ASL Classroom Management

     I have always been fascinated by American Sign Language. It is something I have always wanted to learn, and something that has always clicked with me. In the fall of 2009, at the age of 37, my mom lost her hearing, and was completely deaf in both ears. I watched her struggle through having hearing aids, and through an eventual surgery, that has allowed her to get her hearing back. She always had a hard time, with reading peoples lips, because no one ever made eye contact or talked loud enough for her to get a general idea of what the person was saying to her. While my mother never learned ASL she was able to depend on lip reading and context clues, in order to communicate effectively with others, until she was able to hear again.
       My cousin Emily who is 2 years old, was born with hearing loss, for the first year of her life, Emily couldn't hear and the doctors believed she would never be able to hear again. Emily went into an intensive speech therapy program, because she wasn't making noises or developing her speech because she couldn't hear. The program that Emily was in actually was paid for a ASL teacher to come to their house once a week to teach sign language, as they believed it would be the only way to communicate with Emily. My aunt and uncle invited most of the family, and every week for about 3 months, they spent 2 hours a week learning ASL. While I was not able to attend because I was at school, my mom attended every class. She learned so much, and I remember seeing her on brakes and she would sign things for me and show me what she learned. She was so excited.
     Within the last 6 months, Emily had a turnaround. They put tubes in her ears, and she was able to hear again, but she still has some significant hearing loss. Her cleft palate will also make speech difficult for her, so she still sees a speech pathologist weekly.
   For my family learning ASL was important to us because it directly affected us. Over spring break I was thinking about ASL and being deaf and how it affected my family, and how one day it might affect me personally as well. As my mother's hearing loss was genetic, I have a good chance of developing it at a young age too. I thought about how I could incorporate this in my classroom. Was there a way that I could incorporate sign language into my every day lesson plan? Could I have a little power point with important vocab words of the day, and how to sign them? I decided to do a simple google search, to see what popped up. Within seconds, I was bombarded with links on how to use ASL as a effective classroom management technique.
    The articles talked about using, sign language, to sign things like bathroom, water fountain, or even things like I have a question, or I have a comment, in order to minimize disruptions in the classroom. It would be so easy to have my students just raise their hand with the sign for restroom, and I could easily, direct them, by signing yes or no, without stopping the class or disrupting an activity or lectures. Most of the teachers who wrote about ASL classroom management were elementary or middle school teachers. This is could also be an effective tool in high school, but I am apprehensive because it might not work as well for older students, who might find it petty. Is it too childish? Is it appropriate to use?
     ASL classroom management is an idea I would like to explore further, it seems like if used correctly it could be extremely effective. Not only does it help minimize distractions in my classroom, but it is also teaching my students a new language, that one day they could find useful or helpful in their life.

    Check out this link:
 Sign Language Classroom Management Posters

My beautiful cousin Emily

    
            

Sexuality in Nepal

LGBT Pride Parade in Nepal

      In Nepal, the LGBT community fairs very differently then in western society. Nepal is a deeply rooted Patriarchal society. Patriarchal means a society or government that is controlled by men. Thus there is a powerful stigma  against females, but also sexual and gender minorities in general. They are perceived as a social "vikriti" or "a state of deterioration that can connote disease, degeneracy, deformation and malformation" 
      There has been a very long history of this powerful stigma against the LGBT community. This stigma is based on a lack of understanding and the strong Nepali views that the biological sex is the only natural sex. While Nepal's patriarchal society does not accept the diversity of the LGBT community, they may be tolerant of them. Currently in Nepal, issues such as the Caste System and Ethnic Identity politics are the most pressing matters, and subsequently LGBT rights is often put on the back burner.
    In Nepal 80% of the population is Hindu while 10% is Buddhist. Because these religions are built on acceptance and don't have any rules or scriptures against gender identity and sexual orientation, religion does not strongly contribute to discrimination. Thus it is social and societal norms that contribute the most heavily.
    Some young Nepalese LGBT drop out of school due to harassment and bullying from both the students and the teachers. There is a clear lack of LGBT friendly environments within the schools. Transgender students can be denied access to exams because of issues with uniforms and identification.
    In relation to Nepal, there are no Anti-discrimination laws to cover the employment sector, and many LGBT individuals report discrimination and sexual harassment within the workplace.
   It is important to remember that same-sex marriage is not legalized in Nepal, and was only decriminalized recently in the Supreme Court Verdict of 2007, suggested decriminalizing same sex marriage and which reaffirmed the notion that the LGBT community had the same rights as all Nepali citizens, and moved to put more anti-discriminatory laws in place. Unfortunately this verdict has not been implemented properly and even today there have not been any major efforts by the government to legalize same sex marriage. Today in Nepal, LGBT relationships are not recognized by law and couples cannot adopt children. Lesbian couples are also denied access to IVF and Transgender individuals have immense trouble legally changing their gender.
     The media has played a huge part in highlight LGBT issues in Nepal. They have actively reported on victories and challenges faced by the community. The media however is criticized for not reporting on the wide diversity of the LGBT community and for sometimes reporting inaccurately. As far as support for the LGBT community goes, there is a regular LGBT radio program that broadcasts information and advice about the health and right issues of sexual and gender minorities. Even the Nepali movie industry is beginning to produce films that depict same sex relationships.
    While the Nepali society is not accepting to LGBT communities as it could be, there are still much better off than LGBT in countries where being LGBT is criminalized. Currently there are 55 LGBT civil society organizations in Nepal. While these organizations are very weak, I suspect that as time goes on, the Nepali LGBT voice will become louder and their voices will be heard, and a change will be made.

