of the teaching tricks you
used with your students, to help them learn language?
The
teacher and I would agree on a vocabulary list, containing both nouns and verbs.
These words would be used over and over again throughout the day, as we were
always looking for opportunities to incorporate those words into every
activity.
For
example, if we were doing a classroom theme on farm animals, I would read books
about cows and horses. We’d sing Old MacDonald’s Farm everyday, and during art
we made animals from clay or cardboard barns to hold the little plastic animals
I would put out at play time. At Math time, we’d planned such activities as
counting plastic chickens. Although you didn’t realize it, I was very exact
about what toys and books were put out for you everyday.
One
of my favourite things to do was to create songs and books especially designed
to help you with these language targets. To help make connections to concepts
such as chickens give us eggs, farmers grow food and raise animals. I loved
doing this, and even though I have poor drawing skills and can’t sing very well
at all, you didn’t care. Children don’t judge these things as harshly as adults
often do, and I had just as much fun as you did when it was story or music
time!
The
most important thing in teaching any child, special needs or not, is to be as
freely creative as possible. This helps with the repetition that’s necessary to
learn language. We don’t learn a word or a concept until we use it many, many
times. For a child with a hearing loss, you have to be very deliberate in
exposing them to words and ideas over and over again.
7)
Before I was mainstreamed into the
regular school system, how did you assess that I would be 'ready' for it?
Assessment
around mainstreaming was a team responsibility. Your teachers, audiologist, and
parents took many thing into consideration, such as your readiness both
educationally and socially to fit into a larger school environment. It also depended
on what services would be available to you at your new school. This is why so
many children with challenges attend private school. The smaller class sizes
and availability of tutors and other services greatly increase a child’s
chances of success.
Any other comments
you'd like to share?
I
think your questions really covered a lot of things, and to add more would turn
this into a book! As a life coach and teacher, I’m thrilled by this opportunity
to share my experiences as an educator and my views on parent involvement.
Thanks so much for asking me.
Thanks Cindi! :)
Stay tuned for one more VERY special teacher to come - (I'm still waiting for her response... summertime = vacation)!
Thanks Cindi! :)
Stay tuned for one more VERY special teacher to come - (I'm still waiting for her response... summertime = vacation)!
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