The hearing aid teacher

One Advantage of Being Mainstreamed According to a Deaf Student

2012-05-30T08:56:00.002-04:00

A deaf high school student (bilateral cochlear implanted) told me that one of the advantages of being mainstreamed is that she is constantly pushed into speaking up and advocating for herself. Being very shy, she does not like to speak up in class or to tell others how she feels when they hurt her feelings or if she disagrees. Her hearing loss prompts her to leave her comfort zone and ask for

Good News From Deaf/HH Students

2012-05-24T20:22:00.001-04:00

Got good news from some of my students today which they excitedly shared with me: One found out he was accepted into advanced math and science placement for the Fall, another was voted "Most likely to become President of the United States" by his class, one got a 100 on her Biology final, while another student learned she will be going to Disney World next week! :) Always nice to see students

Why Students Should Attend IEP or 504 Meetings

2012-05-21T05:59:00.002-04:00

I usually encourage my students to attend their IEP meetings or be a part of the process of implementing their IEPs (Individualized Education Plans). I believe attending IEP meetings can be a great learning experience and that the student can contribute and help us understand how we can better serve this student. Research shows that students actively involved in making decisions about their

When a Student is a Productive Member of the IEP Team

2012-05-16T20:51:00.000-04:00

I think it is very important for students, especially high school students, to attend IEP meetings and to be a part of making decisions about their educational plans. The meeting is about them, after all. Students are always invited to the meeting. It is really up to their parents on whether or not they can attend (unless they are 18). It makes me smile when a student voices his or her

Hearing Aid Tube Changes Shouldn't Require Several Expensive Visits to the Audiologist

2012-05-10T05:56:00.004-04:00

From AllDeaf forum: I did ask my audie for the tubing I need another extra, in case of emergency that I might need it so badly if it's smthg happened to my tubing damage torn apart, it already dries up cracked by itself that way I don't have to come back again. She said no, that I can't buy one until I have to come back after for only a short months, it makes me so mad tired of going

Listen, Remain Calm, Ask Questions. . .

2012-05-08T22:25:00.000-04:00

One of the most difficult things about being an itinerant teacher of mainstreamed deaf and hard of hearing students is getting in messy, complicated, and awkward situations with staff members, administrators, teachers, and interpreters. Some of these situations have made me want to curl up in a ball and sleep, slip off into la-la land, cry hysterically, scream and tear my hair out, or run away

Unexpected Lesson on Poop & Pee

2012-05-04T11:29:00.001-04:00

I had a young student who participated in cleaning the wax out of his hearing aid ear mold. During the process he stopped and sniffed the ear mold. "Eeew!" he exclaimed. "It smells like poop!" Then he pointed the ear mold towards me suggesting I should smell it as well. I wanted to gag. I responded, "No thank you. I really don't feel like smelling something that smells like feces." "What?" He

Kudos to Those Who Spoke Up About the "ASL Music Video" on HuffPost

2012-04-23T07:32:00.000-04:00

When a major website published an article about an "ASL"(American Sign Language) music video, several native and fluent users of this language became upset, understandably. The article was bombarded with comments about how the video misrepresented ASL. Blog posts were written about it. People were incensed. According to ASL users, the language they used in the video was incomprehensible and

Hypocrite!

2012-04-17T20:15:00.001-04:00

There are hypocrites everywhere. The mother riding a bicycle without a helmet, even though she insists that her children must wear their helmets when riding their bikes. The celebrity who cries about how we should help the environment while he often travels in his jet. The teacher who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day preaching to his students about the dangers of smoking. The nutritionist

Effective Complaining

2012-04-12T19:19:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I have students who will have problems or issues with someone for a specific reason. I will talk to them about how to talk with the person they have issues with in a mature and responsible way. One must be cordial, respectful, and calm when working with others to try to solve a problem. It also helps to be clear in explaining what the issue is and how you would like it resolved.

What Teaching Reminds Me

2012-04-05T08:54:00.000-04:00

When I am teaching as an itinerant teacher of deaf and hard of hearing students attending public schools, I am reminded of several things on a daily basis. I am reminded of diversity. There are different hearing losses, different ways of communicating, different languages, different ways of learning, and different cultures, families, and backgrounds. No one is like me, grew up like me, or will

I Don't Know What Happened and Neither Do You. So Please Be Quiet.

2012-04-03T09:53:00.000-04:00

Sometimes issues or problems with a student, a staff member, or a parent will come up. If somehow I am involved with it or have to be, I try my best to focus only on the facts. It is not smart to immediately make assumptions and to form opinions, especially if you did not witness the issue take place. When someone decides to talk about the issues with others (when they shouldn't) and make it

A Question About Schools for the Deaf Hiring Teachers and Staff Members With Incompetent Signing Skills

2012-04-02T08:50:00.000-04:00

If a school for the deaf, where using signed language is predominant, hired a teacher or staff member with incompetent signing skills, what do they do? Do they give the person a year to work on improving their signing skills? And if they don't improve their signing skills do the schools have the right to fire this person due to lack of signing skills? Just wondering, because I know how hard it

Microwaves Can Cause Hearing Loss?