Sources: http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3115&context=isp_collection

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1861/Being_LGBT_in_Asia_Nepal_Country_Report.pdf

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Science Saturdays

    It was the Saturday morning of Spring Break. I finally had the opportunity to sleep in and get a well needed break from the stresses of college. My deep sleep was rudely interrupted at 9 am sharp by a bright blue-eyed blonde haired girl who decided it was time to wake up! My 5 year old sister, Alyssa jumped on me yelling, "MEGANNE ITS TIME TO WAKE UP ! TODAY IS SCIENCE SATURDAY!"
         Ah, Science Saturday the most wonderful Saturday of the year. I had the luck of coming home every weekend that it was Science Saturday at our local library. A little before 9:50 AM I piled my sister, Alyssa and my 7 year old brother Jacob to the car. They were brimming with excitement. As we drove to our destination I began to grill them about school. Alyssa was now in Kindergarten and Jacob was in first grade. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that they were growing up so fast. 
     "So Jacob and Alyssa, how is school?"
            "Good."
    "What's your favorite subject Alyssa?"
          "Ummm I don't know"
     "Jacob?"
           "I'm really good at math, but are we there yet?"

That was the end of our conversation. As much as I wanted to learn more about their school day, the last thing they wanted to do was talk about school on a Saturday morning. Once we got to the library, we walked into a big room where they held all the Science Saturdays. A woman dressed in a lab coat warmly greeted us.
   "Hello I'm Barbara! Grab a carpet square and sit on the floor please."
Jacob excitedly grabbed a carpet square and sat down as fast as he could and Alyssa was a little more timid, but she eventually sat down.
    Barbara chimed, "And Parents can sit on the chair on the side."
I wondered if this was just a general statement, or did she really think I was the mother of a five and seven year old? Brushing it off I quickly sat down. More kids and their parents filed in even at 10:20, although it officially started at 10:00.
   They topic of the day was Space: The Great Frontier. They learned about the planets and stars and she taught them about Supernovas. A Supernova is what happens when a star dies and explodes. All the children were so curious and so engaged. One little girl raised her hand nice and high. Barbara exclaimed, "Do you have a question?"
     The little girl responded, "No, but I need to tell you something. DID YOU know that Jupiter has a huge storm that has lasted over ONE THOUSAND YEARS!"
   She was so excited to relay her knowledge and Scientist Barbara just brushed her off, and continued her monologue about supernovas and the rules for the activity.
At this point I was getting a little annoyed with Barbara but I let it slide. The children ran to the table to start their first activity. Each child had a cup filled with water and dish soap and a straw. The instructions were to take the straw and stir the cup and then put the straw against the table and blow until you created a huge bubble that exploded, hence when it explodes, it resembles a Supernova.
   Unfortunatley, Jacob didn't quite understand the directions, and honestly I didn't understand the directions all that well either. Barbara used her words to explain the activity, but she did not use a physical example to show the kids how to do it. Next thing I know Barbara is yelling,
   "Who's child is this??" Pointing at Jacob. "He's going to get bubbles in his mouth, he needs help."
I quickly ran over, and instead of blowing bubbles on the table, Jacob blew his straw into the cup, until he had an overflowing mountain of bubbles. I showed Jacob what I thought was the correct way to do it.
   " Here, you take the straw, and stir and then you put the straw on the table and blow slowly."
 I did it once to show him, and his face lit up!
    "WOAH! That was SO cool!!" he exclaimed.
 I chucked and helped him for a few supernovas until he got a good handle on it. I then heard Barbara exclaim, "Oh look, he's doing it the right way now."
    I was kind of offended by Barbara's attitude. Her instructions weren't clear and she was acting as if Jacob was a very incompetent toddler. Yes, he is the small and the same size as Alyssa, but he is a first grader and very smart. And no, I'm not just saying that because I am his sister, he is very intelligent for a seven year old, especially in math. There were other kids sitting at the table that didn't quite understand Barbara's instructions either and who needed help, and I couldn't help but wonder if she could have handled the whole entire situation differently. Yes she was a scientist, but I wondered if she had used smaller words or talked slower, or even showed a demonstration, then maybe Jacob wouldn't have gotten bubbles in his nose.
    I wondered what would happen if there was an ELL student at Science Saturday, would he get bubbles in his nose too?

