162 education
Good schools have teachers committed to learning
The most important qualities in a teacher are that she expects deaf
children can do well in school and life, and that she takes the time to
learn about each child’s needs and abilities.
Experience makes the best teacher
A day school for the deaf in Tanzania had a teacher who was
deaf herself. Even though she had no formal training as a
teacher, her patience and creativity helped to
Say
‘ba’.
bring out the abilities of each child. Because
the teacher could not hear their voices, she
rested her hand on their shoulders to feel
Ba! the vibration of the sound as they learned
to speak. She also used sign language with
them, helped them with their handwriting,
and taught the children math by counting
bottle caps.
The class was small, so the teacher was
able to spend time with each child. She
learned to identify and make use of their
strongest abilities to help them learn.
Many people think that a teacher with special training is the best
teacher for deaf children. This is not always true. Training about
deafness does not automatically make a better teacher. Many teachers
of the deaf do not have the opportunity to train in their own country, so
they go away to learn in places that are very different from their own
communities. The ideas they learn in another country may be difficult
to use or may not work at all in the
schools and communities back home.
A teacher who is trained to teach deaf
I have arranged for the local
hospital’s eye clinic to do eye
tests for all our children.
children can be a resource for other
teachers. Teachers of the deaf and
teachers with experience teaching
That’s
a great
idea!
hearing children can learn from each
other and build on what they know.
This sharing of experience benefits all
children.
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)