By Susan Wilderman
JRHS offers a variety of project courses to help increase the skill sets of our students. This winter we were pleased to have Christina Stockin share her expertise in leading an American Sign Language (ASL) course. Christina has been mastering ASL since she was a teenager and holds a bachelor's degree in ASL and an associates in Human Services. She has been working in this field for the past nine years.
This course helped students to increase their understanding, awareness, and connection with the deaf community. Mrs. Stockin shared there are several misconceptions regarding people within the deaf community and she hopes to help students see that while they have a different way of communicating, they can do anything just like people within the hearing community.
Over the course of the quarter, students grew their ASL vocabulary and knowledge of the deaf community. It was a challenging course that was full of laughter and joy. Nearing the end of the course several students shared the following perspective from their time in the course:
“Because of this class I have greater respect and understanding for people within the deaf community.” ~ Jack Rairdon
“My eyes have been opened to the extent of hearing challenges in America and have learned a bit about how to better interact” ~ Hailey Chapman
“I was challenged to learn a new way of communicating with people of a different culture through this course” ~ Chantel Pica.
In the past, this project course has been a launchpad for students who decided to study ASL further and now work in the field. We were blessed to have Mrs. Stockin share her expertise with our students this winter.