Jacob and Alyssa at their first Science Saturday circa 2017

Education In Afghanistan

   As part of an exit, assignment, I was asked to write a little about the education systems in Afghanistan, I have put together some facts as well as other findings I have found about the education system. Afghanistan is located in the Middle East. It is a predominately Muslim country, and Afghanistan is typically known for their patriarchal society and their mistreatment of females. Afghanistan has also been a war torn country for the past decade, so this also does not benefit the students in Afghanistan.

• The country as a whole spends about 3.4% of its budget on education
• The average literacy rate of individuals over 15 is 38.2%.
• 52% of males are literate while on 24.2% of females are literate.
• On average from primary to tertiary school, males spend about 13 years in school while women spend 8 years in school.

          (facts from world factbook)

• The Afghanistan Ministry of Education has built around 16,000 schools and trained 154,000 teachers since 2002.
• Today, 9 million students are currently enrolled in school in Afghanistan, 40% of the students are female.  

             (USAID website)

While I could not find much on differences between rural and urban areas and socioeconomic status as the sites that could have possibly had information were blocked, I did find however that, “According to the Afghan Central Statistics Organization, public university enrollment has increased from 7,800 in 2001 to 174,425 in 2015, 21% of which are women, and demand for higher education continues to grow.”

 While Afghanistan is considered a developing countries there are obvious changes and advancements that are being made. Due to the active support of organizations like the United States Agency for International Development, there has been some drastic changes within the education system, and girls are getting more opportunities than they had had before

Sources: The World Factbook and the USAID website

Disconnect

   It has been almost two weeks since I have seen my student. We are in the midst of public school break, and we will only have one day to meet before my spring break starts too. It feels as if there is some disconnect. My student, whom Im supposed to be tutoring and learning from seems farther away than normal. I feel like I have missed so much, in the span of two weeks. And when we meet again this Friday, I know I'm going to be so lost, because projects and assignments are ever changing.
   If I feel lost, and I don't even have assignments to do, I can only imagine how the absence of a high school student affects their learning. What is absence doing to our students?
   Growing up, I NEVER missed school. Actually, I was the rare type who hated missing school, for fear of missing something important. Do our students have this same outlook? or was I just an odd one.
      I am not sure how many days out of the week, my student attends school, but every Tuesday and Friday morning when I am there, he is there. While absence might not affect my student directly, it's a topic that I feel I should make an effort to know a little more about.
     John Hopkins School of Education in partnership with Center for Social Organization of Schools, did a case study on Chronic Absenteeism in the United States. This study focused on 6 key states including, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Nebraska and Rhode Island as key points of data.
     The case study defines Chronic Absenteeism as missing 10% of the entire school year; or 18 or more days. "The six states reported chronic absentee rates from 6 percent to 23 percent, with high poverty urban areas reporting up to one-third of students chronically absent."
     This study suggests that high Chronic Absenteeism is most prominently found with low-income students; and is not based on gender or race, but simply socio-economic status. The students who need school the most are the ones who absent. The case sums this up perfectly by saying,
       "Because students reared in poverty benefit the most from being in school, one of the most effective strategies for providing pathways out of poverty is to do what it takes to get these students in school every day. This alone, even without improvements in the American education system, will drive up achievement, high school graduation, and college attainment rates." 
     Missing school matters because school is an opportunity for students to thrive despite the odds that have been put against them, no one can take away your knowledge and that is why school is so important. 
       The study suggests that 5-7.5 million American students enrolled in public schools are not attending school regularly each year. The study concludes by reiterating that there is a strong correlation between absenteeism and academic achievement. To tie into this, poverty is also a huge factor in chronic absenteeism. The study ends with saying that the most effective way to close the achievement gap, "will be a concerted effort to enable and ensure that high-poverty students  attend school regularly from pre-k to grade 12."
     While this does sound like a lot to ask, I know it is not entirely impossible. The study suggest a few ways that schools have done this, but on that struck me was the simple idea of rewarding good attendance. It sounds silly, and it may not have a initial affect,  but rather one over time, but doesn't that makes sense. Students like to be recognized for their successes, and attendance should be one of these because it is something that is very important and crucial to our students overall achievement.
    I'm not sure if this is a problem that can be solved right away but with engaged teachers and administrators it can be a problem that is easily  fixed. I am eager to see how the future education system changes and whether or not absenteeism will be taken seriously in our schools that are struggling with chronic absenteeism.


Link to the study:  http://new.every1graduates.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/FINALChronicAbsenteeismReport_May16.pdf