Kemper,+Nicholas,+Deafness

Hello everyone! As many might guess, I am the big guy.

=**Introduction of the Student **=


 * Something that you want us to know about you or something about you that is interesting. **

My name is Nic Kemper, I prefer to be somewhat unique and that is why I choose to spell my name with just a “c”. I am a dedicated, humble and sincere person who only strives to achieve the most out of what life has to offer. I am a very strong willed person; once I commit my mind to something I am unwavering. I am my own worst critic and I am driven to succeed. I have been taught truthfulness, fairness, and goodwill and was a huge part in the building of my character. Life lessons that will remain with me. A solid foundation that has been built on truthfulness and fairness, a character that I keep in check with goodwill and better friendships, and integrity in which I try to demonstrate every day.

**Explain your education & career goals.**

My passion to become a teacher culminated during grade school and solidified during high school. I initially wanted to become a high school English teacher however, while taking classes at RCC; I chose to major in Education and have acheived an Associates Degree in Education. Through the course curriculum process, I learned that I really enjoyed volunteering and working with students at the elementary level. The interaction that I have had with elementary level students has been extremely rewarding, as the students are truly excited about learning. As I continue in my direction of pursuing the education needed to become a teacher, I am absolutely convinced that I have chosen the right path that is meant for me. I have been provided with constant affirmations through opportunities that are always surfacing in my life, all of which are surrounded with working with children. For example, my assistance in numerous volunteer projects has been requested, all of which were unsolicited and involved helping elementary aged children. I have gained immeasurable experience while having a lot of fun contributing to these events.

**What brings you joy?**

I have learned that it is my personal responsibility in order to be able to truly succeed, one must be happy in whatever career path one decides. My family has provided me with continual opportunities to explore my life’s purpose or life’s mission. In doing so, I have had the exposure to many sports, arts, faith and academics. I have learned during this time, that to educate future generations would not only be giving back, it would be satisfying. For me, quality teaching is the key to improving and giving hope to the next generation of young people. As a teacher, it will be my honor to be one of those creative educators in making a difference in someone’s life.Therefore, I am willing to devote all my heart to making a difference one child at a time. I also love to be with my family, read, draw, and play video games. In all, I believe that I have what it takes to make an exceptional teacher and this truly brings me joy.

**What is your greatest fear about being a teacher?**

To be completely to the point, I would have to say that my greatest fear as a teacher, would be meeting the needs of every child and parent as well as the community.

**Did you ever experience a time when something was extremely difficult to learn?**

School for me is never considered a right; instead, it is a privilege. All my life my parents have emphasized, “knowing the difference between right or wrong.” I have a very clear memory of an experience when I was in third grade of how difficult it is when you are the “new kid.” I was a new student to the elementary school and being an only child, it took me a little longer to “make” friends, along with the fact that I was a “bigger” kid than a lot of my peers, did not help. I was encouraged by my family to try to adjust and assert myself as I attempted to find children that I could befriend.

**Explain that time and how it made you feel.**

During my memory of this experience I remember feeling very scared, threatened and intimidated. Yet, I had no choice, but to persevere. I remember clearly when acceptance occurred, it was when we were outside on the playground and there was this one boy who had a reputation that would always try to “pick a fight.” Not knowing this at the time, he came up to a group I was trying to get to know and pushed me and said “fatty, you big fat two by four,” of course my initial reaction, visibly showed hurt feelings, until the group I was sort of trying to “hang” with started laughing. They followed their laughter with saying, “ he is so funny, a two-by-four is skinny not fat” and we all started laughing. This was my first clear memory of how to put in perspective and to how to look at other’s prejudices. That very same group of classmates became lasting friends that to this day I keep in touch with.

**How might this piece of your history help you connect to students with learning differences?**

I was taught what some may consider “old fashion” values; learning at a very young age that telling the truth is far better than its counterpart, for eventually the truth always prevails. Besides, when I do not tell the truth, living with my conscious will eventually eat away at my integrity and with out my integrity I lose who I am! I hold integrity very high on my priority list. Fairness is something that each individual can twist into believing. However, knowing and understanding the difference between right and wrong, an affirmation that continues to be repeated in my home, then applying this into my daily routine is what makes me a fair and good citizen. Truthfulness and fairness will only result to goodwill and better friendships, which will in turn be beneficial to all. Being able to share with my students that each individual goes through life with separate challenges, some more so than others. It is how we chose to deal with these experiences that make us the person we are and will become. Sharing with my students,who I am as an individual, my personal morality, and characteristics, will provide the example for the children I teach.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**What do you want to gain from this course?**

