My Teaching Philosophy

         

          Born Deaf to Deaf parents in the Netherlands, we moved to the United States in 1963 when I was ten years old.  It was a great time and place to be because we were living in Maryland—about 12 miles from Gallaudet University, the world’s only liberal arts university for the Deaf in Washington, D.C.  We were also acutely aware of the work of Professor William C. Stokoe of Gallaudet University who published the first Dictionary of American Sign Language based on Linguistic Principles in 1965.  Deaf culture has since become a unique subset of America and most of Canada.

I want to bring to my students that joy and excitement of learning as much American Sign Language (ASL) as possible through which they can understand, intellectually and emotionally, that ASL belongs, along with Gebarentaal (Dutch Sign Language (DSL) into which I was born), British Sign Language (BSL) and Langue des Signes Francias (LSF), to the so-called “visual-gestural” group of languages.  I want all my students to understand that their presence in my classroom is the consequence of those learning experiences so that they are better prepared to use ASL once they leave the classroom.  My goal is to show that the study of ASL is a creative process based upon the analysis of linguistic/cultural evidence which results in a conversation between ASL and its users.  With my help, therefore, students begin to engage in their own creative conversation with myself, with the Deaf community, and with each other.  Finally, since ASL did not just come into being, but has had a long and interesting development, it is crucial that ASL be presented within a multicultural framework.

          I believe that not only in ASL but in all areas students should have the opportunity to reach their full potential as informed and knowledgeable young men and women.  As they have chosen to learn about my language and my culture, I will use all methods at hand to assist them in their search for learning and knowledge.  If it were English or math, I would do the same.  In every class, like in every landing in Homer’s Odyssey, we are challenged to overcome the unknown.  I have always had a joy of learning something novel—something mind-blowing, and I want my student to enjoy the same.  By the end, what the students have gained from the learning journey shall furnish their home.

          In summary, then, I am very committed to providing a learning environment that is both safe and rigorous, one that empowers both student and instructor in pursuing ASL.  I devise various assessment strategies that allow me to fairly assess student’s ASL regardless of the student’s learning styles.  Above all, I treat my students with the utmost respect and create an environment where students feel safe to learn.