to Jeanne's Web page!
Who Am I?
Hi! My
name is Jeanne. I am 44 and have returned to school after a 22 year
absence. It's never too late! I am a senior at
Valdosta State University working on my B.S. Ed. degree with a major in
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education. I commute at least four times a
week to VSU from
Tallahassee,
Florida. I used to teach American Sign Language at Florida State
University, but decided to concentrate on finishing school first.
I grew up in North Miami, Florida and attended Florida School for the Deaf in St. Augustine. My family later moved to Morganton, North Carolina. I graduated from North Carolina School for the Deaf in 1981. Although I have been Deaf since birth, I know not the cause, nor do I care. I am proud to be exactly as I am.
I have a sweet 15 year old daughter named Rachel who is now in the 9th grade. I also have a 26 year old step-son nicknamed "MG". He is Rachel's half brother from her father's previous marriage, but we remain very close. MG is an aspiring chef in Jacksonville Beach, Florida and is a great kid!
We have six cats. One of them was a foster cat from Leon County Humane Society, but we ended up adopting him. Life at my house is never boring!
Who
Inspired Me to
Teach?
My best friend Lynn is the person who inspired me to teach. She is also Deaf and has taught d/Deaf students for many years. Before I met Lynn, it had never crossed my mind to consider becoming a teacher. She inspired me to consider this as a possible career. I was always intrigued with Lynn's stories and experiences as a teacher of the d/Deaf.
(Note to those who wonder why I type both "Deaf" and "deaf": the difference between the two is if you spell it with a capital D you refer to the members of the Deaf community as I am. If you spell it with a lower case d, it refers to those who have a medical hearing loss but are not members of the Deaf community.)
My first class was teaching the staff at Virginia School for the Deaf & the Blind in Hampton, VA. Lynn was my mentor and was always there when I needed guidance. Needless to say after that first class I was hooked. We worked together as a team, training both educational interpreters and sign language students. I later became affiliated with the Adult Learning Center at Virginia Beach Public Schools where I revamped their sign language program so that the students were given more ASL-like instruction. I have also taught ASL classes for Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
After my divorce, I decided to relocate to Tallahassee, Florida to be near my family. I wanted to return to college as a full time student. Also another reason for the move was that I wanted my daughter to have a very close relationship with her grandmother. My mother is 85 years young and lives next door with my sister and her husband. I grew up living next door to my maternal grandmother. We had a close relationship. So, I wanted Rachel to have a similar experience with her own grandmother.
There are several other factors inspiring me to go back to school and get a teaching degree: 1) there are not many teachers of the d/Deaf who are Deaf themselves; 2) a high percentage of d/Deaf children are currently being placed in inclusive and/or self-contained classrooms; 3) Many of them have never seen or met a Deaf adult; and 4) I want to be a Deaf role model. I want to show them that D/deafness is not a barrier to accomplish anything they want.
My Photo Gallery -
I grew up in North Miami, Florida and attended Florida School for the Deaf in St. Augustine. My family later moved to Morganton, North Carolina. I graduated from North Carolina School for the Deaf in 1981. Although I have been Deaf since birth, I know not the cause, nor do I care. I am proud to be exactly as I am.
I have a sweet 15 year old daughter named Rachel who is now in the 9th grade. I also have a 26 year old step-son nicknamed "MG". He is Rachel's half brother from her father's previous marriage, but we remain very close. MG is an aspiring chef in Jacksonville Beach, Florida and is a great kid!
We have six cats. One of them was a foster cat from Leon County Humane Society, but we ended up adopting him. Life at my house is never boring!
My best friend Lynn is the person who inspired me to teach. She is also Deaf and has taught d/Deaf students for many years. Before I met Lynn, it had never crossed my mind to consider becoming a teacher. She inspired me to consider this as a possible career. I was always intrigued with Lynn's stories and experiences as a teacher of the d/Deaf.
(Note to those who wonder why I type both "Deaf" and "deaf": the difference between the two is if you spell it with a capital D you refer to the members of the Deaf community as I am. If you spell it with a lower case d, it refers to those who have a medical hearing loss but are not members of the Deaf community.)
My first class was teaching the staff at Virginia School for the Deaf & the Blind in Hampton, VA. Lynn was my mentor and was always there when I needed guidance. Needless to say after that first class I was hooked. We worked together as a team, training both educational interpreters and sign language students. I later became affiliated with the Adult Learning Center at Virginia Beach Public Schools where I revamped their sign language program so that the students were given more ASL-like instruction. I have also taught ASL classes for Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
After my divorce, I decided to relocate to Tallahassee, Florida to be near my family. I wanted to return to college as a full time student. Also another reason for the move was that I wanted my daughter to have a very close relationship with her grandmother. My mother is 85 years young and lives next door with my sister and her husband. I grew up living next door to my maternal grandmother. We had a close relationship. So, I wanted Rachel to have a similar experience with her own grandmother.
Why Do I Want
To Be a Teacher?
After teaching ASL for several years, I realized that I
love working with people,
especially brainstorming with other colleagues and members of the Deaf
community on things like improving an ASL curriculum. I have always
found it easy for me to make friends and stay in touch with them. In
fact, I still keep in touch with many of my former ASL students.There are several other factors inspiring me to go back to school and get a teaching degree: 1) there are not many teachers of the d/Deaf who are Deaf themselves; 2) a high percentage of d/Deaf children are currently being placed in inclusive and/or self-contained classrooms; 3) Many of them have never seen or met a Deaf adult; and 4) I want to be a Deaf role model. I want to show them that D/deafness is not a barrier to accomplish anything they want.
In
conclusion, I look forward to earning my B.S. Ed. degree. I
will then work on my M. Ed. degree with a major in Deaf and Hard of
Hearing
Education with a concentration in
My Favorite Links -
Guideposts Guideposts is one of my favorite inspirational magazine and this website has many wonderful devotionals. |
Odyssey "Odyssey, features articles about a wide
range |
Jigzone: Jigsaw Puzzle
Paradise My favorite game to play online whenever I need a break from homework! |
| Deaf Education website A very informative website to educate myself about Deaf Education |
Do-It-Yourself This website has been invaluable in helping me remodel/renovate my cute little garage apartment owned by my sister! I am "Jill-of-Almost All-Trades"! |
Google One of my favorite search engine to help with my homework! |
My Web Page (You're here! ) |
Resources
for Parents and TheStudents |
Global Diversity Page Exploring the World through Literature |
Topic Page |
 |
My Photo Gallery -
|
MG, me &
Rachel
 MG & his little sis clowning around w/ fake mustaches   |
|
We spent one week sightseeing
Paris and London, then went on a 14-night cruise to Ireland, Scotland,
Norway, France, Beligum, Denmark, and back to London to fly back home!
  Since Lynn and I are Deaf, the
cruise Constellation provided us not one
but THREE ASL interpreters! We had so much fun!
 |
|
"Pixie"
"Tigger" 
"Serena" (Tigger/Pixie's mom)
 |
"Morrissey"
"Lintu"  "Oliver"  |
"Kissa" was one of cats from
Leon County Humane Society that we fostered for several months. She
found a good home and we still missed her very much! |
Please e-mail me! 