The Dancer

I love this story, Dancer by Vickie Sears. It inspired my feeling and made me think about the many great happenings in my life. I remember I went to a Powwow back home in California. These have Native America food but I remember I ate beans, lettuce, tomato, and other on the top of Indiana bread. It is good and healthy. ☺ I wish to know the name that I can find the picture and for myself. I missed California’s sunshine; it was warm touching my skin. I don’t have to wear a coat. My parents were amazed that DC also has cold weather and California has 90’s degree.

I read the part about Clarissa was in the habit of abusing animals when she was frustrated and mad. I understood she came from foster care. Maybe her parents did abuse her and made her abuse animals. It was not her fault. It was nice of her foster mother to accept who she was but sometimes was annoyed that she listened to the same song for three weeks which I can’t stand to watch a same TV show for three weeks. She discovered her real culture of Indian and liked to listen to the Indian’s music while she went to the Powwow for the first time. She falls in love with music, dance, and Indian culture. She has a mental disorder because she is too young to be mad, frustrated and hurts the animals which is she is four years old. She shouldn’t have a negative emotion in early childhood. She has a sociopathic, unable to conform to what society defines as a normal personality.

I am happy that she found her real home that she has a comfort with her culture in foster home but I hope her mother adopts her. She connected and raised her happiness than her other foster homes. I approved that author choose this story to match theme of the novel. It is making sense that she found the home.

I found “Assiniboin” word that I don’t understand what she mean in last page of Dancer. My first thought is her nickname as Indian always gives everyone a pretty nickname as my sister received the name “Dark Moon Raven.” I forget to ask Indiaa woman but I don’t care what I get it or not. I found it on wikipedia and it said it is name of Indian from the Northern Great Plains and Lewis and Clark met them Assiniboin. I wonder do she still happy for several years? or having frustant to be memory her bad experience? I hope it is not happen. Also, Why her last foster homes not care her well? They should teach or train her right way..

Edward P. Jones, First day schools

Not again to read first day of school. I don’t have to comment about my experience to be at first day Gallaudet. If you don’t know then read second of the blog “First day of the school” I think. I already miss NSO week because it is anxious to see big different from high school. Right now, I was feeling hurry that I want a break from an homework because I got lot of assignment from First Year Seminar. I have to because I go college to get degree with experience. I wont said just get degree because I read Focus. Did you? Anyway, I read the story. I think it story was so classic and very 50’s. I pictured the story’s color is brownish or gray scale. Mother and son are very relaxed but they did hurry to go school in the morning. I said relax because they did eat breakfast. Today, kids do skip the breakfast because bus arrives early. I don’t go on bus, good god! My parents always drive me to school until I am senior. I have to go on bus because time is change the schedule. Mother and son have to walk to the school and not talking about television or computer. It made me think one of movie but I forget the movie. I hope you can tell me a title of the movie. One boy have biggest goal to play the football player. But He grew up in Mexican family, he live in poorer town. He looked bright to me because he took this serious. He decided to go division 1 high school instead his old poor high school. But this high school is 5 miles away from his home. He had to wake up in 3am to get school at 730am in walking. He didn’t give up that he wanted to go better school instead lousy school. He joined football team. He had a very tight schedule; walking, school, football practice, walking, do homework at midnight then sleeping. It is his daily. It is opposite the book. The movie is much better than this story. The movie was touching my heart. The both of story and movie have little part of racism. In story, teacher told mother go to other school, but his son could go school by walking like 30 minute. Teacher not accepted her son but I think about racism. I am just guess because it isn’t mentioned the how long he arrive the school and why teacher not want the new student who live far from the average.

Connect to Ciseros and Soto

When I get to ready go Gallaudet, I was imaging to decorate my room but I not have dorm room look like until I arrive Gallaudet. At first I saw my room, oh it is like my school dorm because it have white room but way better because it have colorful and AC control. I was not using to live in little humid room and roommate that I never meet her before. I got along with my roommate in a while. Anyway, I was thrilled to have own time and room because my parents not have to watch over me every minutes. I love to buy something for my room because it is my brand new room. My old room is still stuck with baby paper wall. It is hard to get it off. I left it on. I am still little girl in my old room. So far, I am doing well. Seem I can do by myself, but my parents keep contact me as email, vp and text me almost everyday that I live 3,000 miles away from my home, California. Ha They hate to be in empty nest at their home because their children is gone at once. Back at home, I was lazy to do something but at college make me motivate because I can do something myself that I can go anywhere by metro, own room, and education. I love to stay DC because I still not have drive license because I not want to pay insurance while I am in dc even I am 19 that I don’t know how to drive. Ehh, I need to learn to drive before I get back fall 2009. But i am happy to turn to be 19 in five days ago and no more teenage era. now i am in college era to leave my home for rest of my life.

