Teaching For Deaf

Julia was sitting in the classroom like a normal student would. Taking notes from the whiteboard and staring at the math exercises. But she wasn’t normal at all. No, she was deaf.

She had been deaf from the moment she was born. Of course, it wasn’t anyone’s fault, but it truly was upsetting when her classmates pointed at her and made faces. Julia had been trying to fit in her entire life. She had transferred schools 8 times, and she was only 10 years old. In every school, there was a group of students who laughed when she couldn’t answer the questions from a teacher or when she wrote on paper to show her answers instead of saying them. The school that she was currently in was Alfonso’s Academy. Like the other schools, Alfonso’s Academy was full of bullies who made fun of her. Even the teachers had to cover a smile when Julia couldn’t hear the question. She was sick of it. Nearly every day, she had been writing on their “Talking Paper”. It was a paper for her to write on if she had questions and for others to write on as well. Julia demanded that the students stop making fun of her and treat her with respect. The students just laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Finally, Julia decided that she would do something about it. She may not be able to hear, but she could still speak. She knew that if her words were convincing enough, she could get the bullies to stop making fun of her. So she decided that during the next talent show, she would give a speech about people with special conditions and tell them how she felt.

When the day finally came, she stepped onto the stage. She rehearsed the words as she made her way onto the stage. Then, she began. Throughout the entire performance, she was nervous and continuously missed words. She wasn’t sure what they would think about her bold statements. After she finished, she was met with silence. No one was moving. They simply stared at her. Then, all at once, they began to clap and cheer! Even the ones that had made fun of her previously clapped for her performance. From then on, those around her stopped making fun of her. Julia, for once, was respected, and everyone had empathy for her. They thought about her and helped her with homework. They included her in the group projects and did many other things that they hadn’t done before.