Daily Perspectives of a Deaf Mom - Homeschool Blogger

So much has happened since I've been here

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 21:21:00 -0500

By perchance, I was thinking about homeschooling and Cued Speech. I was looking around for a place where people get together to share homeschooling tidbits and about working with special needs children. I came across a blog by the Izzos that shared their experiences with Cued Speech. I was reminded that I HAVE a blog over here on homeschoolblogger!

Most the time, I am over on xanga CUEMOMMY

I realize that my xanga world is not really about homeschooling but more about talking and sharing. I realize even more now that I need a place where I can talk about homeschooling.

Now, my children are older. I've gotten a cochlear implant along the way. In my xanga blog, you can click on some videos (link to youtube) and see the activation process.

My dear Hannah is still in public school (I had her before I married and became a true Christian) her father and I share legal custody, which means I cannot homeschool without his permission. Her father is pro public school while I am pro homeschooler. She is now in third grade and doing very well.

My dear Clarissa is now in first grade but she does second grade math. She really shows a knack for it. I really enjoy teaching her phonics and writing. This year we are doing pretty well, definitely much better than last year. I would say Clarissa is more on a second grade level than a first grade level. However, according to state of Florida, she is in first grade due to her birth date. Isn't home schooling great? The ability to speed up a child and place the child in a situation where he/she is challenged to the best of their abilities.

Zachary is 4 and in pre-k but enjoys learning how to write. He especially loves to draw little stick figurines and of cars and trucks. His coordination skills are steadily improving. Zachary is learning about the alphabet and how to apply the alphabet in printed form.

Kaitlyn is two now. She has a huge vocabulary base. I am using Cued Speech and Sign Language with her. Right now, she really enjoys signing and using expressions to show what she wants. If I cue to her, she understands some commands, however to cue back, she can't just yet.

I cue with all of my children and it has helped clarify what we, each other, are saying. There are moments in the car that I just can't read lips exclusively but if Hannah cues some words, I can look in the rearview mirror and understand what she was trying to share with me. Trust me, looking in the rearview mirror, the lips appear reversed. Don't believe me? Give it a try! :-)

In Christ
Julie Ann

Back AGAIN! LOL This time for VERY real!

Sun, 30 Jul 2006 23:28:00 -0500

It seems.........
"Back again" is all I say in these blogs. I'm actually chuckling as I type this. I was thus determined to stick with this last month and try to write on a more consistent basis but alas....
the demands of summer.

Summer and children = no vacation time for Mommy

Tmw is a big day for us all. According to Florida school schedule (which will be changed in the year 07-08) School officially starts tmw, July 31st. What does that mean?

This means....my oldest daughter Hannah (soon 8) will be in second grade and will be attending a public school because Hannah is my oldest from a previous relationship and her father disagrees with homeschooling. His family are very "pro education" and think homeschooling is absolutely wrong and they believe in common misconceptions such as the child being shut out from society. We homeschoolers know better.

I have been homeschooling Clarissa "unofficially" but tmw is her official day as a kindergartener. Tmw is also my first day as an official teacher. Tmw is also my son's unofficial day as a pre-schooler. :-)

Since this is the start of a school year, I should be taking this blog more seriously and be adding notes and thoughts about homeschooling throughout the year.

I will be starting Clarissa somewhat with the "unschooling" mentality. I have been reading about several teaching methods such as Montesorri, Charlotte Mason, Robinson Curriculum, as well as Unit Studies. I think because each child is so different in their own right, I think we should adapt and change our teaching styles along the way as we see fit. I don't believe we should stick firmly to one rigid schedule. A open guideline and a set list of goals should be a definite for the school year.

Hey I'm the kind of Mom that would buy a broken beat up pick up truck for $50 bucks and challenge my son Zachary to get it up and running with this set amount of $ per month (learn budgeting skills along the way) and so forth. Part of learning is interaction and I'm very big on that.

If I find some time tmw, I will write down some of my goals for the year that I listed down for my children.

For starters, my goal is to get to bed in the next 10 minutes. :-)

God Bless
~Julie Ann~

~I'm Back~Hopefully the last time

Fri, 9 Jun 2006 23:48:00 -0500

I forgot all about this blog site but tonight at the bookstore, I felt pressed in my heart to come back and blog about a few things. I'm not sure why...maybe there is someone out there that needs to hear what I have to share. I'm not sure where to start and my thoughts will probably roam all over the page!

