These are fictional journal entries written by a teacher who is going to have a child, Caden, with a cochlear implant mainstreamed into her classroom.
October 13, 2002
Well, today was certainly interesting. Maybe hectic would also be a good word to describe it. One fight between two normally well behaved children, one tooth fell out, and news that I will soon be having a child, Caden, with a Cochlear Implant in my class. I have never even had a hearing impaired child in my class or anyone with hearing aids. I definitely don’t know much about implants, other than what the speech teacher showed me. She first showed me a PowerPoint Presentation explaining that a cochlear implant is an electronic device that allows deaf children to have a sense of hearing (“Cochlear Implants”, 2006). The implant has several different parts and seems quite fascinating.
I first did not know what to think, but after reading a poem written by Caden’s mother I could not help but want to help this little boy as much as I possibly could. I can’t imagine what their family has been, and will continue to go through for these first few years of school. I just remembered that the speech teacher also gave me the address for her webliography to learn where I can get more information about deafness and Cochlear Implants. I need to sit down and look at it later tonight or tomorrow some time.
The one major thing that worries me is how the other kids will deal with Caden’s difference. It worries me, but I think if I could do more research and possibly do a lesson on Cochlear Implants to help them understand better, they too will want to help Caden. This is a good age to educate about these things because they are not too cruel to each other yet. Along with the kids, I need more education on the subject myself. I have to admit, it’s a little scary and intimidating; will he sign or talk?
December 16, 2002
So, I actually got to meet Caden today. What a cute little boy! Him and Bryson, Caden’s older brother are both adorable, and hilarious to watch. Mr. and Mrs. Hart seemed like very nice people. I feel somewhat relieved now having met the family. To my surprise, Caden was actually talking. He used no signs, and was pretty easy to understand. I would have never thought he had a hearing impairment.
After our meeting, I met with the speech teacher and she gave me some more interesting information. She first gave me a copy of her initial interview with the family. This also helped me realize that the family is very motivated to do whatever it takes to help Caden. I am so relieved. She also let me listen to a podcast to explain what was initially expected of Caden’s language and vocabulary. She then gave me a copy of a recent observation report to see what Caden is doing in speech therapy.
He seems like a great kid and the progress he has made with his implant is so remarkable. I feel much better about the whole situation now, and I’m actually looking forward to working with him. I hope I can help and teach Caden, but I think he will also be able to teach me some things too.
Click here to view the References
1.Voice: This piece was in parent voice (the father).
2.Audience: The audience is anyone who may have a deaf child or who is considering implantation.
3.Say Back: The author is expressing how parents react when they hear that their child is deaf and how it makes them feel. The author is also expressing how happy parents are after implantation when they can talk to their child and their child can actually hear what they are saying.
4.Bless: I love the idea of a journal entry for a genre. In my mind I was thinking of doing it more as a narrative that included facts about my topic, but I really like how you did it from a parent’s point of view and described their feelings towards the diagnosis of their child. Great work!
5.Address: I think this is a great piece of work! Maybe you could add an entry about the parents deciding whether or not to have their child implanted and include their pros and cons about going through with the surgery.
Comment by arfalbo — October 20, 2006 @ 5:55 pm
Voice: This piece was written from the voice of the father whose child has a cochlear implant.
Audience: I think this piece is more for personal reasons, but could also be for the clinician or other parents in the same situation.
Say Back: The first entry is expressing the sorrow that a parent feels when first finding out that his child is deaf. The second entry is about the joy a parent experiences when an implanted child is hearing and talking just like any other kid.
Bless: “I can hear, his mom can hear, his brother can hear, why can’t he?!” I like this line. There is a lot of emotion in those words. I think that a lot of parents who find out their children are deaf go through that same thing, trying to make sense of it all. Good work!
Address: Maybe within the second entry or in a separate entry, you could mention some of the things Caden does in speech therapy or some techniques that the family does at home to help improve his speech/language.
Comment by Lacie Deeds — October 23, 2006 @ 7:59 pm