Monday, July 19, 2004

Few Miscellaneous To Whine As Always

Purple has been my favorite color all the time, though.  That is why I love Amethyst.  :-)
 
Let's talk something about the expectations.  Often, Deaf leaders took over deaf schools who had been overran by cronies who happens to be hearing (yeah, right!) for years, they weathered the vicious, tenacious and arrogant cronies (the overwhelming majority of cronies are ... hearing ones), who resisted the educational reform to improve these schools.  These cronies had the worst (I will not use "low") expectations for deaf students. 
 
When I was a student at the elementary division at a deaf school (VSD), the majority of my teachers are hearing who often left us on our own to learn.  Often with basic needs, but that is it.  Then I entered the high school division where nearly all of high school teachers are Deaf, graduated from Gallaudet.  For the first time in my life, I had the expectations.  I am expected to do this, that and there.  Later, when I graduated from VSD, I talked with these teachers about the elementary division.  They said with a resignation tone, "You know how it is, hearing people ruled the school for years." 
 
It is refreshing to see a former Supreme Court Justice Charles McDevitt, himself a hearing person, acknowledged that there is a "custodial" institution at Idaho School for the Deaf when Dr. Ramos attempted to reform that into a more aggressive education.  Rest assured, Idaho is not the only deaf school that has the custodial atmosphere.  Very few deaf schools succeeded in removing the custodial atmosphere.  Many Deaf leaders faced the formidable liars in hearing cronies who had the backings of many (again, hearing) supporters in parents, government agency, school system and so on.  It is human nature for hearing people to side with its peers, rather than to side with Deaf persons when it comes to the educational system. 
 
Basically, you can see why I often had an attitude with a hearing person when they said they wanted to work in Deaf education.  I'm like, "Get the fuck out of our lives."  They think they knew the best means to teach, but they simply do not.  The majority of them, that is.  Not all, but the majority. 
 
It is interesting to note that many Deaf students who went to a deaf school that also has a facility for blind students.  These schools often comes up with *SDB like FSDB, VSDB, ISDB, WVSDB, et al.  But many Deaf alumni deliberately omitted the "B" part when it comes to the conversation with each other.  I do that, too.  I just saw Jeff doing that. 
 
It is interesting that Marvin Miller is working to set up a town for signers (only), will there be an ordinance where one wanted to move in, one has to prove themselves that they can sign?  Cool.  The name of a new town is Laurent.  It will be located in McCall County, South Dakota -- about 20 miles west of Sioux Falls -- the home of the C-S-D.  As you can see, Miller works with the CSD and I won't be surprised that CSD would contribute a great deal of money in Laurent, then move there from Sioux Falls. 
 
Why Laurent?  Of course, named after the nation's first Deaf teacher in Laurent Clerc. 
 
R-

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