Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Thursday, November 06, 2008

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The sign language class used interactive games to review material from the first half of the 10-week course.

Early this fall, the students learned the alphabet. Halfway through the course, they’re dabbling with watercolor paints. Much like kindergarteners soaking up new material, the FCPS employees taking a beginner’s sign language class have learned a lot in a short period of time.

“The main reason we’re offering it is just for them to be able to communicate with the deaf population within our school system,” said Carlin Robbins, a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing with Fayette County Public Schools.

“A lot of people will come in and know the manual alphabet, having picked it up through TV like on ‘Sesame Street,’” she said. Some have no background; others use the class as a refresher.

“We’re going to teach you a lot, but take away from it what you need – what you’re going to use,” she tells the students.

Robbins and colleague Debra Miller lead the 10-week class on Monday evenings in the annex library at It’s About Kids Support Services. Special education funds cover the teachers and materials; the course is free for participants. Thirty enrolled this fall, including teachers, secretaries, bus drivers and others from across the district.

While the focus is on educational sign vocabulary and basic conversational skills, participants are there for various reasons.

“I like to be able to pair verbally what I’m saying with some kind of visual,” said Andrea Pickard, a special education teacher at Clays Mill Elementary who works with kids who are hearing impaired. “When they can put a symbol to a word, it makes more sense to them.”

Pickard said sign language is also useful for other children who simply have trouble processing words or expressing themselves. If they know a quick sign for “hungry” or “bathroom,” it can ease their frustration, she said.

Peggy Wood doesn’t work in a classroom, but as a bookkeeper she does interact with children at Millcreek Elementary. “There’s a couple of students who are hearing impaired, and it would be nice to ask them questions and talk to them,” she said.

Others taking the course have personal motivations. Bus driver Valois Lewis, whose allergies affect her own hearing, wants to be able to sign during church services. She had long been looking for an opportunity to learn. “It was a blessing when they offered it,” she said of the class. “There’s more to it than what I thought.”

Each session includes a review of the previous week’s material, a mini-lesson on deaf education or culture, a sign language vocabulary lesson, a game or role-playing activity to reinforce the lesson, and a homework assignment. Among the highlights are learning the signs for family relationships, school subjects, days of the week, numbers and opposites like hot and cold.

This past Monday, the students took turns with a watercolor paint set at the front of the class – interpreting Robbins’ signs to fill out a color chart. They fared well in the exercise, one of several reviews at the midpoint of the class.

Despite the newness of the material, participants said they have not felt intimidated; most described the interactive sessions as fun and informative. “The second week we were here, we were putting sentences together,” Wood said.

“By end of this class, I am hoping I be able – not perfect – but comfortable to talk,” said Simin Mirzaei, a paraeducator at Squires Elementary.

At the final session on Dec. 8, the group will have a closing celebration and likely learn a holiday song in sign language.

This is the second year that FCPS has offered this professional development opportunity. More than half of the current class intends to take the follow-up course in the spring.

Robbins said the students will pick up where they left off, becoming more fluent and able to understand a lot more. “If you don’t use it, just like anything, you do lose those skills,” she said.

Interested?

For more information about the sign language classes, contact Carlin Robbins at (859) 381-3079 (Stonewall Elementary School).