American Sign Language
Amber Marie Bauguess
About My Site
North Wilkes High School is where I have been located. Services offered at this site is education; faculty and staff at NWHS work hard Monday through Friday to provide a safe environment for the students who attend, and to give the best education they know how.
What I Brought With Me
The strengths I brought with me into this internship is that I have known sign language since I was in second grade so I didn't come in oblivious to everything going on. I also came in already having good patience and tolerance for people around me because I have spent so much time in EC classrooms. I have made the most of this strength I have by having to deal with a student who didn't want to pay any attention to me, and by understanding that when it gets tough trying to remember signs that I just have to put myself in a deaf persons shoes because they're in a hearing world trying doing their best to learn and go on with their every day life.
Jose
Saying thank you to someone who was talking to him.
Michelle
Talking to Bryan about how to fix his grammar so that it is understandable.
Debby and Bryan
Debby was saying words to see if Bryan understood her and he was saying them back to her and signing them.
Impact
This internship has affected my high school and further education by giving me an insight on to which direction I want to go with my life. I love ASL and I do believe I have a gift even though it can get so frustrating trying to learn new things sometimes. I'm still unsure of how well I will do actually interpreting for someone because I get so nervous, but when I'm listening to something I can interpret it as long as nobody is watching. My plans haven't changed yet, I am still in the decision process.
Personalities Encountered
I have been with three different students and I have experienced three TOTALLY different human beings. Jose is a very "conservative" young man who kept to his self when it comes to school. He also has a mental disability so he has trouble focusing but once he gets to talking about something he wants to talk about he is out there. Especially if he is used to you, he will ask the same questions many times even though he isn't really a "people person" but he is a sweet kid who is just a normal teenager who doesn't care about school. William was VERY outgoing and was truly a talker. He was so full of life all the time and always had something to talk about- he was a real joy to be around. Then Bryan was just a normal teenage boy who is grumpy a lot because he was so overwhelmed with his senior project and everything. Although each of these boys were so different in so many ways, they were alike in many ways as well. They were all kind of "deprived" of a social life so whenever they met someone who could sign they were more than ready to talk just about anything! It was more than a privilege to spend time with all three of these young men, and it was a great experience because their backgrounds are all so much different than the others.
Lesson Learned
Throughout this experience I have learned that everyone is not the same but we're all human. Deaf is a disability but it shouldn't set them apart from people who can hear unless they have true needs to be apart. Over everything I have learned to accept everyone no matter what may physically or mentally be wrong with them. I have experienced many teachers and students exclude people because they're a little different or they aren't like them, and it just makes me wonder how people can possibly exclude people that they probably don't even know anything out. I have seen life from a deaf persons point of view of not being able to hear in a hearing world and it has really been the biggest blessing to me because it has helped me tolerate and understand everyone in general so much better!