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As a member of society, acceptance and inclusion is something people struggle with no matter who or what the differences are, which then activates fear. Learning how to incorporate understanding through providing a common ground and what methods that need to be cultivated in order for acceptance and inclusion to grow are some of what I hope to gain. I am looking forward to gaining knowledge through further exploration in the subject matter of inclusion. I am truly excited about learning methods and theories that will only facilitate a greater knowledge of education, professionalism and inclusion for myself and ultimately for those students I teach.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Introduction to Deafness and Deaf Culture =

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">For my topic, I chose to research Deafness and Deaf Culture. When in the education field, there are going to be many challenges, tribulations and revelations. Due to this, our students allow for our job to be very diverse and unique in comparison with other professions. Since every child is unique and different from the next, having a child who is deaf can pose very diverse situations for an educator. As with any child, culture or learning preference, knowing the student and personally connecting to how best teach a student, will only further ensure the engagement and success of the student. Why did I choose Deafness? The reasoning behind my selection originates in wanting to learn/understand how to better teach all my students. Having the absence of one of the five senses can pose many revelations. As a teacher, I want to be informed, so I can meet those opportunities head on; to guarantee the success of all my students.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In addition, when taking into account the various disabilities, deafness is the only disability that has its own culture. Deaf Culture is something that we as teachers need to be aware of. As with any student who has a different culture, getting to know the student, learning how the student learns best, communicating/partnering with the family and adapting our curriculum to invite the student promotes inclusion.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">To be informed is the number one resource that we can provide ourselves as teachers. I chose deafness, because I want to become knowledgeable on a variety of disabilities and thus be able to feel more confident, therefore, able to share the wealth of acceptance/understanding with others.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Top 5 Things I Learned =


 * 1) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Providing children who are Deaf an environment that supports and nurtures their specific requirements allows for positive learning development. All education classrooms should provide a strong focus on individualizing: identifying each child’s strengths, interests, and needs in order to adapt curriculum to promote individual growth, while not causing direct attention/singling out an individual.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The Deaf Community does not like to be referred to as having hearing impairments. The society prefers deaf or hard of hearing. To use the words, “hard of hearing” to reference to individuals who have hearing loss but communicate in spoken language. Individuals refer to themselves as Deaf with a capital “D” and may be offended by the term “hearing impaired.”
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">People of the Deaf Community may view deafness as a difference in human experience rather than a disability. The society may only include family members of deaf people and sign-language interpreters who identify with the Deaf Culture and does not automatically include all people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Therefore, it is not the extent of hearing loss that defines a member of the Deaf Community, but the person’s own sense of identity/ actions.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Interpreters are a scarcity in the state of Oregon. When having a student who is deaf in your classroom, finding an interpreter to ease the time for the student, the teacher and to ease the school experience towards a more productive opportunity, is very difficult for districts. Having an interpreter available is not essential, yet very beneficial. WeInterpret.com is a resource that I did not know about. By learning of this resource, an ASL interpreter can be accessed anywhere across the nation, in any district, in any school, by any student, creating a win win situation for ease in communication.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As I delved deeper into American Sign Language, I was captivated in how it is a language of its own; only adding to the aspects of Deaf Culture. Not commonly recognized as a language of its own, it is now my belief that ASL is. As I learned more about the Deaf Community and learned more about ASL from LifePrint, I came to the conclusion that ASL is as much a language as any other that we promote.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">My Top Resource =


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[]

__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Resource Rating: 5 out of 5 __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As I connected with much of the material researched on Deafness. It brought forth a poignant journey. I believe the blend of resources that have been provided all work together harmoniously and to favor one more so than the other is difficult. However, the video I selected is a very informative observation and documentary of various general education classroom scenarios highlighting students who are deaf. In addition to the informative observations, school teachers explain the experiences they have had with students who are deaf in their classroom and adaptations that they have learned through the years of teaching. Effective methods of communicating with students who are deaf, incorporating interpreters in the classroom and factors that impact students who are deaf in the classroom environment are all addressed.

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=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Eight Resources for Educators, Parents, & Administrators =

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. =
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Friend, M. (2011). //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">(3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education. 328-364.

__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Resource Rating: 5 out of 5 __

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Essentially a textbook of disabilities and related topics of Special Education, this valuable resource contains a detailed chapter of students with Deafness and Hearing Loss. The chapter goes into detail of understanding deafness and hearing loss, how a person is born deaf or becomes deaf, the common characteristics if individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, how students are identified, how learners who are deaf or hard of hearing receive their education, adaptations that can be implemented in the classroom, the perspectives of parents and families, and trends of the Deaf Community. Although very detailed, this resource provides a background for teachers, parents and administrators in educating students who are deaf. Most importantly, it provides teachers with essential information so as to teach their student who is deaf to the best of their ability.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2. =
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Lentini, R., Vaughn, B. J., & Fox. (2004). //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Creating Teaching Tools for Young Children with ////<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Challenging Behaviors //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">. Tampa, Florida: University of South Florida, Early Intervention Positive Behavior Support.

