I received a message from a reader the other day. He is the father of a deaf son, and he was heartbroken from my post. "So you had him in a Deaf school and it didn't work? And here I'm thinking a Deaf school is what my son needs!"
Another question from a phone conversation a month back, "What do you look for in a good program or a school for your deaf child? How do I know if it's a good school?"
This post is my answer.
No matter what kind of program you decide to place your child:a residential school for the Deaf, a day program, a magnet school, there are some basic strategies that will make or break any program. A classroom teacher that implements effective strategies and an administration that encourages and requires such strategies will be a more successful program.
Another question from a phone conversation a month back, "What do you look for in a good program or a school for your deaf child? How do I know if it's a good school?"
This post is my answer.
No matter what kind of program you decide to place your child:a residential school for the Deaf, a day program, a magnet school, there are some basic strategies that will make or break any program. A classroom teacher that implements effective strategies and an administration that encourages and requires such strategies will be a more successful program.
When we told the IEP team we were bringing my son home, the comments we got were supportive: “My grandsons were all homeschooled.” And this one I love, “School is not for everyone.” Well. My son did great in school until last year. Unfortunately, effective strategies were not used consistently in his classroom. Maybe ‘school’ in the traditional sense of skill and drill isn’t for everyone, but school COULD and SHOULD be for everyone. If we would change a few instructional practices, children would be able to thrive no matter what their ‘special need.’ And all children would benefit. How many 3rd graders do you know like to sit and do work sheets and independent work all day?
In my work as a teacher of the
deaf, and now even more as a parent of deaf children; I have seen what
strategies will really engage your students/children, and others that will
cause behavior problems, boredom and poor overall achievement. The table below
shows ineffective instructional strategies and effective instructional strategies. Keep
in mind, the ineffective strategies can be used in instruction; it’s how
often they are used and to what extent. We all need a little skill and drill to
practice and retain information, but too much is too much! Each Strategy will be summarized in my next post (this one is getting too long). I’ll be including posts on examples of many as we do activities
here at home that match the strategies.
The overuse of strategies found
in the left column and the absence of strategies in the right, and the effect it was having on my child, is what finally
caused me to take him out of school and start home school.
My advice for parents looking for a good program for their child?
- Tour the school while school is in session, observing the teachers and the students during instructional time.
- Review the school's language policy and philosophy. Use this, but don't base everything on it. For example, Utah's language policy is decades old, and their actual classroom practices in the elementary grades are much better then their language policy implies.
- Interview the administration, teachers and staff. Question the use of the effective strategies listed on the right. What is the administration's commitment to making sure these are carried out in the classroom?
- Try to find another parent in the area that has a child attending the school. (This might be tricky) - or review the school's website and reviews online.
- Search for videos the school may have produced. I know some great schools are out there because of the videos they have published on YouTube. Check out these! Animals in ASL by California School for the Deaf Riverside. Wizard of Oz by Florida School for the Deaf,
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