Final Week: Uniting FSL Sessions and Teaching

The participants learning was a pleasant surprise for this week. Miss Infanta rallied a group of Deaf students that will serve as buddies to aid the participants as they communicate with them. This is a perfect opportunity for all to hone and assess initially what we had trained for for the last 2 weeks. This interaction with other Deaf individuals (Rosario, Gladys, Richard, Shanne and Jommer) is a wonderful encounter most specially when the participants can communicate using the magic language of signs. In the afternoon of Monday, participants watched a film entitled "Beyond Silence" which portray the life of a CODA - Child of Deaf Adult and how she serves as a conduit between her Deaf parents and the hearing world.

The speaker Mr. John Xander Baliza (Coordinator) continued to surprise veteran teachers of the Deaf in positive ways. Mr. Baliza shared with us some more pointers regarding Deaf culture, the different models as how people view deafness. Eventually the discussion was lead to how CSB and LSGH share the same concerns and strategies in improving the life of our Deaf students. Participants shared some issues and how they overcome or the lack of it that should be address in the future. Afterwards, the discussion ended with a renewed vision of what to do once confronted with the issues presented. As we walk home this Wednesday afternoon we are still discussing what to present on the Monday of our graduation, something that will encapsulate all of our training for this summer, so we thought of a song number in signs.

On a personal note, there is a saying that "It takes more to plow a field than merely turning it over in your mind." The partnership that LSGH ANHS PDL and DLS CSB SDEAS is truly a beneficial one as it help both institutions create a future for Deaf students. The training should not end after we received our certificates but it should also morphed us being educators of our Deaf students and to start realizing what we can truly contribute for them. I personally believe that we should invest with our faculty and school personnel's training, to hone them till we can produce teachers that are reflective in her ways and purposeful in her teachings.