Deaf schools or mainstream?

I've been mainstreamed all my life. I like it since it prepares you for the hearing world since the deaf world is small but spread all over the place. I prepares you for the challenges that are given to you in your future life after you graduate from high school/college since you won't have your interpreter by your side everywhere you go.
I went to ISD (Illinois School for the Deaf) 1976-1978.
Mt. Sterling School in Peoria, Illinois 1979-1980.
Thomas Metcalf School in Bloomington, Ill. 1980-1989.
Marion High School 1989-1993.
John A. Logan Community College, Carterville, Ill. 1994-95.
Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 1995-2001.

I'm proud of being mainstreamed all my life, although we had about 10-11 deafies in my high school and grade school, so I wasn't the only deafie. :type:
 
i was educated from K to 3rd grade mainstreamed then went to the MarylandSD from 4 to 9th grade til i was expelled from there and transferred to MSSD where i graduated in 89 and went on to RIT and there i was mainstreamed again when i cross-registered to the RIT's College of Liberal Arts
 
Originally posted by VamPyroX
I originally went to CID in St. Louis, MO when I was young. At the age of 5, I moved to Dallas, TX and started going to mainstream school. I stayed in all deaf classes until I entered 3rd grade. From 3rd grade to 7th grade, I went to mainstream classes while I took a couple of deaf classes. From 8th grade and beyond, I went to all mainstream classes.
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How long did you stay at CID?
 
I went to deaf institute for 12 years then mainstreamed for the rest of my "education" life.
 
I went to mainstreamed school and play some sports there.
Went to deaf school, I think it is somehow of an easy way to get around with educations and sports.
At my last two years of high school (Junior and Senior) I go to both of deaf school and hearing school with an interpreter (No deafies there at that time). I did pretty good and wrestled for this 3 A high school. I went through to some tournament beside keeping up with big school classes. I'm somewhat of strong Deaf and associating with hearies. :dunno:
No big deal, but I kind of pick mainstreamed better than either of deaf school and hearies' only school.
I play too many sports and love them all!
 
those that transferred to a residential school from a mainstreamed school, what reasons prompted you to do so? And for those that switched back, why did you do so?
 
some of you mentioned that mainstreamed education=better education as compared to deaf education, why do you think that?
 
I've always been mainstream. The education system sucked in my days in NZ for Deaf. Hearies had control over our subjects and I wasn't allowed to study certain subjects such as French, Music, Chemistry etc

Since NZ had no Interpreters at all in my days, we had notetakers only.

I got the Education I need when went to Colorado Springs for year as an Exchange Student. I was at CSDB and Palmer High and I choose every subject I wasn't allowed to learn here in NZ. My old school tried to get my USA schools to change my subjects so I said :madfawk: or I will sue ya American style. They left me alone... and I excelled in most subjects...

NZ is undergoing a radical change within all sectors which enables more independant choices and access....
 
When I was in high school, I really had hard time to choose my classes too. I was mainstreamed, and the high school had a teacher for the deaf in this self contained classroom for deaf students. I tried to continue my level and take classes (honours) because I was doing that in 7th and 8th grades. That teacher intervened and said I could not take honours classes, and pulled me down to college prep classes (level 3 instead of level 5). I was soooo mad!

My first year in high school, I did very well and had the best grade of four College Prep English classes. So I told my teacher to let me take honours in my sophomore year but she said no! I was shocked. The school would not allow me to take what I wanted because they listened to my teacher not me. I could not take German class until my sophomore year. I was really unhappy in high school because of that bitch.

I had my revenge back at her, in my junior year, I finally got my parents to tell her off and let me take honours classes. Then I felt I was behind in the classes because I missed first two years. In my senior year, I finally got A's and I gloated about it at that teacher. She had no reaction towards me. I even skipped German 3 to take German 4 in my senior year. Only if that bitch was not there at the high school! I told my cousin who worked as CST at the Board of Education, and she said that it was absolutely illegal what she did. Oh well...
 
From K-3rd, I was at a hearing school, but with a very strong deaf program, where I was taking all of the classes with my peers that were deaf.
4th-to now (Am a sophmore right now in high school), mainstreamed.
Id choose hearing school for the education, but the social life isn't easy at all when you're at a hearing school, all alone, no deafies at all.. the first one to enter at a school that had no idea what a deaf student was like.. the first one to break the doors for this town. If I really had much of a choice, I would've wanted to attend deaf school half day so I could socialize freely, while at a hearing school, I can recieve the education I needed.
I transferred to many different schools for I moved 9 times so far in my life, so I have been at numerous of schools and I can't remember all of them.
 
I've been mainstreamed throughout my education from kindergarten to college and onwards to graduate school with the exception of preschool. I feel, though, as a result of being mainstreamed and having hearing parents that I missed out learning about the Deaf Culture until I started taking ASL classes in college but's just the beginning-baby steps...
 
I've been mainstreamed my whole life, so I'd like to know why people think deaf schools are not up to par on the education level from mainstreamed schools. This may be opening pandora's box but how can it be improved?
 
*has to comment* I was mainstreamed k to 7 grade with NO other Deafies and no interp (didnt need one). 8th to part of 10th was at a mainstream HS in my hometown with a Deaf/HOH program. Then after 1st quarter my sophomore year i transferred to MSAD (Minn), spent the remainder of the year there - vowed to never go back (Per my request I took english at the local public school while attending MSAD). First quarter my junior year was at MSSD, i withdrew - for many reasons - money being a big one. Back to the mainstream school in my hometown for the remainder of my jr year. Then my senior year I moved to Colorado, spent 1 year there in a public school - NO other deafies. God I was bored :)

I enjoy Deaf cluture/social life, but academically I feel better in a hearing environment. I am fortunate enough to have a dad who's also Deaf and was active in the community when I was growing up, so I didnt miss too much. But I've posted before (i think) that I've not always been deaf. Long story short says deaf at: 17. :) Long story says gradual hearing loss from age 5 to 17 - and still going. I'm not yet completely deaf, dont know what I'd do if I was. Becoming deaf has CHANGED my life - a total 180.
 
I went to the public school as mainstreamed all of my life with deaf program. Dothan, Ala is pretty rough and had no interputer there. Other cities I been moved was great. I was in deaf classes few years to testing my IQ and find me high IQ then deafies so I have go back to mainstreamed forward. Oh well, That is life! I do enjoy those challengar. :)
 
Went to public school until 9th grade with interpreter. Tried to Transfer to ASD but only stayed for 3 weeks then transferred back to public school because of no education at ASD. Dropped out in 10th grade and got GED. I still consider myself successful.
 
Originally posted by SilenceGold
Went to public school until 9th grade with interpreter. Tried to Transfer to ASD but only stayed for 3 weeks then transferred back to public school because of no education at ASD. Dropped out in 10th grade and got GED. I still consider myself successful.
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Wow, congratulations for pushing yourself to get your GED and not giving up.
 
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