I get what you are saying--build a good foundation first before sending them out into the bigger "real world" of mainstreamed public schools. However, I have also seen the flaws in this approach--mostly regarding social issues, but some academic issues as well. Of course, for some kids, a deaf school may be the only place where they can build those basic skills and foundation for later learning--if they aren't getting it in "regular school" then they definitely need to get it somewhere--building the basics is VERY important for later learning.
The "scope and sequence" of learning is pretty basic: first they MUST be able to communicate(HOWEVER possible), then they must become literate(reading and writing are the basis for learning further skills), and then they learn everything else using those skills. A child who learns to communicate, read well, and write well(in their native language, whatever it may be) can then go on to learn more and more about the world through that language. Some kids do well in more than one language--that is awesome--but all kids need a "first language" to build all of the later skills on.
Now, when it comes to children in America, the issue is: which language will be their "first language". The majority of American language is English, some use American Sign Language(but most are literate in the English language), and there is a large population in America whose first language is Spanish. if children aren't taught to be literate(read and write) in English, they will have a very hard time in America. Living in America and not knowing English(through reading and writing) can be done, but it is an immensely difficult task. So, when it comes to deaf children in America, I think we would all agree that, no matter what language they use in addition to English, they need to be very literate in the English language (reading and writing) in order to be successful in America, right? This is NOT about speaking English, this is about reading and writing in English--the basis of education in American schools.
So, since the goal is to get American deaf children to be literate in English (reading and writing), that is the focus of which school works best for each child. If a child successfully learns to read and write well in the English language, then that will be the basis of further learning in American schools. I like the saying: at first they learn to read, then they read to learn. It is so true! If a deaf child can become very literate through public schools, then it may work for them. If not, then they need whatever resources possible in order to help them become literate. If a deaf child's first language is ASL, then they need to be taught to read and write English through ASL--I don't know exactly how that is done, but obviously it works--many people who are ASL only are also very literate in English(read and write well in English). Kudos to those who learned to do that--it must be difficult to learn one language when reading and writing when it is not your first language. For kids whose first language is ASL, it probably is hard to find a good program in American public schools--there are some, but maybe deaf schools would be a much better option. Maybe for those kids, starting at a deaf school is the best option. BUT--then there are deaf/hh kids whose first language is English--IF they have good access to English and IF they communicate well through English as they are learning to become literate in English--then maybe they would do fine in American public schools(just based on becoming literate and learning through English). There are a lot of deaf/hh kids who become very literate through public schools--they learn to read well, they learn to write well, and they learn to further their skills through their English literacy. Academically, these kids may do okay in public schools--at least in the beginning.
Now, here is where change may be needed--middle and high school. For the kids who grew up in deaf schools, I am not so sure how well mainstreaming into public schools goes--it seems that it would be like dropping them into a foreign country in some ways. Adolescence is such a volatile time in a child's life--I am not so sure that it is such a great time to make such a drastic change. Yes, they will have to eventually integrate into the "real world", but I can see how difficult it would be for a child to do this at such a tough life stage. Yes, maybe they will have more opportunities--maybe they need advanced classes or things not available at deaf schools, but they are probably in for a shock--they may not get the services they need, and they may have issues socially. Still, it works for some--more power to them. Now let's look at the other perspective--deaf kids who did well mainstreaming when younger--they became very literate in English and they did fairly well academically when younger. They may have even done okay socially when younger--maybe being "different" wasn't a big deal when they were in elementary school. But then they hit adolescence--the social structure of cliques and groups begins to form, and they often begin to feel their differences more than they did before. Going into bigger middle schools, and often huge high schools, is an eye-opening experience. Soon, even though they did fine academically in elementary school, they may begin to feel the challenges as the classes get larger, the teachers are less likely to modify things specifically for them, and things just get busier and harder academically. And then the social issues--oh, how the social issues begin to surface during this stage!! I would NEVER want to be that age again--it is SO tough!!!!!! So, for many of the kids who did fine in the mainstream at first, they find themselves lost in the mainstream during middle and high school.
