Ranting of an English teacher

HDfreak316 said:
KUDOS!!! We need more English/grammar teachers like you.
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which is why i support stem-cell research and human cloning. I mean look at the big picture here...just clone deafbajagal 100 times and you'll have plenty of inspiring, determined teachers to get those english skills in gear! :laugh2:
 
difficult, hate to say it, but i think 'role model' doesnt cut it anymore. but a more active use of 'grammar vitamins' concepts from a thread you have created recently, but do it on a rotational basis and have it more 'tuned' to groups of smilarily-leveled students.
 
deafbajagal said:
This year I am teaching English Composition, Reading, Literature, and Drama at the high school level.

My students are telling me that they cannot write because they are deaf. They really believe this...apparently there's a notion that deaf people cannot write in proper English. And even worse...many adults are agreeing with them.

That notion is bullshit. Even though a deaf person's native language may be ASL (note: not ALL deaf people will fall into the category of having ASL as their first and primary language) and even though that person cannot hear spoken English, that person is very likely able to learn written English.

How? READ, READ, READ. Be assertive...learn grammatical rules. Ask questions. Write as much as you can and get feedback (and be sure to accept constructive criticism as part of the growing process).

We CAN do it! CAN!

It is time we go back to our roots. Back in the early days of Deaf Education, deaf children were writing as well as, if not better, than their hearing peers. What happened? How did we fall so low that many of our students cannot read above the fourth grade level? At what point do we finally stop and say...enough! Our kids CAN do it. And will.

What are the obstacles of learning English? The list is too long for me to include it in here. But what we should be discussing...what are the measures we can take to ensure success.
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We need more caring teachers like you and shel90!

Bringing in deaf role models who have excellent command of the english language is a great idea. I used to tutor english at Gallaudet and participated in the honors program for English and several other classes. Deaf people and children can actually transcend the fourth grade level reading! Gotta show it can be done and how it can be done.
 
"How? READ, READ, READ. Be assertive...learn grammatical rules. Ask questions. Write as much as you can and get feedback (and be sure to accept constructive criticism as part of the growing process). "

Please, how the hell are they able to read if they don't know the language in the first place?

I'd give you a book written in Russian and tell you, "READ READ READ!" but you will NEVER learn to read simply because you don't know Russian in the first place! To know language requires interaction. To make them do well in English, you just have to spend SO much time explaining concepts and why sentences are structured and all that.
 
netrox said:
"How? READ, READ, READ. Be assertive...learn grammatical rules. Ask questions. Write as much as you can and get feedback (and be sure to accept constructive criticism as part of the growing process). "

Please, how the hell are they able to read if they don't know the language in the first place?

I'd give you a book written in Russian and tell you, "READ READ READ!" but you will NEVER learn to read simply because you don't know Russian in the first place! To know language requires interaction. To make them do well in English, you just have to spend SO much time explaining concepts and why sentences are structured and all that.
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Yes, they can learn if they have a strong first language in the first place. That's why it is so important for deaf children to acquire a strong L1 language before entering school so they can acquire English as their 2nd language.

Yes, we have to spend a lot of time explaining concepts and why sentences are structured and that is supposed to happen during the elementary school years. That is what I am doing now with my 4th graders...they achieved reading fluency last year so now I am working with them on the different aspects of English-figurative, idioms, declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory statements, antonyms, and so forth- They are picking up the concepts rather quickly this year already.

That's why it is so critical for deaf children to enter kindergarten with a strong language foundation so they can tackle on literacy skills at a young age. If they dont, then they wont be ready therefore delaying them even further. Unfortunately, too many deaf children come to school with a weak L1 language...all children, whether deaf or hearing MUST have a strong first language before developing literacy skills and acquring a second language.

However, you are making an assumption that Deafbajagal's students do not have any English background and since they are in high school, I find it highly impossible. We can only speculate..if these kids are coming in high school with no reading skills nor any understanding in English, then something went wrong during their earlier years in the educational system. By high school, all deaf kids should know the English language unless they came from another country. Let Deafbajagal answer this question before making any speculations.
 
Thanks Shel. Yeah. How can they learn the language without exposure? Written English is everywhere...they need to be exposed to it, but reading the words alone is not sufficient. They need scaffolding with visual cues/modes, expanding details, etc. Immersion in any language is the key.

So, Netrox, I'm curious...from where did you get your deaf education degree?
 
deafbajagal said:
Thanks Shel. Yeah. How can they learn the language without exposure? Written English is everywhere...they need to be exposed to it, but reading the words alone is not sufficient. They need scaffolding with visual cues/modes, expanding details, etc. Immersion in any language is the key.

So, Netrox, I'm curious...from where did you get your deaf education degree?
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You are welcome. I agree with you about immersion. Since my 4th graders are now fluent readers, I am writing everything that is expected from them during class and I tell them, istead of asking me what's the agenda for each class, they have to read what I write to find out the agenda. That way that can start relaying on English just as they do with ASL.
 
Thanks Bott & Miss Delectable. Stevie Platt is new to me. He wrote his first book "Go to the Hill" and he is working on his third book. I just put all those books on my wish list at amazon.com so I don't forgot to shop for those books when I have $$ for them. :)
 
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