Most state schools for the deaf are facing some of these issues:
1. Unqualified signing teachers who are protected by the union and can't be terminated.
2. Dumping ground for either mental ill deaf students with behavorial issues, deaf students with multi-disabilities or uncontrolled students that their parents want to get rid of.
3. Some older students or staff who are child molesters.
4. Some do not have bilingual system which their education system is flawed.
5. Reduction in class size due to epidemic of Cochlear implants.
6. No exposure to family values.
7. Run by the State's bureaucy system that does not receive any feedback or control from parents or deaf community in order to improve education system for students.
8. Run by audists or paternalists.
I am sure others would say "but it is important that we preserves the history of the school and give the opportunity for students to have better social life by communicating with each other"
CONTROVESIAL QUESTION OF THIS DAY:
Is it worth for these States to have school for the deaf where there may be other opportunties to improve the education system for students?
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14 comments:
As for #2 its a sad fact the the ASL centrists don't share an inclusive vision and would be happy to send off deaf people with other disabilities.
Send them to us. My sister owns a big apartment building in Garden Grove. Them state pays her a lot of money each month to house them and our deaf center feeds and entertains them at the apartment or our office. The state pays us a lot of money to babysit them too.
Send these people to us so the ASL centrists can live by their twisted vision and let their deaf schools crumble minus one person at a time.
Richard
As one of the state school employees, it is really distressing to me to read this blog about all of the negatives that were happening at the state schools for the deaf.
First, these negative issues does happen, and what really distressing is that NO one ever wanted to explain the positives or share the best things that are happening in these schools.
I have been working for 15 years, and I do see wonderful things happening.
1. Very dedicated staff who TRULY put a lot of effort making sure that these students can succeed after their own personal experiences of failure from different programs. We embraced them and we worked hard to rebuild their self-esteem and experience successes in their lives.
2. Many deaf and hard of hearing children who come to state schools finally feel they 'belong' with their peers, and cared by the staff who still believe in them.
3. We provide real-life experiences to Deaf students in how to handle the realities of the world which can be very oppressive. These kids are more 'aware' what they have gone through because of the support from the staff. We don't coddle them or shelter them.
To offer the reality of what is truly happening at the state schools and our struggles...
Yes, we need to break away the mold of traditional model of 'schooling' and look very closely about our role as a school. Believe me, in 15 years of my career, we have talked until we were blue in our faces trying to figure out how to break away from the mold and be 'unorthodox' with our teaching system-wide. There are so many wonderful things happening in the classrooms, and that is only 5 and a half hours in classroom! For some schools, it depends on the well-planned and well-structured residential programs, they can offer so much to these kids.
We do get kids who haven't had consistent exposure to any language! Often times we get referrals of kids who grew up in homes/families who still are in denial of their OWN child's deafness, and unable to provide language stimulation. We get kids at ages of 8, 9 or 10 with virtually no formal language. It is like asking State schools to something really miraculous by providing LANGUAGE to these kids who have at least 8 years behind? Who is at fault? State schools? Or is it a system? Or is it the attitude towards to deafness?
We usually get kids who didn't succeed in their neighborhood schools, or did not 'benefit' linguistically (auditorily) with cochlear implants, or from monolingual, non-English speaking homes, or comes with additional disabilities. Did state schools turn them down? NO!
We were told not to turn them down, but committed to serve them. Then we just do our best to provide the best kind of services for them.
Shutting down State Schools is not the answer, we need to look very closely why we are so dependent to the state funding? Why our 'hands' are tied by following all of the mundane educational laws which are so limiting? The paradigm shift of academic curricula and expectations for getting high school diploma to enroll higher education programs (college) away from community-based vocational instruction/training or job training really put a huge strain on several Deaf kids who have learning problems, OR did not have a strong language acquisition OR exposed to language late at age; they DO SUFFER with limited choices available to them.
