What I did Today

Panel: Evan Brunell, Jamsine RodriquezModerator: John AndersonNotetaker: Camilla Hampton (Don't check my spelling :)Transliterators: Claire Troiano, Laura KetchakeuJamsine and Evan began by giving a little info. about themselves.Clarke kids introduced themselvesAll seniors were in attendanceJamsine: Yeah, you better have questions for me :)What is the biggest change you've experience?E: Rough b/c I was the only deaf student. Trouble "orienting" myself.J: Agreed. Much bigger (population) Making new friends, listen hard and lipread harder. It takes time, but gets easier.John: What was it like to friends?E: People didn't know how to deal with me. They said hello, but didn't know how to carry on a long conversation with me. When I wasat Clarke everyone was my close friends. That's not true in public school. You have a few close friends.J: I was looking forward to making new friends. You ask Q's, you decide to be silly (ways to relate to others and to get attention).They asked me a lot of Q's and I was able to tell them this is what it is. I made a couple of friends and I am making more friends now.It's not easy, but it gets better.J: I din't want to use the FM. I was too embarrassed. I didn't want anyone to know wbout my hearing impairment. I realized that Ineeded an FM to help me and I didn't care what others think. I started answering questions about it. The teacher was helpful. Shewould tell the kids about it. I was a littel embarrassed for a few months, but I got over it. The kids were reeally interested in themicrophone. "You heard that?" they would say.E: I didn't like the FM for the same reason Jasmine didn't like it at first. I have been using a transliterator all through school. It has beenhelpful. When I came to school, I didn't know anyone. I made friends with my OT and she became someone I could rely on. She tellsme what's on the announcements, if the phone rings, if the teacher is whispering to another teacher... she tells me.Deb Bak: What about w/ jokes? Did it help?E: When the kids told jokes, everyone wouyld be laughing, but I didn't get it. She didn't try to clean it up. A swear word... she gave it tome straight.Hannah: Whe you has the OT, how did your classmates react?E: This was a special circumstance. Everyone knew my OT already. They knew who she was (her purpose).Claire Blanchford: Did anyone ever make fun of you?E: In my entire public school career, it happened only once, and I didn't even hear it. In health class, he imitated how I talked. Myteacher heard, not me. She flipped out. He had to go to the Principal's and got a detention and had to write a letter of apology.J: My friends joke around about how I hear, and I do, too. We joke around about pronouncing words. I laugh when I don't say it right.My boyfriend right now apologized for talking badly about my hearing impairment.John w/ student question: What if you don't like a teacher or if the teacher doesn't like you?E: It wasn' hard. They loved me. They would say, "I am going to miss you. You made my life better. You made the class better. " I didhave one teacher who didn't like me, but she didn't let it show.J: The teachers love to know about you and ask questiosn about you. I have fun with them. It's like Clarke School. That's what it's like atNHHS.E: The teachers like to make fun. He said, "Oh, you're here again!" (jokingly).Hannah: Did you meet your teachers on the first day of school, or a couple of days before school started?E: The OT informed the teachers and introduced me to them.J: I had to go a day before to find out where my classroom was and my locker. My sister and my brother went there (NHHS) and theyrecognized me and knew who I was.Claire Blachford: Do the teachers sometimes forget who you are in class?E: I never noticed b/c the OT was there. It didn't matter. There were a couple of times where they would come between my OT and meand just stand there, but would apologize. They always try to walk around. When my OT wasn't there, my teachers would bend overbackwards and change lessons for me. That was helpful.Hannah: Would you get a replacement (OT)?E: I had one up through 9th grade. before I would freak out when she wasn't there, but now, if she can't go, i say, "No problem. I'll befine!"J: They don't forget because they have to wear the microphone. They feel really good about it...like they are a popstar. When they seethe microphone, they know that I am there.J: My tutor, Mrs. Shorter is the one person who gives me advice. She is the person I trust. She makes me feel really comfortable. Sheencouraged me to get the FM. She helped me a lot. I think if she wasn't there, it would have probably taken me a long time to getthrough this (adjustment to high school).John: What do you do if the class is really hard?J: I have a 1:1 tutor to help me with my homework. She would help me go through the textbook.E: I have only hard that problem in math. I had a tutor for that. I had one in 9th grade and 10th grade. English has never been hard.Science and HIstory weren't hard enough for me to get a tutor. I stopped tutoring in 11th grade and my grades have been fine.Claire Blatchford: Can you talk to us about "the wrong crowd?"E: I went from Clarke where everyone were hard workers and they dressed like you guys. As I got older, people started changingmore. Guys would were makeup, etc. One of my former friends had flipped his car with people in it. They were smoking weed. That'sthe wrong crowd. And if you don't like it, don't join it!J: There a lot of different people in high school. I am friends with everybody. But I don't always join them in things like smoking weedand drinking. For me to be there friend is like me being there for them. I am not popular and I am not a nerd. And I am really proud ofmyself for who I am. I don't want to be a bad person who fails (my classes) and partied too much. I am proud of myself for not doing iteven though I am surrounded by people who do.E: I thought my life would be different. I thought, "Here is my one chance to be someone different!" But you can't. You are who you are.J: Some of my friends aren't happy with who they are and started taking their hearing aids off. I tell them to keep wearing your hearingaids. You may turn out to be a great person who other people will be interested in.John: One of the things that have impressed me is that the kids are very comfortable with their hearing loss, but all of them will go outnext year and have to go to a new school. What did you do to advocate for yourself?E: Once a year, Ms. Bak and I would go out and tell people about the T-T-Y and to help educate them. I still have meetings about (me).people have questions about the cochlear implant because I just got it.Deb Bak: Can I tell a story (about Evan)?(At the beginning of) his 8th grade year, I prepared an outline with some things I thought we should tell the kids. Evan said, no, I thinkwe should talk about this, this and this! He really has been an advocate since then.(Deb introduced, "student orientations" as a way to provide Evan's peers about hearing loss.)E: I used to think, "I just want to be hearing!" I thought it would be simpler. We (deaf kids) have been given an important responsibilityto educate others in my path som that everyone who I come in catact with will know. Where would deaf people be without me? Whatwill other deaf people have to do?J: I had a group of friends who asked me, "Can I look at your hearing aid?" "Do you know sign language?" And they didn't know aboutthe T-T-Y. and I said, "Give me your number and I will call you and you can talk with the operator." They love that! They think it's cool!Deb Bak: What is the easiest way for you to keep in touch with your friends, etc.?E: Doesn't like the T-T-Y. I do use the Internet. I use IM (Instant Messaging). You don't feel limited (like the T-T-Y). I was in a chat roomtalking about baseball and I forgot to tell them I was deaf. It wasn't until at a year later that I told them I was deaf.J: I use the phone, but I talk loudly. My Mom can hear my conversations, so I ask her to go upstairs so she can't hear me. I do tell myfriends when they are talking to fast.John: Final thoughts?Claire Troiano: What are your plans after high school? How are you getting ready for college?E: I am sending out applications and scholarship applications for money. The only thing different was in my essay. I made a point totalk about my deafness.E (continued) I thought it had to have Sports Journalism as a major. I also was looking for a school with other deaf students. It doesn'thave to have 11, 000 deaf students like RTID. It could have 10. Then I though... location. I wanted to stay on the East Coast or Hawaii. This brings me to my final criteria... (described coop. and working in the field of Sports Journalism at Boston University).E: If they have questions, they can email agentbrunell@mailforce.netJasmineR. Doesn't have an email address.Thanks to everyone, especially Jasmine Rodriquez and Evan Brunell!Camilla and the Mainstream Crew