American Sign Language

School is starting on Tuesday. Although I am dreading some of my classes, such as educational tech foundations, survey elementary school health and safety, and elementary physical education, (I am using this semester to fulfill some of the prerequisites required for my multiple subjects teaching credential program) I am looking forward to my intermediate sign language class. I took beginning sign language in the fall and instantly adored the language. It is an extraordinary notion that everything that needs to be said can be communicated through a person’s hands. Once you become comfortable with a couple dozen words, your hands begin to come alive and make poetry all their own. The two people who teach this course are brother and sister. While the sister is hearing, the brother is deaf. Although having a deaf teacher is a bit overwhelming at first, it proves to be a great way to be submerged in the language. This course is also wonderful because we constantly play games in order to remember our weekly vocabulary. These games get us closer to our classmates, so close, in fact, that during one particular game the entire class got over their physical boundaries and began hugging and holding hands. I first became infatuated with sign language when my nephew began to sign as a toddler. Whenever I visited or babysat my nephew and I would watch one of his sign language videos with him. I was glad I was able to watch these videos because otherwise I had no idea what he was trying to communicate. Once I got the hang of the few sign language words he knew, (more, all done, mouse, apple, cookie, and so on...) I could finally understand what my nephew wanted and was able to communicate with him during the time he was unable to form words of his own. Now, at 4 ½, he has a strong vocabulary and we no longer need signs to communicate. My niece is just beginning to talk, but she proved easier to understand without the use of sign. I, however, still longed to understand more and was pleased to find that American Sign Language was one of the many classes taught on my campus. I, along with my boyfriend, signed up for the course. I now crave to somehow interlace sing language with my future career, whether I work as a translator, become a sign language teacher, write a book that teaches children and their parents how to sign basic words, or simply interweave American Sign Language in my lesson plan when I teach elementary school. Either way, I want to make sure that I somehow spread my love for this beautiful language.