2012-04-01T14:18:00.005-04:00

In recent news, according to scientific clinical trials conducted in Switzerland over a twenty year period, microwaves can cause hearing loss. What?! A team of renowned scientists studied the effects of radiation emitted from microwave ovens on people. They found that over time, after frequent daily use of microwaves, people's hearing levels decreased significantly. Radiation danger from

Used Hearing Aid Drive

2012-03-31T17:47:00.002-04:00

Hello my name is Ray Deardorff. I'm with HearingHealth4, part of a non-profit group committed to helping people hear better by providing quality used hearing aids at affordable pricing. One of the ways we accomplish this is through the continued support of hearing aid providers. We are in need of used hearing aids to help meet the ongoing growing demand from the hard of hearing who can't

Hearing Devices Survey By Health Economics Research Group

2012-03-31T17:07:00.000-04:00

Dear Hearing Aid Teacher, We are a health economics research group at Leipzig University, Germany. Currently we are working on the project titled “how to make hearing aids and implants more affordable”. We would like to ask you to help us with the data collection for our research by filling out the questionnaire. Please could you publish the link on your blog? The link to the questionnaire is

Censored Closed Captions Issue Resolved!!

2012-03-22T20:36:00.000-04:00

I got this email today from the Disability Rights Office Federal Communications Commission: Good Afternoon Ms. [ (e ], I have received the company response regarding your complaint. The company concludes this matter is resolved and this email to verify resolution between you, the company and this specific complaint. Thanks in advance. It's official. The issue has been resolved. This is

Don't Say "I Can't" Or "I Never Will"

2012-03-20T18:43:00.002-04:00

I have been trying to encourage a high school student I work with to put more effort in his studies. He will often say, "I never will pass this class." and "I can't do this. What's the point?" My response is usually, "Of course you will. Don't say I never will." and "You can do this. Don't say I can't." Today I saw him and we talked about how he was doing in his classes and school things. I

Website I am Looking at to Help With Buying a New Hearing Aid

2012-03-17T21:57:00.000-04:00

I am currently looking at Consumer Reports' website to help me with the task of looking at buying a new hearing aid. It contains a lot of useful information and good advice. Does anyone know of other websites with helpful information about buying hearing aids? (e Link to Consumer Report's Hearing Aid Guide: http://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-living/home-medical-supplies/hearing/

Mixed Feelings About Getting a New Hearing Aid

2012-03-17T21:23:00.003-04:00

I have had my hearing aid since 2006. I think it is time for a new one; something sleeker with better sound quality. I like the idea of having something lighter and more comfortable hanging on my ear. But, I don't want to go through the process of shopping around for a hearing aid, trying it out, and visiting audiologists and hearing aid dispensers eager to sell me expensive hearing aids. I

Read With Your Student or Child

2012-03-16T07:02:00.000-04:00

As I have mentioned before in an earlier post, no one really knows how one should teach children to read, particularly deaf and hard of hearing children. It depends. Of course once someone learns how to read, there are ways teachers and care givers can support and improve their reading skills. I witnessed this the other day watching a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing work with a student,

The Signing School Bus

2012-03-10T17:31:00.000-05:00

I was on my way to work one morning. I stopped at an intersection waiting for the light to turn green. Ahead of me, on the other side of the intersection, was a large school bus facing me. I saw the dark silhouettes of children moving around on the bus. With nothing else to look at, I continued to stare at them. Suddenly, I realized that they were signing. Their hands moved around excitedly

Captioning in the Classrooms A Big Hit

2012-03-05T19:09:00.000-05:00

Apparently, more and more students are requesting closed captioning or subtitles in some of the high schools I work at. Many students who have been exposed to captioned media, because it is necessary for their deaf and hard of hearing classmates, absolutely love it. A few kids mentioned how they like that it helps them with their note taking. Others really like that they now know exactly what

New Title: The Hearing Aid Teacher

2012-03-01T20:03:00.001-05:00

I thought my previous title for this blog, Education & Advocacy For the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, was a bit generic and impersonal. After brainstorming using techniques I teach my students (glad to know that they work!), I came up with The hearing aid teacher. Why this title and what does it mean to me? While I would not call myself the "hearing aid teacher" this is what some younger students

I Will Be Changing the Title of My Blog

2012-02-26T13:00:00.000-05:00

I have decided to change the title of my blog, (e Eh? What? Huh? to (e Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education Blog. I will be focusing more on deaf education. It seems as if I am writing more and more about this topic these days. It makes sense to change the title to simply describe the purpose of this blog. Also, it is easier to say the title Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education Blog than Eh?