I understand as I read Ciseros and Soto were happy to be alone at her room and having an independence as they were looking forward. Ciseros was alone that I think she stay there alone for writing. Soto are ready to get away his home that he soon became seventeen. As I am 19, I am fully independence but for some reason, my parents still support me.

Recollection

“Recollections” is more interesting because it matched my experience that I grew up in a deaf school when I was young from three years old until I graduated. Margie went to a deaf school for a long time but she attended three different schools during the rest of her life as oral, mainstream, and deaf school. I never attended other school because I didn’t complain about my school. Her learning in Kendall reminded me of my time in elementary when I learned basic things. Her learning was the same way at my school that they tried to teach us to learn vocabulary and math. Also, my mom taught me vocabulary and brought many books that she wanted me to read. Elementary didn’t teach me to read books on my own. My mom encouraged me to read and I learned. I was ignoring to learn by myself and wanting to have fun with dolls and playing with my sister instead of learning.

I remember I started to read books on my own when I was in 5th grade. When I saw a young girl reading a thick book, I was jealous of her. The young girl showed her expression that she enjoyed reading the book. It looked fun to read without a teacher telling a story and stressing with tests. I told my mom that I want to read a book. My mom was surprised. I started to read my first book Pony Pal. It is my favorite childhood book. It is good for kids who have an obsession with horses. I don’t like to hear the teacher tell a story not like Margie loved to hear the story. I love to read by myself to see words change into the movie or imaginative. Telling a story is just for enjoyment and putting me to sleep. Still today, I love to read that book. And thanks to that girl who made me jealous. ☺

When my parents found out when I am deaf at three months old, they were disappointed at first and accepted that we are as my dad’s parents are deaf. So, they discussed easily then they knew nothing about deaf. They keep me as deaf and sent my sister and me to a deaf school. But I attended speech classes from pre school to my freshman year. I was trying to speak but kept making mistakes. Most of the time, I voiced as mumble with no definition. I was struggling with it. I still remember I can say no. Speech teacher always said you will get a better or good job. I realized that they knew I was not very good at speech when I was in 8th grade. I complained that I wanted to quit but I had to go there because of my IEP. I entered to be a freshman and decided to tell the speech teacher that I did not want to learn speech and quit. They said I can’t and I don’t show up to the speech class. So, my parents signed the IEP to allow me to not have to take a speech class. I thought speech class was wasting my time. I learned nothing. I am happy that I quit before I was busy at high school. I am completely deaf because I don’t understand speaking and hearing anything.

I think this story is more enjoyable for me than “Learning the Native Language” by Susan Stocker. I am sure Margie will understand me more than Susan does. Susan just needs to express her feeling and her audience is her therapy. Margie told her story that she is proud that she is successful that she went through different hearing and deaf communities without a big struggle as Susan was frustrated with her hearing teacher.

Reflect on Learning My Native Language

I read “Learning My Native Language” by Susan Stocker. When I read it, I rolled my eyes. Author Susan was so whined about her hearing that she missed a lot of vowels and words when she was young. Deaf was suffering but accept their being deaf. They live and learn with it. She should get a hearing aid when she doesn’t understand what the teacher says. Oh right, she was in 50’s. Her story was printed in 2000 which is different from 40 years ago because she did tell us her age is 46 which was in 2000. There was a very old fashion hearing aid, which was a big size device. Maybe she would have been satisfied when she was young and not be complaining in the story. I know she was bewildered in the hearing and deaf world because my dad is a child of deaf adult. He grew up in between the deaf and hearing world but his native language was America Sign Language. He does understand, not like Susan because she grew up in the mainstream school and she wanted to fit in it as in the theater scene in the story. She was supposed to write to hearing people because her writing style is to teach to hearing people who don’t know hard of hearing and deaf about the difference in culture and pride. Deaf people have their own pride to be deaf in Gallaudet University where Susan went for ASL class. She did not get along with them, which is full of deaf pride identity. I am part of a pro deaf identity. I think she went to Gallaudet at the wrong time because of Gallaudet was freaked after “Deaf Pride” or “Deaf Power” which overwhelmed her. The modern period is more flexible and understanding because of networks and deaf history in the mainstream. I am sure it already changes. I hope she could understand that the past period is different from now. She admitted to telling her “impaired hearing” in the college class. I wonder why she did not say hard of hearing or almost deaf but I know she needed to use formal words in the higher education class.