Are deaf kids bullied/harrassed more frequently than hearing kids in mainstream?

Dixie said:
Math anxiety? Sheesh. You would think the counselor would have figured out it had to do with much more than just math! I'm beginning to wonder what is even the point of having a school counselor? What is their exact purpose? Often they just shuffle the students in and out with no real solution to the matter, at least that was my experience. I even got to the point that I didn't even like the counselor. It was pointless.
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I had to call a meeting today about one of my students having math anxiety. I was told that I was doing it all wrong when it came to teaching math to her so I am changing my ways next week. Wish me luck if it works or not. I will DO anything to ease her anxiety with math.
 
shel90 said:
You got a problem?

Live my life being mainstreamed and you probably wouldnt roll your eyes. :roll:
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Last night this post was all about her suicide attempts at CSDR because she was picked on so much there.

So she probably would say the same backwards to you, except she always gets afraid and withdraws it anytime she dares say anything about her feelings.
 
Bottesini said:
Last night this post was all about her suicide attempts at CSDR because she was picked on so much there.

So she probably would say the same backwards to you, except she always gets afraid and withdraws it anytime she dares say anything about her feelings.
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I know that deaf schools do have bullying issues but it is not about their deafness. I have been working very very veyr very very hard in the last 2 months with my students with this issue. It has made me go to bed by 8 PM. It is getting better as of last week. Still have a long ways to go.

Mainstreaming bullying towards deaf kids is 99% about their deafness and that makes many of us hate our deafness when it doesnt have to be.
 
Bottesini said:
Last night this post was all about her suicide attempts at CSDR because she was picked on so much there.

So she probably would say the same backwards to you, except she always gets afraid and withdraws it anytime she dares say anything about her feelings.
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I saw that post and my heart went out to Lavender.

Lavender:
Your experiences sound really terrible for you. It was a painful post to read. I didn't reply because I didn't know what to say but I did feel your words.

My heart goes out for all people on this thread who posted about their school experiences and bullying. Our experiences were different but the suffering was the same.
 
I am lost here. Where is that post as I dont see it in this thread. All I see her is rolling her eyes at our experiences which I do not appreciate at all.
 
shel90 said:
I am lost here. Where is that post as I dont see it in this thread. All I see her is rolling her eyes at our experiences which I do not appreciate at all.
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It was where the rolling eyes are. She edited it. She has a lot of fear and always does that when she starts to talk about her feelings/
 
Bottesini said:
It was where the rolling eyes are. She edited it. She has a lot of fear and always does that when she starts to talk about her feelings/
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Oh...I missed the whole thing last night so just coming in here and seeing that, it came across as rolling her eyes at us who were mainstreamed. I felt very offended.

Thank you for explaining.
 
shel90 said:
I am lost here. Where is that post as I dont see it in this thread. All I see her is rolling her eyes at our experiences which I do not appreciate at all.
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Bottesini said:
It was where the rolling eyes are. She edited it. She has a lot of fear and always does that when she starts to talk about her feelings/
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Gotcha. I saw the eye-roll earlier too and I was wondering what that was all about. It seemed out of context with all that had been posted. Thanks for the explanation.
 
I had to step away and relax before replying to this thread. I've mentioned some of my school experiences in other threads. Suffice it to say that my parents probably saved my life by moving the entire family from Ohio to Michigan. I started High School in a small rural community. I was very lucky to make some early friends. In middle school, my biggest challenge was not knowing how to respond to teasing (assuming I even knew I was being teased). This made things worse. I started getting into fights. I even became good at disassociating to the point that to this day I have no memory of some periods of my life back then.

Clearly being deaf or hoh in school presents unique challenges. We cannot participate in social situations the same way those with normal hearing can. We need to be taught things that others pick up naturally. Teachers and school administrators need to be taught how to create an inclusive school system and how to spot trouble and stop it before it becomes a Problem. Kids are cruel by nature. I don't know why this is. It just is. Being deaf or hoh makes it that much harder to protect yourself. Parents need to listen to their children.

I'm tearing up... I keep forgetting how much anger I have on this topic. Maybe I can type more later...

:grouphug:
 
Cheetah said:
I had to step away and relax before replying to this thread. I've mentioned some of my school experiences in other threads. Suffice it to say that my parents probably saved my life by moving the entire family from Ohio to Michigan. I started High School in a small rural community. I was very lucky to make some early friends. In middle school, my biggest challenge was not knowing how to respond to teasing (assuming I even knew I was being teased). This made things worse. I started getting into fights. I even became good at disassociating to the point that to this day I have no memory of some periods of my life back then.

Clearly being deaf or hoh in school presents unique challenges. We cannot participate in social situations the same way those with normal hearing can. We need to be taught things that others pick up naturally. Teachers and school administrators need to be taught how to create an inclusive school system and how to spot trouble and stop it before it becomes a Problem. Kids are cruel by nature. I don't know why this is. It just is. Being deaf or hoh makes it that much harder to protect yourself. Parents need to listen to their children.

I'm tearing up... I keep forgetting how much anger I have on this topic. Maybe I can type more later...

:grouphug:
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Awww...:hug:
 
shel90 said:
I had to call a meeting today about one of my students having math anxiety. I was told that I was doing it all wrong when it came to teaching math to her so I am changing my ways next week. Wish me luck if it works or not. I will DO anything to ease her anxiety with math.
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Good for you. If I could I would nominate you for teacher of the year. You give all to your students.
 
Cheetah said:
I had to step away and relax before replying to this thread. I've mentioned some of my school experiences in other threads. Suffice it to say that my parents probably saved my life by moving the entire family from Ohio to Michigan. I started High School in a small rural community. I was very lucky to make some early friends. In middle school, my biggest challenge was not knowing how to respond to teasing (assuming I even knew I was being teased). This made things worse. I started getting into fights. I even became good at disassociating to the point that to this day I have no memory of some periods of my life back then.

