Time to read, time to learn, time to play.

Hi guys,

I know it's been a long time, trust me I did not forget about my avid readers!!! Grad School should have a disclaimer:

     "You will not have enough time to read. You will not have enough time to sleep. You will not have enough time to read and sleep. You will not have enough time to read and sleep and make friends and eat and do your homework assignments and have a job. You will not have enough time." 


For reals.
We last left off at my height of my I-think-I-can success; and I'm still here! Classes are going great, I'm making friends left and right, and I can understand more people more frequently every day. I know I made the right choice in coming here.

     Learning how to be an effective teacher at Gallaudet University includes learning about how much the education community is changing in order to accommodate failing students, a failing academic system, the ever broadening diversity of America's students, and how to teach Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing children in a bilingual setting. At first it is overwhelming to think about all of these things at once. But after you deconstruct and focus down on each theory and questions one by one, it is actually very inspiring to know that I, Shauna Segler, am a part of this great movement of education reform, teacher training, and classroom management.

    This past weekend was so stressful, I had to call out of work just to keep up with my homework. Don't tell anyone. That tells me it is definitely time to look at employment opportunities on campus. Currently, I work retail off campus via a metro route that takes me anywhere from 30 minutes to and hour and a half depending upon the ridiculousness... er, functionality of the DC Metro. The weekends here underground are a hot mess. My department coordinator has been email blasting us with information about tutoring jobs on campus, that sounds like fun! Great experience to help me become a teacher and the best part is I won't have to use the metro and I'll get to use ASL.

     Soooooooo...... you may have noticed my ad, yes the bright yellow box with my cheesy smile... you will see a humble request for financial assistance. Lemme break it down:

Remember in the first week when I discovered "International Development" and sparked an interest in Deaf Education across the globe? Well I found my first opportunity to experience, train, learn, and meet Deaf students, business owners, agrarian folks, etc. in India!!! I am so excited about this I can barely stay seated in my chair while I type this. The trip is two weeks, long enough to gain some exposure but not long enough to be concerned about missing anything from the states. December 29-Jan 13 I will be in India traveling through seven different cities. The cost is reasonable, $3,000 covers the roundtrip flights, ground transportation, daily morning meals, domestic flights, and lodging. Please help support my trip if you can, every dollar counts. You can go to www.gofundme.com/ASLshauna to submit your donation. Or see their facebook page here.


    In between books on Saturday night, friends arranged a sushi dinner off campus. At first I didn't want to go because I had so much to do! But I am glad I went because it gave me a chance to get off campus, breathe, chat with friends, and refresh myself to nosedive right back into my books the next day. We had so much fun with sushi, tater tots, spicy sauce, tempura rolls... I ordered a roll called 3,000 Leagues with tempura octopus and cucumber. It was distgusting. But at least I tried it!

Well off to the books I go. Time to read and finish my assignment before my afternoon classes. I am so grateful for this blog. You are the canvas of my mind and my readers are the fuel to my flame. Thanks for keeping me going. 

No More Tears

View of Manhattan from Brooklyn Promenade

I hope you have your reading glasses on and are sitting in your comfy chair, cause I got a LOT to share with you today!

First of all, Hello! I hope your Labor Day weekend was fun and relaxing, mine sure was. Don't tell anyone, but I took a quick getaway trip to NYC. For my New York friends, please don't take it personal that I didn't contact you. I spent time with my sweetiepie and the BFF, the rest of my time?... READING!!! Grad school is all about reading and discussion. At first I was hesitant about going.

Does this mean that I'm scared? 

    Am I escaping responsibility?

       Am I running away?

After debating these thoughts with my roommates the consensus was a simple, "No. Go take advantage of your 6 day weekend!" (My classes were all Mon & Tues last week!) And I am so glad that I went. It gave me a chance to see that NYC isn't going anywhere, it's still there. It will always be there. My friends and support system are still there and are just a text, phone call, email, facetime, or even four hour bus ride away. Going to New York and returning back to DC give me my confidence back. I was able to realize,

"Hey, I'm okay! I'm doing fine. After a little adjustment, I will succeed!" I feel more comfortable in class and with participating & offering my opinions in ASL. Luckily, two-weeks later my reception is a little more comfortable. I've noticed I have a little more difficulty understanding Lefty signers. No offense, lefties!! It's just visually different, obviously, and takes a little getting used to. I digress... All in all I am happy to be here and am now comfortable and confident; no more tears. Like Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo.