__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Resource Rating: 5 out of 5 __

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This is a resource that I recommend for all teachers to have in their back pocket. Even though the title includes the disability, “challenging behaviors”, the adaptations, strategies and scenarios that are included, can be directly applied to students who are deaf. The resource provided in the book, that I find most helpful, are the Visual Cue Cards (branch from the Alternative & Augmented Communication (AAC) devices) that students who are deaf, who have challenging behaviors, who have learning disabilities, and any student in general, can use to communicate to the teacher, students and administrators. In addition, the resource book provides other adaptions that can be made to the classroom and its materials for students with disabilities. All of the adaptations can be directly used with students who are deaf.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3. =
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Haugen, K. (2004). Out of the Box Training [Electronic Version]. //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Using Your Senses to Adapt ////<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Environments: Checklist for an Accessible // //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Environment, 2-11. //

__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Resource Rating: 4 out of 5 __

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Providing ways to evaluate and adapt ones environment, this resource informs educators how to prepare their classroom using the 4 of the 5 Senses (physical, visual, auditory, social). I believe that this is a very valuable resource because it brings awareness to the different ways in how to arrange ones classroom. Where an educator might think of the physical environment, they might not think of the social. Each sense provided can directly benefit students with deafness and/or hearing loss. The article states to “think” like the student, to consider their disability and attempt to visualize what might that student need in the classroom. Thusly, using 4 of the 5 senses, the teacher can adapt his/her classroom to incorporate the needs of students who are deaf.

=**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">4. **=
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Berke, J. (2012). Sign Language. Retrieved April 28, 2012, from []

__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Resource Rating: 3 out of 5 __

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This resource introduces American Sign Language (ASL). The article is divided into six sections, what is sign language, learning sign language, signing with hearing children, sign language interpreting, deaf culture, and outstanding deaf and hearing people. Berke provides multiple resources under each section to further investigate the designated topic. Even though the article does not go in depth, it is a great resource for skimming the basics and being provided recommended material to further ones knowledge.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">5. =
 * //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Strategies for Teaching Students with Hearing Impairments. //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Retrieved April 28, 2012, from [|www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/hearing.html]

__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Resource Rating: 4.5 out of 5 __

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Have you ever wondered what are the different categories of hearing impairments? How to interact with individuals who are deaf? How to make materials accessible to students with hearing loss? How to teach reading to a child who is deaf? How to assess? These are just a few of questions that you will be able to explore the answers to. Comprehensive, informative and full of resources, this article provides teachers the opportunity to become more informed about deafness in an easy to read/reference format.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">6. =
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[]

__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Resource Rating: 5 out of 5 __

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Do you want to learn about American Sign Language? Learn what Deaf Culture is? What causes hearing loss and deafness? How to create and all inclusive classroom for students who are deaf? Deaflinx is a website that believes that deafness is not a disabilty, but is a condition that produces a sub-culture that should be celebrated. Along with being very informative, Deaflinx is well formatted to where navigating through the website is very easy, therefore maximizes the information gained. =<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">7. =
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__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Resource Rating: 5 out of 5 __

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The following video is a wonderful insight into the lives of five people who are deaf. As stated, Deafness is the only disability to have its own established culture. This video allows you to see what Deaf Culture is and how a a day goes for a child, teenage girl, teenage boy, college student, and working woman, who are deaf.

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=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">8. =
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__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Resource Rating: 4 out of 5 __

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Have you ever wondered what the ABC's are in American Sign Language (ASL)? The following video is a very upbeat run through of the ABC's in ASL, with a fun song to sing along with. I originally would rate this video as 5, but I believe that the song/video is a little fast for learning the ABC's in ASL. Otherwise, this is a fun and entertaining method of learning ASL ABC's.

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=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">9. =
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Have you ever been curious towards knowing what it takes to learn ASL? More specifically Signing? LifePrint provides you the opportunity to learn the ASL language. As you study the signs and fingerspelling, you come to realize how much that individuals who are deaf have their own language. With a signing glossary, movies in the motions, and facts about the Deaf Community, this is a invaluable source for teachers who need to learn basic communication with students who are deaf.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">10. =
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__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Resource Rating: 5 out of 5 __

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This marketing video for weinterpret.net provides interesting facts of how many people in the United States that use ASL, and the different methods of communication. In addition, this video allows for us to see how ASL interpreter are becoming more accessible across the nation. It is vital for all educators to be aware that this resource is available to us, as technology offers an opportunity to aid a student/teacher in providing a very useful tool when teaching a student who is deaf.

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