Some of you asked in the comment section of my last blog entry, "How do you do it if you are deaf and your children are hearing?" I have to say that it is challenging but not impossible. Often times, I do have to sit down with my children and see them "face to face" and communicate directly with them. I can't just busy myself in the kitchen or be cleaning and "bounce off ideas" or practice spelling and math while listening to my child. It's quite the opposite. I'd have to sit there and see what they are saying. With my daughter, Clarissa, its been a very interesting journey. She will be six in the fall and I've found that her desire to learn is very strong. I guess I am lucky in that aspect. I don't have to "push" her to learn. She just willingly wants to learn and all on her own. Often times, I'd come in the room and find her working away at a workbook or practicing her penmanship. Often times, I just don't make a big deal out of it. I give her a hug and say "good job" and oversee what she is doing. I am always encourging her to think in a different way.

Some people could say my method is in "unschooling" and I guess you could say that. I think learning should be fun and not pressured at all on the child. I believe that a child learns quickest when they are fascinated with what they are doing. A lot of times I apply things in our lives in teaching my children. I use a lot of life skills and try to show them that its just not intelligence that comes in play but also emotional intelligence. School is lacking in the emotional part. That's where a mother comes in play---to train a child to think well emotionally and intellectually.

I'm not sure how....to answer your questions. I guess I'm rotten in that area. I don't think about the exact steps that I go about homeschooling my children. I have never really observed how other homeschool Moms work with their children. I am not sure how it all works. All I know is that I try to teach my child as much as I know as we go along in life. This reminds me that I should at least keep a journal (or maybe use this blog) as a journal as we go along in our young journey as homeschoolers.

If there are deaf moms out there or even moms with deaf children, please do feel welcome to contact me directly and I'd be happy to help in anyway I can.

God Bless

~Julie Ann~

Your comments---big surprise! My story....

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 19:51:00 -0600

I was so surprised to get this many responses, especially some of you showing an interest in ASL. I think it is amazing how God really moves in the ministry. I have really struggled with ASL for many years. Growing up, sign language was not accepted in my family because I was the only deaf person on both sides of the family.

My parents learned about Cued Speech when I was about four years old. My Mom is the only one who really utilized Cued Speech in my life. She even became a CS transliterator for Fairfax County in Virginia. I started learning how to sign when I met a deaf friend in summer school in 10th grade.

I was the only deaf person in my junior/high school so to meet a deaf person in summer school was very odd for me. Her name was Becky. She only went to my school temporarily in the summer to catch up with math and go back to MSSD (deaf high school near Galluadet University). I remember seeing her "sign" with her interpreter during lunch. I remember I was so scared to approach her and say that I am deaf too. I couldn't even sign to her! I actually had to "talk" to her interpreter and explain that I didn't know how to sign. Her interpreter signed to Becky what I said. Becky was AMAZED that I am deaf and didn't know how to sign.

As it turned out, Becky only lived two blocks away from my house! Isn't God amazing? He put Becky in my life to teach me how to sign the basics and to teach me about deaf culture. I went to a silent supper in my junior year (11th grade) and met a wonderful family that I am still friends with to this day. The moms name is Vicki, she used to be a sign language interpreter for a community college nearby. Her husband is deaf and they have two children, Jessica and Nathan.

I learned more about deaf culture being with them and she gradually became like a Mom to me. Vicki made me FEEL ACCEPTED. I never felt that... as a deaf person. She treated me like I was normal and that being deaf was no big deal. Vicki was also the first person to introduce me to homeschooling. She showed me the Abekka (spell?) program that she used with Jessica and Nathan. I saw how mature they both were and how well adjusted in spite of staying at home. This made a deep impression in my heart. I was young, 17, and already knew at that point that I wanted to homeschool my children in the future.

Fast track 10 years later.... I am a fluent signer and have many hearing AND deaf friends. My husband is hearing and I have four hearing children. Vicki's daughter Jessica and I are really close. Nathan got married and I was the photographer for their wedding and they are expecting a baby soon. I have been so blessed by the Lord in many things in my life and this is one fine example.

The Lord always uses our lives to touch others and I hope in this homeschooling adventure that I get to be part of my children's lives and teach them all that I know, this includes both Cued Speech and Sign Language. I want them to have the ability to communicate with all sorts of people that they meet in their lifetime.

Thanks for sharing your stories....I'd love to hear about your ASL stories. :-D

Brand NEW here

Wed, 8 Mar 2006 01:40:00 -0600

I'm new here and am not sure where to start. :-)

It's already late at night (rather early in the morning) and all I can think about is how excited I am to find a place that homeschool Moms can get together and talk about homeschooling. What a refreshing change from other blogs that discuss other stuff rather than homeschooling. I crave to talk to other Moms about homeschooling options, thoughts, share lists, and any other stuff that come up in our lives. I don't have a set program for my children. I have looked at a lot of programs and it can get confusing after a while.

I don't know anyone here, so I'll just keep this new entry short. :-)