So. Cool stuff that happened today:

I had breakfast with a woman I had met last night in the dining plaza. She is an undergraduate student, as are most of the people I meet in the dining plaza, and wants to become a history teacher. She's from Georgia and is African-American, self described. We discussed how children are not taught the whole history of America, but a biased one. We talked about the black experience and the white experience growing up in America. We shared our experiences in public school and when we started to realize that maybe we weren't learning the whole truth nothing but the truth and real truths. I recommended a book entitled Black Like Me (I also recommend it to you). She spoke about how she grew up in Atlanta and the only white people she saw in her grandparents' house was the mailman or the electrician. I shared about my experiences studying Afro-Caribbean dance, which includes the languages, food, cultures, clothes, etc. of the people. What an interesting conversation to have during breakfast!

Thereafter, I began my pre-class to do list, which was entirely accomplished! What a great feeling. Scholarship paperwork, submitted. Orange dorm ID sticker, got it. Mail, picked up. Umbrella, purchased. (Damn you rain!) Visual Gesture & Movement class, registered. Done.

My two classes for the day were Reading/Writing for K-12 Teachers and Curriculum Planning/Technologies. I had to present a project in ASL for the first class. Of course I hadn't rehearsed at home, but I reviewed the material in my head. Well, seemed okay! Three students shared that they found it interesting and enjoyed my story about my Pathway to Literacy. That was a nice little esteem booster. It also let me know that I was clear in communication. Something I'm always worried about... in both languages. Then in the Curriculum class, I participated a lot! Probably too much. Sometimes I just can't stop sharing. I'm glad that today, I could understand most of what folks were saying. The few times I didn't, I had enough comfort to ask people to clarify. And that was okay. Just like when people ask me to clarify a classifier, it's okay.

One concept I have been steadily familiar with and am just now strongly experiencing, is that the Deaf community is so familiar, comfortable, and knowledgeable with technology. If you think about it, it makes sense. So much of communication is involved with technology. Your cellphone, iPad, wireless keyboard, Microsoft PowerPoint, email, texting, video chat, alarm system, etc. are all ways in which we communicate ideas, needs, thoughts, desires, expressions, disappointments and joys. Deaf people value equal access to information. Hearing people assume if you can't keep up with what's being given, you must be lacking in intellect. Typical hearing folks, judging people by the quality of their auditory reception skills. Accommodation doesn't equal disabled. Different comprehension technique doesn't mean less qualified. Different just means different.

This leads me to another concept within Deaf culture. The Deaf community firmly believes in the values of sending d/Deaf children to Deaf schools. Deaf schools are a place where the language is the same and supported, information is administered in the child's natural language, it is a central pillar to the Deaf community and culture. It is a place where Deaf people meet and exchange ideas with other Deaf people. It is not a place of judgment or misinformation; which is how many Deaf folks view mainstreaming.

Brown vs. Board of Education

Now Closed Mental Institution

Now comparatively, hearing people view Deaf Institutes as a bad idea. Why? The term institute reminds many of mental institutions and how unproductive and abusive those centers were/are/can be. Another negative relationship mainstream America has with "different" schools is the Seperate But Equal philosophy ever so prevalent in the early 1900's South. Hearing folks think that by mainstreaming Deaf children with interpreters they will benefit more by being considered more equal, more similar, more socialized with hearing children. But education with interpretation invites such a margin of error and misinformation. During my brief time of studying to become an interpreter, one of the several ethics topics we discussed was the instance of interpreting for a Deaf high school student who asks us to help him with homework or wants to discuss his family life to vent. What about the dating life of Deaf mainstreamed students? I doubt any 16-year-old wants a third wheel coming along to interpret during dinner, a movie, and an already awkward goodbye.

The point I'm trying to drive home, is that segregated schools are immoral and discredit an entire community. However, different schools just mean a different language. Deaf education does not mean separate/unequal/disabled education. It is simply education in a different language. Did you know that it is somewhat popular for Americans of French descent to send their children to private schools which only speak and teach in French here, in the states. What's so different about those schools and Deaf schools? 

Elementary School for Deaf Children in Utah

High School for French Speakers in NY

Top Five Cool Things of the Week

There are a couple cool things that happened this past week, that I forgot to mention.


