Which would you choose

I would choose

  • the deaf teacher who is not highly qualified

    Votes: 18 51.4%

  • the hearing teacher who is highly qualified

    Votes: 14 40.0%

  • I dont know

    Votes: 3 8.6%
  • Total voters
    35
shel90

shel90

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Here is this scenario..


Your deaf child attends a deaf school and you are given an option to choose between two teachers...

One is deaf, fluent in ASL, English is ok but that person has always been able to motivate relunctant learners with creative ideas and fun activities. That person has been able to improve student test scores. One problem...that person is not highly qualified under NCLB standards due to his/her written English being not on that level but has scored within 5 points of passin the Praxis and has been taking the test over and over again, only to fail by <5 points and test-taking anxiety.

One is hearing, signs more SEE, has a history of bad classroom management, kids get unmotivated with his/her lessons and perform poorly due to boredom and the teacher's inability to adjust to meet their learning styles. However, that teacher is highly qualified under NCLB standards and very skilled at taking any kind of test under pressure.

Which would you pick and why?

The reason I brought this up is because it is happening to a lot of people I know. Many people who have a passion for teaching end up leaving the teaching field because of this test and society's judgement on their skills based on this one test.

It is a big concern of mine for the future of Deaf education.
 
I would take #1, but the real solution would be sure to make certain today's students can pass this exam. We know it is possible, and I think under the ADA the number one teachers should qualify for some sort of supplementary training so they do pass the Praxis.
 
Bottesini said:
I would take #1, but the real solution would be sure to make certain today's students can pass this exam. We know it is possible, and I think under the ADA the number one teachers should qualify for some sort of supplementary training so they do pass the Praxis.
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The problem is the English part of the Praxis uses a lot of slangs and tricky phrases that many deaf people arent experienced with. My question is...what does it have to do with classroom teaching? I dont get it.

One quesiton I remember was a statement in which a girl had to make like a tree and leave and the questions were asking what that means. Luckily, I had a lot of personal experience with slangs that I was able to get it right but others may not and get it wrong. How is that a measurement of one's English skills?
 
I think it is not fair. slangs are just slangs. Anyone can make up their own slangs.
 
I voted to hire the deaf teacher as she knows ASL better than SEE and also perform good ideas and motivation in the classroom better than the hearing teacher. I don't like slangs at all and I don't understand why they have to use the slangs as part of their English test. I think that is not fair as they are trying to discriminated against deaf teachers. Geez. :mad:
 
I pick Deaf teacher too cos she can use their language and give them better results than hearing teacher.
 
I prefer first deaf teacher is best clear understand communication to deaf people than hearing misunderstand sometimes confused and misunderstand communication!!! understand but confused! that is correct!
 
Definately would choose the first. The advantages are clear. If it is just an issue with OK English skills, there are ways to remediate that. Her other skills would offer a child a big advantage overall.
 
I'd pick the first one as well. While I like slang I don't use it much and I think the use of slang should not be used in English classes unless it centers around idioms as the topic. The Deaf teacher can always work on her English skills.

SEE is just too awkward. People say I'm very English but when I see people using SEE in vids, I tend to tune SEE users out. I can see deaf tuning out SEE users in class.
 
If my child was Deaf, I would want the Deaf teacher as well... Slang has no place in a classroom anyhow, as far as I am concerned, and the Deaf teacher can learn the meanings beforehand if there are slang expressions used in the curriculum.

Even as a hearing person, I know that I am SO GLAD that my ASL teachers were all Deaf...I have seen hearing ASL teachers and it's just NOT the same, no matter how fluent they are.

I also wanted to say that with the circumstance you describe, I wouldn't see that Deaf teacher as not being "highly qualified" as stated in the poll.
 
chipmunkis said:
If my child was Deaf, I would want the Deaf teacher as well... Slang has no place in a classroom anyhow, as far as I am concerned, and the Deaf teacher can learn the meanings beforehand if there are slang expressions used in the curriculum.

Even as a hearing person, I know that I am SO GLAD that my ASL teachers were all Deaf...I have seen hearing ASL teachers and it's just NOT the same, no matter how fluent they are.

I also wanted to say that with the circumstance you describe, I wouldn't see that Deaf teacher as not being "highly qualified" as stated in the poll.
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I was going to say the same thing. I also don't understand why slang is all that important. I don't think it should even be on the tests, but, that is just my opinion.

I believe a hearing person fluent in ASL could be a decent TOD, but, I still would probably want a Deaf TOD teaching my Deaf child. There just isn't any room for error when it comes to teaching children, and, the ideal would be to have a native signer teaching the deaf child.
 
Deaf teacher all the way!!!!!! And their English is pretty much adquate right?
that person is not highly qualified under NCLB standards due to his/her written English being not on that level
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Yes, but it's written (expressive right?) English.A LOT of people have difficulty with articualting themselves in written English. Ask any college or high school English instructor.
 
I have to say I hate it when people can't write in plain English. That should be a given, irrespective of background. I see some comments on this forum and just give up trying to follow what they are attempting to say. I also think bad class management is awful too though, so in this case I would go with the deaf teacher anyway! lol
 
deafskeptic said:
I'd pick the first one as well. While I like slang I don't use it much and I think the use of slang should not be used in English classes unless it centers around idioms as the topic. The Deaf teacher can always work on her English skills.

SEE is just too awkward. People say I'm very English but when I see people using SEE in vids, I tend to tune SEE users out. I can see deaf tuning out SEE users in class.
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Especially if SEE is not their language (yet). I can see spanish people people tuning English speaking teachers out too. Until people teach them English, that's what they will be doing: Tune out. I've already tuned out some idioms because it doesn't make sense to me.
 
Oops, I voted the hearing one by accident. Well, I meant to vote for the deaf teachers. Dude...it's only 5 points? With that such a small difference, I don't think it should matter that much, just as the 10 points difference between 800 and 790 on SAT shouldn't make a big difference in college admissions. But if she failed by a very wide margin...well...that's another story. But in this case, she's obviously qualified and would seem to make a great teacher.

Fuck the standardized tests. I had painful experience of studying for SATs and standardized tests...but I was lucky enough to score well on them.

I've never had a deaf teacher in schools.. All of my teachers were hearing...but it would be interesting to have a deaf teacher. xD
 
deafgal001 said:
Especially if SEE is not their language (yet). I can see spanish people people tuning English speaking teachers out too. Until people teach them English, that's what they will be doing: Tune out. I've already tuned out some idioms because it doesn't make sense to me.
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English is my first language but SEE is just too awkward even for native English users. SEE is not a true sign language; it's a mode of English. All the things that makes English a great spoken language makes it cumbersome in signed form at best.
 
Make me wonder, Do spanish speaking kids get a interpreter (which I doubt anyway because they use spoken language unless it is cart in spanish) in school , go to school for spanish people people who don't know English yet, or do teachers just make them deal with English rather they understand it or not?

I'm asking this because I don't understand the closing of deaf schools and why it ok to push deaf kids in mainstreamed when they probably don't do this to spanish speaking kids.
 
I would pick #1 (ASL teacher), and set up supports in place to provide one on one tutoring/ peer mentoring to increase Written English skills for that teacher, and any other's who would benefit/are interested. English in an educational environment is important, but being able to TEACH in a clear, understandable way that engages the students is actaully MORE important.

P.S. I come from a family of teachers, EAs etc.
 
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