IMAGINE if you are 18 year old Deaf student - who just learned language late ... you are faced with two choices:
A. Work your ass off to get high school diploma. Don't socialize, don't chat with friends, put away Sidekicks, put away 'cool' stuff - and bury your face into books 24/7 for very limited years of your life before you turn into 21 years old. Then you can have high school diploma! Or you may need to take GED test several times until you get it!
B. Breeze through school years with socialization, challenging authority, making friends, read whenever you can, and obtain the certificate of attendance by age of 21, and good luck to you down in the road with any jobs or self-employment.
We as the staff are consciously aware every single day trying to figure out how to provide / teach skills to these Deaf kids to survive without having esteemed high school diploma. We are racing against the clock - because kids do age out from school.
For example, we have kids who comes in school late at age of 12 with very poor foundation of language. We had to do a lot of catch-up with this child... and we are fighting with natural social-emotional development stages of puberty, peer pressure, wanting to be 'cool', dealing with anger/frustrations with failing classes, and trying to modify curriculum to their level of understanding. Encourage literacy and reading to this kid. Then this kid go home - no support from home at all. This kid has a lot of stress. By the age of 18 (with only 6 years of schooling and 6 years of language catch up - this kid has at least 2nd grade reading level from standardized tests) finally woke up and realizing that he/she only had 3 years left of school before facing the real world. Then how can this child pull their reading level from 2nd grade to 12th grade in 3 years?
That is THE kid TIMES hundreds out there - HUNDREDS kids that we are committed to teach! That is a lot of stress, believe me!
As being a state school, there is an unwritten 'rule' that we must serve all kinds of kids, within reasonable parameters, YET the private schools do have a choice with admissions? Remember not all mainstream programs are wonderful. It depends on critical mass (40 plus kids in an age-specific school, i.e. elementary, middle and high school each), with supportive administration along with academic and support staff who are fluent signers.
Often times, I wonder where is 'vanilla' Deaf kids have gone.... how can we describe vanilla kids? We always have 'rocky-road' kids and we try to educate them with the best of our ability.
Lastly, Council on the Education of the Deaf (CED), Council of American Instructors of the Deaf (CAID), and The Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD) - with their'lackluster' efforts to work together to improve the education for the deaf SYSTEMWIDE and POLITICAL WIDE ... I have a very little confidence of them. I know they are hard working people who are serving on the committee, and I am sure that they feel distressed everyday too.
Is shutting down is THE answer?
NO.
Or should be PRIVATIZE State Schools for the Deaf?
YES.
Look at Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, GA - that is THE model we should strive for...
and where is our "Oprah" who is willing to invest millions of dollars to make this happen?
Remember - State Schools are NOT all BAD! We do provide amazing things to kids considering all of the things these kids had gone through system-wide.
Thanks for letting me vent this.
most states are unwilling or uncaring about needs of improving deaf education. Audists do not know any better...
You're throwing the baby out with the bath water. The schools for the deaf are extemely important and must not be closed down.
Those problems you mentioned are not the dominant features of the schools. They are things that must be cleaned up, but are not reasons to shut down the schools. Those problems can be solved.
that is why we see emergence of charter schools
onto another topic: will someone please show me a deafhood flag ?
Wow, you are being very negative about state schools but I am not saying that it is all a lie.
We need to keep in mind that not all state schools for the Deaf are created equal just like public schools.
IMO, most schools for the Deaf have improved in recognizing both languages, ASL and English, to enhance literacy. There are 29 schools for the Deaf who have participated in CAEBER program at Gallaudet who are committed to establishing bilingual education. Also allow me to remind you that more Deaf teachers are hired today.
Besides IDEA protects any school for the Deaf from closing since at least one per state is required to offer as an alternative service.
If you look at solitaire mainstreaming programs (based on my observations):
1. There are many interpreters who don't carry RID/educational certification.
2. Many Deaf students including CI users are isolated.
3. Many Deaf students have limited involvement in sports and leadership activities.
4. Many teachers don't have any training or background about teaching Deaf students.
5. Many teachers are ignorant about bilingual education.
6. Everyday in the news, I get to hear about child molesters who are teachers in public schools.
7. More violence and gang formations in public schools.
8. Increase in class size due to overcrowding in certain regions.
and the list goes on..