1. I had lunch with Miss Deaf Black America, she's from Atlanta.
2. I met some older grad students who were on campus as undergraduate students during the 1987 Deaf President Now protest.



3. I met some folks on the swim team.


4. A lot of folks are from Canada. I think someone told me Canada doesn't have any universities for the Deaf. Aside from Gallaudet University (a liberal arts school), the US has RIT: Rochester Institute for the Deaf (a technology school).
5. I spent an entire dinner conversation talking about the Deaf gay man's experience in DC... well learning about it, anyway.


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Long Labor Day Weekend

No classes until Tues. Means I will have my nose in the books and out having fun!

Will return with a new post on Tuesday.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Second Day of Grad School.

Today is Tuesday. That means the day after yesterday. So after my second round of reception, comprehension, discussion, learning, experiencing, eating, walking, and story telling in ASL; I'm feeling more comfortable with myself and with the school, and more confident in my class participation. 

No tears today. 

Nearly all my classes are Monday and Tuesday, with the exception of a 2.5 hours seminar every Friday morning. Not bad, right? Except for the fact that my meal breaks are few and short. Now I understand why grad students always carry food with them wherever they go. You never know if you have to work/learn through lunch, and dinner, and into the night, and onward through breakfast. 

For several of my classes we have to pick a topic, subject matter, or idea in connection with a presentation, project, or paper. So far, I've been able to find relating ideas about multi-cultural, race & ethnicity, and literacy. Those topics are so interesting to me. I have no idea what I'm doing, but so far I'm having fun and have found some inspiration. 

Thanks to Labor Day, I don't have class until Tuesday... that's 6 days off! Don't worry, I'm burying my nose in my books. 

After next week, it will be in depth learning, involvement, immersion, and dedication. I have to retain a 3.0 GPA to graduate and a 3.5 GPA to keep my scholarship. 

Happy Labor Day!!

First Impact

I have no words. 

no signs.

no ways to communicate what I'm feeling. 

But let me try... I am overwhelmed with the work required, the level of which my ASL reception needs to be, the level of which my ASL execution needs to be, the amount of experience my peers have, the lack of experience I have, and finally; how I will establish a plan for me to accomplish not only my assignments, but also develop through and forward with each of the aforementioned concerns. 

In my last class, Structures and Application of ASL/English in the Classroom, there are 10 students, 1 TA, and 1 professor (obviously). Of those 10 students, I am one of the two hearing students. The other girl, she got her BA in Deaf Education. All the Deaf/HoH students? They have BA degrees in education and/or Deaf education. So I'm the only student without prior experience in and educational setting for the Deaf. 

I feel so behind. 

My hearing professor has a PhD in Deaf Education and teaching Linguistics. ASL is her third language, English her third, and Spanish her first. She's quite impressive. Her ASL skills are top notch. It is very inspiring to be around her, she has a certain vitality and passion around her like the dust cloud of that dirty kid from the Charlie Brown comics. Except not dirt, but energy. That being said, being around such inspirational and experienced people is motivating, and yet intimidating at the same time. 

I feel so intimidated. 

If I look back and try to remember other times I felt intimidated I can think of...

1) Auditions to get into Cal State University Long Beach with a bunch of bunheads. Denied. 

2) Ailey auditions with a bunch of technically advanced bunheads. Denied. 

3) First week of training at Apple in NYC, when I had never touched a Mac in my life. Success. 

4) Pursuing a career in modern dance in NYC, Failed. 

Denied because I gave my very best and didn't make the cut. 

Success because I applied myself, played by the rules, and was determined to make the most out of what I was working with. 

Failed because I did not apply myself seriously, I was not determined to find success; rather, I waited for it to come to me. I found roadblocks and sat in front of them or took another road, instead of seizing and conquering each one. 

After reviewing these few anecdotes of attempted achievement in my life, I think it's a little more clear as to what I need to do now. I am fully capable. I just can't crawl into a ball of fear and defense. Failure is so scary to me, especially after experiencing such a heavy dose of it as a dancer. It is scary to try again. But without trial, there is no failure OR achievement. Right? Right. 

So onward ever onward. 

This is what I signed up for. I knew I had little to no experience in this field and that I had a long row to plough. I will finally succeed in a life-path choice. Perhaps I need to remind myself that it is okay to ask for help and utilize the resources I have in order to find the appropriate path of success for me. The key to asking for help, though, is knowing/being aware of what you need help with. That's the critical step. 

