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Washington DC pictures April 2008

This Statue is of Gallaudet and "Alice" the young deaf girl that inspired him to try and get an educational system for deaf individuals. It was on the Campus of Gallaudet University. It was Beautiful, inspiring, and well..just really cool.

Mostly Bust

Well this Klasieprof is NOT Bossy (I am bossy.com).

I just got back from the Trip to Washington DC with the Sign Language 2 classes. I am not the teacher of those classes.

I have no wit, no humor to display just now. The incredible boorish behavior of some, ruins it for all. And that's just the chaperone's.

I feel like Dorothy...Was it Dorothy? "There's no place like home" ...and I"m so glad to be here.

Washington DC or bust

Leave tomorrow being the "responsible adult" on a charter bus with 35 American Sign Language students and 15 chaperone's. Back home Sunday.
heh heh...me..the responsible one!! How life changes!!!

Students, you can't make this stuff up

I was in class telling a sign language "STORY" (sign is: picture mushing a marshmallow together back and forth, there that's the "sign" for Story)...about my Daughter's broken finger.
A Premier student comes up with no prompt, and asks me to SIGN her story as she tells it.
O. My. God.
At no point was there a place I could stop.
Background for the day: I had an observer from a local University there, who also Signs, and told how she and her 4 brothers were adopted.
SO Student comes up, tells how her shirt tail relative showed up last night with 2 young kids boy 6, girl 4. To be DUMPED off or they would go into foster care. Keep in mind for 6 years I was the local Foster / Adoptive Recruiter for the State. I trained many new Foster homes, and worked with Bio parents to get their children back. It is near and dear to my heart.
so:
Student says woman says Here, or foster care. Her parents faced with mid life, NEVER knowing these kids felt they simply couldn't do it THEN, with no time to think of it or whatever.
State Children's services takes the children, they are in Foster care. Within hours one of the "Daddies" (bio mom had been married 6 times), makes an appearance and DEMANDS his kids. The same 4 yr old girl that had been previously molested. The studetns story is that DHS released the kids, without DNA testing. He was NOT the dad.
Fast forward a couple hours, "the children are missing". (I don't know all details). The Family, my students family split up and "go looking" for the kids.
Students mom, finds child on the Highway, cold, but alive.
My student (at this time I am bawling as I'm signing, but I STILL thought it was going to be a happy story about how SHE has a new brother and sister)...She is driving,
sees some blonde hair on the side of the highway
calls her mom, police
baby girl, age 4, naked, barely breathing
Dies on way to hospital.

Perpetrator whereabouts unknown. I tried to decompress the class, 18 IN room about 20 on the ITV screen, blew my nose, got a drink, kept going. I felt I HAD to tell the school counselor who then didn't really believe me.
"Well SHE is friends with my daughter, she would have Come to me". I said, well...Obviously NOT. She looked up to see if it was on the news. It was not. I don't know WHAT is going on, but I'm not one to be hoodwinked, I don't think the story has broke yet.
I tried to call my boss twice to tell her about it, no return call, stopped by one of her offices, but she's not there.
Since, the student has called me twice, the counselor called HER mom, told her "She told EVERYONE in TWO classes about it,"....My student is AFRAID her mom is going to be mad, My otehr students were WORRIED about this student, I had no choice to go to counselor. BUT if the COUNSELOR has a DUAL role with the student, shouldn't someone else have been asking about it? ITs all so horrible, and fresh and raw.
That's my story. It wasn't fun.

I've been tagged.

Post these instructions on your blog.
Post 7 random or weird facts about yourself on your blog (the weirder the better, if you ask me).
Tag 7 people and link to them even if you think they won’t do it.
Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged and hunt them down if you have to.

I have been tagged by Slouching Mom.

These are the rules to follow, so I will be giving my facts... and maybe tagging some others.

Here goes:
1) I have refused for some weird reason to repaint my toenails since winter set in. I am holding out that MAYBE, my nail polish will last until it gets warm. I HAVE clipped, cleaned etc my nails, but have NOT removed the polish. (Don't hate me). There is just about 1/4 inch left at the top of my Two Big toes.


2) One of my probationers when I was an agent peed on my office chair, and I threw a towel over it till it dried. I never let co-workers sit in it after that. (This is before all the stuff was known...ah well) again, please don't hate me.

3)I got pregnant after drinking wine and listening to a comedy Album (YES, ALBUM not CD or tape etc).

4) I was a lifeguard at Church camp and spotted a kid drowning that got hit in the head with a Huge Styrofoam dock with pipes through the middle of it. I NEVER understood why it was in the pond in the first place.

5) After taking a break for icky marriage to preacher boy, and returning to University, I told the Counselor to just figure out how to get me out the fastest-I didn't care what my major or minor was. The Counselor was aghast. I was supposed to do all these tests and skills etc. I didn't care. I was on the 12 year plan for graduating from University and I JUST WANTED IT DONE. It worked out really well for me. Major in Pysch, Minor in SOC, and emphasis in Business

6) I never thought knowing Sign Language would help me get a job.

7) I have been off most of my medicine since I started Meditating last summer. I'm not a Freakazoid, but was in a horrible car wreck in '98, and ensuing issues have made me not as happy as I once was. The Meditation tapes have improved my life a LOT.

Teachers like snow days too

So my "full" work week started yesterday, teaching ASL to high schoolers. I have classes in one location with 23 students and in a remote location with 15 students. Its Crazy.
I was SOOO happy when there was a snow day today for 2 of my 3 classes! I only had ONE class of 15 students. I got to know them and so hopefully that will help carry on through the entire semester!

Teachers like snow days too!!

Emancipation Proclamation

SO I started a new job today, and brought the speech " I have a Dream" to discuss with students.
King speaks about the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves, , "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice."
I look out into my class of 10th graders and 12th graders......BLANK STARES


Um..."Do you KNOW what the Emancipation Proclamation is?" I asked. ......BLANK STARES

Um..."Its the document signed to free slaves"..... OH YEAH

and..."Who SIGNED the declaration?>?????.....one kid...DOH GEORGE WASHINGTON>>>DA!!! another kid speaks up NO WAY....He was the first president!!....Yeah,.....others chime in...

One kid....."It was that TALL GUY".....

me...Yah...that "tall guy...President LINCOLN".

This was NOT at the alternative school I sub at...it was a good ole' regular American High School.

Graititude, Say Thanks

This was especially timely as I just opened it, and watched it..and I start my new job as ASL I instructor tomorrow. How very nice.