I agree with Barb, what about sports and deaf role models if all deaf kids are mainstreamed?
Personally I think it can be done. The State deaf schools now are overun with autistic children and other multiple handicaps, so why worry about sports? The lack of sports is not going to do any harm to muliple handicapped, the wheelchair bound, etc. They need to find other priorities. The *adult* deaf can still bowl, play golf, surf, etc. etc. We will need to rearrange our needs and wants and and stop using the State schools as "home" models. There is a way, we just need to find it.
I never did approve of isolating the deaf in a school of their very own, away from the world at large and thus branding them with a stigma. We can do better than that.
'An interesting situation, to be sure, but we can figure out a way to put the deaf into a functioning world without giving them a label, other than being deaf.
When you complain, have a solution. What solution would you propose? The alternatives to state schools would be: special education classrooms, deaf and hard of hearing classrooms within regular schools, mainstreaming, homeschooling, and I'm sure I'm missing a few others.
Do you think these alternatives have qualified signing teachers? Nope. In fact, most state schools would require teachers to have a higher level of signing ability than those in deaf and hard of hearing classrooms.
Do you think these alternatives have qualified staff to deal with mentally ill students or those with severe behavioral problems, etc? Please.
Do you think public schools don't have child molesters? Read the newspaper if you don't.
Do you think these alternatives even know about the bi-bi approach? Nope.
Do you think these alternatives have better classrooms because they're bigger? Hello no, there are some classrooms that are getting to be 40 students in one class? Is that the best placement for a deaf student? No.
Do you think many parents really care about family values? Sadly, many don't.
Do you think public schools give a damn about parents or the deaf community and their feedback? Unfortunately, many don't.
Do you think public schools don't have any audists or paternalists? I'm not even going to answer that one.
You said there may be other opportunities to improve the education system for students. Please tell us about these other opportunities.
Just like public schools, there are good deaf schools and not so good. You seem to be focusing on the negatives.
Schools provide instruction in sign language fully accessible for the deaf students. Ample opportunity for socialization with peer and participation in extracurricular activities. On the average, kids who attended deaf schools tend to have better self esteem and self confidence compared to those who were mainstreamed.
Interesting! you brought up so negative about Deaf school.
I think your comment seem that it is not apprioriate message about Deaf school.
It is most postive about deaf school have any kind of sport and in Public School would not allow deaf player for in pubic school. There is big no difference?
I also puzzled that teacher do not have a certificate interpreter. if they are willing to learn ASL and find a education and not always require to certificate interpreter. but they often willing to learning ASL before they became teacher at deaf school. I beleive often deaf teacher sometime disvantaged of not able to teacher in anywhere. but they always welcome with their qualifity of teaching mean to deaf kids.
I agree with Lantana and Barb , Anonymous and Amy.
I feel that your blogger is soo negative. It should not brought up in deafread blogger.We are in Deaf community in anyplace. We share and warmest to deaf children to enrolling Deaf School. They are not rejected CI children, Come and teach any kid of disabities.
Deaf Pixie
I am not trying to be negative. Remember, who suffers the most? The students. So it is probably not ok to look at the other way by ignoring the problems and let the students get robbed from getting a quality education and pursue higher eduation after graduation. Instead of being reactive and saying that I am negative, try to be more proactive and do something about it.
I think the Deaf students would feel a lot more isolated in a separate classroom away from other students than at their own deaf school in the same class with everyone else.
Oh? All the Mainstreaming I ever saw had the deaf kids mixed with the hearing kids. For the elementry age they did have a "homeroom" with all deaf kids and an ASL speaking teacher. High School everyone is mixed, there is no "special room".
State schools with dedicated employees are safety net to many outside problems. State governments know this and parents pay a big price for failing the system. What a mess, but thanks to state schools! Students are already ruined academically with lower expectations anyway. Let them enjoy their life.
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