I feel better. 

"Dad/Father"

Growing up near a military base with a father who worked in aerospace I was constantly sermoned in how to live the right way. Many times, especially as a tween, things my father said went in one ear and out the other. But one word of advice he has continued to give me through high school, undergrad, professional life, and now in grad school: "Keep a journal, Shauna. Write down things you experience and your thoughts about it. Later, you will learn from your experiences and perceptions. It will help you grow as a person and help you recognize your growth." 

Whaddya know? Dad was right. 

So let's see what the rest of the first week of graduate school has in store!

Hurricane Irene is stirring up some change.

     I've calmed down a lot since the last post, partially due to the fact that I finished unpacking and moving in. There truly is something that affects the brain regarding the feeling of "home." My mirrors are up, plants are out, baskets and trinkets in their places, pillows plushed and coffee paraphernalia equipped. Last night I finally got some real sleep. PTL! (praise the lord, yes I made that up...)

     Yesterday was take-care-of-business-day. I applied for a Graduate Student Assistant job. Squared away financial aid/scholarship shenanigans. Bought less than half my books at $356...yikes! Thank you, Student Federal Loans:-) Went grocery shopping for snacks and food to hold me over during this lovely tropical storm, thanks for Hurricane Irene. Inconsiderate heifer. (Yes, hurricane @Irene is passing through town today). Did the final unpacking, information internetting, late night chats with the boyfriend, sister, and mother. And am now basking in the fluorescent lighting in my dorm room watching the rain cascade onto the soccer field and sipping on Irish cream coffee. *exhale* I think I'm ready for school to start.

     Thursday night was Happy Hour sponsored by the Graduate Student Association (GSA). That was a great experience! I wish I hadn't been so tired from running around (the roommates and I traveled to Pentagon City to check out my transfer to a store in Virginia). Anyway, I met several folks from different programs, saw a few familiar faces, reacquainted with many Deaf Ed. students. Funny, I told some of the girls that I guess teachers like to drink, because at least a third of the attendees were Education students. She replied, "Well, we just know how to have fun!" That's for sure:-)

     During the Happy Hour I found myself in a sticky situation. And like the blonde that I am, I didn't realize it until the moment was over. A sweet Speech Therapy student, whose ASL skills were basic and seemed slightly clueless about Deaf Culture, began asking why some hearing parents send their children to Oral/Aural schools vs. schools for the Deaf or mainstreaming. Being the eager and gregarious person that I am, immediately I piped up my opinions and shared the store of the three deaf children from my hometown, their experiences with cochlear implants and the pros and cons of the situation. I assumed she had more knowledge than she evidently shared about the topic. Once we finished the discussion I thought to myself, "Man, that's a heavy topic for a Happy Hour." Once the speech therapist and her Deaf roommate went on to mingle elsewhere, my hearing IETP (interpreter educating training program) hearing roommate slying signed to me, "That's a sticky subject. A few people were watching. That's why I stayed out of it."

Instantaneously I felt so.... uncomfortable. I'm not even sure of the appropriate word: embarrassed, awkward, ashamed, guilty, ignorant.... like a social ignoramus who should have known better. Along with this incident I am finding so many people with interpreting and education backgrounds who seem to know so much more than I do about so much. I'm not used to that. I'm used to being extremely prepared and aware. Aware of what to expect, what hurdles I need to jump over, what I need to work on, what I am successful at. However, here at grad school at Gallaudet University, studying a new field (Deaf/Elementary Edu.) in a foreign language (ASL) in a new city (Washington, DC) with no friends or family around.... I am utterly humbled.

     A day or two later, I have decided that I am not embarrassed in my conversation. Perhaps in the future I will handle something like with a little more insight. Regardless, I am who I am and I am here to meet people, share ideas, experience the language and the culture of Deaf communities and learn along the way. Learning can not take place without mistakes... that's what we learn from, right?

It feels passe to say,
"There is always more to learn."
"There will always be someone who knows more and is better than you."
"You will always face challenges."
"Pick yourself up and start all over again."
...but these expressions are applicable to what I am experiencing and feeling right now, right here. For the first time in my life I feel like I am pushing myself to the limit. It feels scary, but I am excited to see how I do and where I go from here. It is time to push back those curtains of emotion and really apply and commit myself to this journey.

So let's open the door and get to steppin!

Perseverance