Clearly being deaf or hoh in school presents unique challenges. We cannot participate in social situations the same way those with normal hearing can. We need to be taught things that others pick up naturally. Teachers and school administrators need to be taught how to create an inclusive school system and how to spot trouble and stop it before it becomes a Problem. Kids are cruel by nature. I don't know why this is. It just is. Being deaf or hoh makes it that much harder to protect yourself. Parents need to listen to their children.

I'm tearing up... I keep forgetting how much anger I have on this topic. Maybe I can type more later...

:grouphug:
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:hug:
 
This is exactly what I don't want my daughter to go through. We learn everyday people are just outright mean. She is only 10 months and already get negative remarks and looks when she is wearing her hearing aids.

Sorry you had to go through this....
 
Wow...Dixie....I am so sorry, and my experience definitely pales in comparison to yours. *hugs*

Like everybody here, I had the experience of being bullied for my differences and for my deafness as well. Fortunately, I happened to go to this elementary school that had many deaf and special education kids, so the hearing students and faculty were very tolerant and kind to us. In 3rd grade, I went mainstreamed in that school and was the only deaf student in the school to do so, but I made many friends, hearing and deaf. The hearing students even thought ASL was cool and the ASL classes in that elementary school was very popular. (Surprising to you guys, isn't it?)

However....after school, I had to go to YMCA program near to my home since my parents can't take me home right after my school finished....that was where hell started. The elementary school students were totally different and actually bullied me for my deafness. They called me names, made fun of my speech, pulled a nasty attitude on me, and tried to pull pranks on me. The counselors didn't do a jack shit even though they noticed.

Unfortunately, I had to go to the same middle school as them as we all live in the same area. I just happen to go to the elementary school because it was one of the best deaf programs in Austin, but it was out of my home's vicinity. As usual, I was the only deaf student in middle school. I made very few friends, but those same bullies still made fun of me. One day, I just got sick of them and stood up to them. I never got into any physical fight with them before until that day. The guy bigger than me was making fun of me, so I went and kicked him hard and told him off. After that, he and other bullies pretty much left me alone.

It was also a period of time when I became smarter than my hearing peers and outperformed them in class. Then, somehow....my "popularity" increased sometimes in 7th grade. I managed to beat a football player similar to my build and weight in arm wrestling fair and square, and the results circulated around the students and teachers-increasing my "popularity". So yeah, somehow, my peers became more tolerant and friendly towards me as we progressed towards 8th grade. :)

High school was same as middle school, but still bit more mature. But by that point, no one bullied me for my deafness, but I didn't feel any connections to my peers in HS. COLLEGE WAS DIFFERENT STORY!! I LOVE MY COLLEGE FRIENDS!
 
Well... We probably all know the advanced technology gets better and improve. So, this thread makes me wondering..... In a mainstreamed school, will group of deaf or hard of hearing non-signers make fun of Deaf signers because they're not so "normal" because they can't speak and hear with or without their hearing aids and/or CIs? I think so... But, I also wonder how common it is while the medical technology is still ongoing. =/

Sighs.
 
I was mainstreamed and bullied. There were only four of us in my school who wore HAs and we were an easy target. The teacher of the deaf came to see us all once a week and for ages I only wore my HA on the day she came because of the taunting and bullying.

That was forty years ago and I would hope that things have improved since then. I know that when my own children were at school the other kids, and parents, seemed to be more tolerant and understanding than in my schooldays.
 
This is a painful thread to read. I'm appalled and feel sick at the stories I've read here. I hope that the people who have posted such traumatic stories have been helped by sharing on this thread. And I sincerely hope they are finding real healing and recovery from people who love and care for them.
:grouphug:

I was mainstreamed. And I was bullied.

Deaf kids are such easy targets. I didn't suffer the extreme cruelty written about here, but I suffered. I remember an older lady telling me that her school days were the best days of her life and my heart sank faster than a mafia victim wearing concrete boots. I'm so relieved to discover that it wasn't true for me, otherwise I think I would have killed myself my now!
 
AJWSmith said:
This is a painful thread to read. I'm appalled and feel sick at the stories I've read here. I hope that the people who have posted such traumatic stories have been helped by sharing on this thread. And I sincerely hope they are finding real healing and recovery from people who love and care for them.
:grouphug:

I was mainstreamed. And I was bullied.

Deaf kids are such easy targets. I didn't suffer the extreme cruelty written about here, but I suffered. I remember an older lady telling me that her school days were the best days of her life and my heart sank faster than a mafia victim wearing concrete boots. I'm so relieved to discover that it wasn't true for me, otherwise I think I would have killed myself my now!
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I agree "it gets better" is something kids need to hear. It does get better and it clearly did for me. I don't know how I can help others except by sharing my story.
 
AJWSmith said:
I remember an older lady telling me that her school days were the best days of her life and my heart sank faster than a mafia victim wearing concrete boots. I'm so relieved to discover that it wasn't true for me, otherwise I think I would have killed myself my now!
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As a child I was also told that 'your school days are the best days of your life'. I used to think if these are the best days what on earth is the rest of my life going to be like!

Fortunately my life since then has been much better. I have a loving husband and three wonderful children and can now safely say that my schooldays were probably the worst years of my life, not the best.
 
djchur said:
As a child I was also told that 'your school days are the best days of your life'. I used to think if these are the best days what on earth is the rest of my life going to be like!

Fortunately my life since then has been much better. I have a loving husband and three wonderful children and can now safely say that my schooldays were probably the worst years of my life, not the best.
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I feel exactly the same.
 
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