Comments on: Deaf Schools vs. Hearing Schools

By: Mark Drolsbaugh

Mark Drolsbaugh — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:16:42 +0000

David and Karen,

I greatly appreciate your responses. As you’re already aware of, my son (age 9) is in the same situation and he’s starting to complain about his mainstream school. Academically he’s holding his own, and socially we’re trying to balance it by going to deaf events. Still, we’re keeping other options in mind and ISD is one of them.

What frustrates me the most is that this is something that goes beyond deaf schools. During baseball season I’ve seen other deaf/hoh kids playing for various neighborhood teams. I dont know who they are or where they go to school (btw – I’m thinking of checking with the league commissioner to see if we can set up an All-ASL team!).

What I *do* know is all these kids are similar to my son and they’re scattered all over at different mainstream schools. If all of them could go to school together, that would solve a LOT of problems. I plan to address this somehow… more TBA.

Anyway, pardon my political rant. David, I appreciate what you’re doing with this blog because believe me, parents (including me) are reading your comments and learning from them. Good luck with all your endeavors — and don’t ever give up! I’m very confident you’ll experience much success all the way through high school and beyond.

Best regards,
Drolz

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:39:22 +0000

If you want good college. then, take a challenge against hearing students. Don’t worry about socialization – it’s VERY EASY to pick up! even ASL as a language is EASY. Look at ASL students, any foreign students can pick it up later. What important thing to do for A+ deaf students is to study hard and how to communicate in writings! reading! self-analysis! independent – not depending on interpreters all the time. Just read and write, be able to compete with A+ hearing students. Honestly. Many deaf “cults” believe in sports and deaf jobs “blue collars or deaf-area jobs like UPS, data encoders, janitors, teacher assistant” VERY LIMITED options. Deaf cults believe Gallaudet University is their only one HOPE. But they are WRONG! end of their graduates, see what they work for?? the deaf job cage! they can’t select good college, or jobs in the future. Harvard, USC, UCLA or giant corporations will ask what is Gally??? what kind of degree? while interviewing a job. How embarass! and World is changing, modernized.. it means threat to them! They need to adjust and join the competition or go back – low class standard.

By: dlmayes

dlmayes — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:15:13 +0000

White Ghost,

Trust me, I am not going to end up as a manager or a janitor at any fast food restaurants

I know education and socialization are the most important parts of my life.

I will go to a good college! (I have to or my mom will kill me!;) )

By: dlmayes

dlmayes — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:11:38 +0000

Drolz,

They cannot compare academically to hearing schools but socially they are excellent.

I have a frame of reference that flatters me because I only went to ISD for half of a year. I am going back to ISD, not for academic reason, but because of social reason.

By: Karen Mayes

Karen Mayes — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:30:51 +0000

David will answer to some of the comments when he has time… he is just 11 years old and he has a progressive hearing loss (he has been losing on the average of 10 dB since he was 2 years old… he was diagnosed having mild hearing to moderate hearing loss at the age of 3, so we have no idea at what age he started losing hearing.) So it is in some ways hard for him, since he LOVES music. I am sure Mark understands this better, since he himself has gone through this and his son is going through this now.

By: Karen Mayes

Karen Mayes — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:23:01 +0000

This is Karen… David’s mom. To answer Mark’s question, ISD did not fare well in the state tests in the last few years, due to the fact that 52% of ISD’s students had additional disabilities. However, the regular classrooms passed the state tests but the teachers could have done more, and even the superintendent said that. Well, the test tests are skewed, not taking in all factors such as 52% having multi-disabilities.

My husband and I will always support David in his journey as a person.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:31:43 +0000

Thank you for sharing this issue. Maybe, deaf kids with high I.Q. – can take a challenge against hearing students – should go to hearing schools – then go to world class university (NOT gally univ) while deaf kids those who failed several attempts to get high standard, may go to deaf schools, then community college or vocational courses. I believe that Deaf people with multi-talents can be better than hearing standard. They don’t have to worry about interpreters. They can even transfer to anywhere, Africa or Third world, to survive and graduate there. It means they are really smart and marketable! very competitive.

By: Mark Drolsbaugh

Mark Drolsbaugh — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:13:04 +0000

Hi David,

That’s a powerful blog you wrote and you shine light on some age-old issues that for the most part we have yet to solve.

I can totally relate to what you said (I faced the same dilemma when I was a kid) and appreciate your blogging about it. This is an issue a lot of people will tiptoe around and you had the guts to bring it up — more power to you!

I’d like to ask a question:

In the Deaf community, there’s this perception that the “Big Three” is the Indiana School for the Deaf, the Maryland School for the Deaf, and the California School for the Deaf. I don’t know how much statistics and test scores validate this, but in general those three schools are highly regarded in the Deaf community. Which leads us to the $100,000 question: how do they compare to mainstream schools?

You said something about wanting “to go back to a deaf school”… by “going back” do you mean back to ISD? If so, you may have something that many of us don’t have: a frame of reference. I would love to know what you think.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us, and, whatever you do, I wish you the very best! I have a feeling you’ll be successful no matter where you go

Best regards,
Drolz

By: White Ghost

White Ghost — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:19:39 +0000

Hello David!

Educating and socializing are the most important part of your life. Just focus what you are in right now. Just study hard.

Don’t let your friends to tell you about the “easy and lazy” teachers along with the unchallenged courses. Just take some challenged courses along with the reasonable teachers. Staying out of the trouble as well as writings/readings are the best answer.

Working hard and going to a college like we did in the past are the best answer. Be successful and do what you want to be in the future.

Don’t work as the manager or janitor at the fast-food restaurant.

You have your life ahead of you.

By: Brian L. Mayes

Brian L. Mayes — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:57:01 +0000

Good blog, David.

Like Mommy says, it is important to get a good education. Just because you are smart and learning comes easy for you does not mean you can breeze through ISD, I still hope you will work hard. You have your whole life to be with friends and socialize and can’t be in school all your life, so it is important to get a good education when you have the perfect opportunity to reap from it.

Keep up the thought provoking blogs coming, they are getting better after each blog!

Daddy