Here is another interesting vlog (with English captioning) of a mother's perspective on a deaf school versus a mainstream school for her kids. To me this highlights how this is a very personal decision that varies from parent to parent and from child to child. The more dialogue I see on this issue the more I realize how personal a decision this is and how complex each situation can be.
I really liked this video. It was very personal. She didn't have specific reasons to not like the deaf school. It was just a feeling she had with the public school that was good and different from the deaf school. It's like a high school student picking a college. When you are at a college, you just have this feeling that it is right. There's so much controversy with children going to mainstream schools. I say if it's right for the child and parent, then no one else should worry about it.
ReplyDeleteI love this! I think that it is so important to remember that every deaf child is just that, a child. That child has parents or gaurdians that will have various needs and wants and the decision of education is extrememly important to that child and his/her family. It's so easy to get political on this issue, and that is not how it should be. Everyone needs to remember that education is more than just a choice that it is a decision that impacts the life of a child. I think it's great when parents advocate for thier children and take into consideration what is best and what feels right for their family and child. Once again, good post. Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteThis was a really great video. I love seeing a parent's perspective on school placement for kids because, I feel like often times, a parent's perspective is sometimes overlooked. But it was great to have the opportunity to hear her speak on the issue. Education is an extremely big part of a person's life and the parent's have a valid and legitimate right to help/act in that decision making process. I also love when parent's advocate for their children - I have very close friends that have fought to have specific placement for their deaf daughters. The fought with the school board and continued to lose the battle, but they didn't stop. They felt like what they were doing was best for their children, so they persisted. That fight, along with the video, is very inspiring.
ReplyDelete-Kristi Hamm
I love this video. It reminds me of my mother whose is a strong advocate for choosing a school because of a "feel" for the school. When my parents found out I was profoundly deaf, they weren't sure what to do educationally wise. For parents who had never really had much of an interaction with deaf anything, they were pretty much on a boat with nowhere to go. And so my mom did all kinds of research and decided she wanted me to stay at home with her, and go to public school. So we tried several schools with Deaf/HOH programs. She didn't like those, and neither did I. So finally she decided she wanted to send me to the nearest public school here because they had great education standards and its where she went. But they had no programs for the deaf. So she had to face down the school board and fight for my right to attend a public school. They even told her she was being "selfish" at the time. But she didn't want me to go to KSD because she wanted me to be surrounded by family support, including my grandfather, who was determined I was "good enough" for public school as he put it. KSD was 4 hours away from home.
ReplyDeleteBut personal story aside, it really is about what feels right for the child. If it doesn't work out, there are other options. But a parent should and will ALWAYS fight for what THEY feel is right for their child above all else. Disregard the personal feelings in a professional sense and work with the parent. I thank my mom for fighting to give me an opportunity to stay home with her and get the best education she felt was right for me at the same time.