So that is why I am now seeing how the idea of mainstreaming during middle and high school CAN be the WORST time to do so--at least for many kids. If they didn't mainstream before, they are in for a HUGE culture shock--all kids feel this change, but kids who have never been in it before will feel it even harder. And kids who DID mainstream when younger may also have a very hard time adjusting to the changes--it is just a whole different world beyond the shelter of elementary school. I have even noticed this culture shock with kids who went to oral deaf schools first and then mainstreamed later--even though they may be "speaking the language", they still learn that their culture is very different from the mainstream. Plus, they often run into issues when they expect accommodations but are told that they are not all available.
I am not totally against public schools--both my hearing son and deaf/hh daughter have been in them since kindergarten. BUT--I do see how "real world" they are--they are big monstrosities that can literally eat some kids alive!! The older they get, the bigger the institution gets--some kids go through the ropes and come out fine on the other side. With the "sink or swim" attitude in public schools, some kids swim and even rise to the top, and some kids sink--to the bottom--and drop out. And, I guess, most kids just "go with the flow" and end up in the huge stream with all of the other average regular people. My son COULD be "on top"--he is very bright--BUT, he seems to be choosing to just "be average"--he just wants to "fit in". SIGH! There are some kids who really rise to the top--they pass the average group up and keep going. That takes a LOT of ambition and motivation, and not a lot of kids have that. Those who do will be the leaders of the future--and the rest will be the average "joes" who follow along. Hey, average joes can have happy lives, too--there is nothing wrong with being an average joe! BUT--those who fall BELOW average--now those kids have a HARD time ever getting back up off of the ground. For many kids, they fall and they don't get back up. My greatest fear is sending my deaf/hh daughter into that fast flowing stream, only to see her fall and never get back up. I just don't think it is right for her--I think she has a MUCH better chance at a MUCH better future if I let her avoid that stream. I want to get her in a custom-built, made-just-for-her kind of stream, know what I mean? I hope sending her to a deaf school for this part of her education will help her at least become an "average joe" in her OWN stream--and maybe she will even rise to the top of THAT stream!
So this is why I think, for many deaf/hh kids--but NOT ALL--if they can do well in the mainstream at first, then that is fine. If they need the structure and style of a deaf school at first--that is fine. But as they age, the mainstream may not be the best place for many of them--once again--many, NOT ALL. It is such a vulnerable age--adolescence--the teen years--middle and high school. Yes, they will have to face the "real world" as adults, but dropping them into it during this tender stage may be a really bad time to do so. My daughter is doing the opposite of what many from her oral deaf background are doing--she began in the mainstream and did fine, but now she is going to a deaf school for high school. I often wonder, why in the world do the oral deaf schools stop at 8th grade or younger? Why do they seem to think that kids would do well by starting at the oral deaf school but that they need to be mainstreamed as early as possible--no later than high school? Why do there seem to be no oral deaf schools that go through high school? See, when my daughter was younger, we were pretty much shown the two sides--the oral deaf schools and the other deaf schools. At the time, what we saw was kids talking at the oral deaf school and no one talking at the other deaf schools. We didn't see many schools, but this is what we saw back then. At the time, we went with the oral deaf school--my daughter went to preschool there and then mainstreamed into regular public schools beginning in kindergarten. Now, when we look back, my daughter really wishes that she could go to high school with some of those kids back from her preschool days. They are all mainstreaming--most have moved to different cities and are all going to different public schools. So now, she is looking at other deaf schools--the only ones with high schools--what we used to be told were the "other" deaf schools. Now, we see--the division is MUCH less than we were told. Luckily, we discovered one that was a good combination of BOTH sides--my daughter didn't feel so divided--she didn't feel that she had to "choose sides." I hope that this turns out to be the best place for her--it seems like a much better choice than letting her "sink or swim" in the mainstream. I like the customized stream that we found for her--hopefully she will swim well, and rise to the top even!
