This Is Not The End

Well, everyone, this is my last blog post for 20-Time... It's been an interesting journey and I've learned a lot! I'm thankful for this opportunity with 20-Time that has exposed me to a different way of learning.

Now a little more about my project. We recently had to fill out a reflection in class that had a series of questions on it so I'm going to share three questions with my responses with you now:

What did you intend to accomplish with your 20-Time project? What did you actually accomplish with your 20-Time project? 

I intended to learn enough sign language to be able to have a conversation with someone else in ASL and then revised my goal to learning common words and phrases in sign language, while also learning about deaf culture. I accomplished my second goal of learning words and phrases, but not my first one of having a conversation with someone in ASL.

Describe the impact of your project on yourself and others. How could you use what you learned to create a positive change in someone else or the community?

I learned a lot about the deaf community and how deaf people are portrayed in the hearing society. Most deaf people get frustrated with the hearing community because most people think that deaf people are impaired in some way, when in fact, they aren't. The only difference between hearing and deaf people, is that deaf people can’t hear, but they can function like any other person in society. I could use my new knowledge about ASL and the deaf community by creating awareness of the deaf and the issues they have in society.

What roadblocks did you run into? What were the areas of the project that were more difficult than you expected them to be?

I was phased with a serious lack of motivation. I’m a really busy person, and 20-Time added more stress into my already chaotic life, so I ended up not working on it as much as I probably should have. I completed all assignments, but did only the bare-minimum, nothing above and beyond, which is what I normally do for projects. My topic was way harder than I initially expected. Learning sign language is learning a new language, and takes a lot of time to master, and it’s time that I didn't really have time to dedicate during this busy time in my life. I love ASL and learning about deaf culture, and want to continue my journey with ASL when I have a little more time to dedicate to it.

Though my journey with 20-Time is coming to an end, my journey with ASL is not. I am going to continue pursuing knowledge about the deaf community and deaf culture. Also, I'm very interested in minoring in ASL when I go off to college (I'm almost officially a senior in high school! Where did all the time go?!?!). I really feel like having a background in sign language would set me apart from the average applicant when I go to apply for an actual job, too, especially because I am thinking about majoring in education or social work.

I am so very thankful for all that I have learned about sign language and the deaf community. I have a new found love and respect for deaf people and their culture and can't wait to go out into the deaf community!

So, for now, but hopefully not forever...

Shake It Off

Yay! I actually had time to watch Children of a Lesser God, and it was incredible! It was really cool being able to see things that I have read about in I'll Scream Later and relating them to the emotions I now know Marlee Matlin was feeling at the time she filmed the movie. It was also awesome to see actual sign language in conversation form, not just on the videos that I've been watching.

Kind of relating to watching movies, I just started to watch Switched at Birth on Netflix. If you don't know what this show is about, feel free to click the link, but all you really need to know for the purpose of my mentioning the show, is that one of the main characters, Daphne, is deaf. Because she is deaf, ASL is used in the show quite frequently. Daphne attends a deaf school and it's really cool to see the interactions between her and her classmates. Though I don't understand everything thing that they are signing without the subtitles, I have understood a couple signs and have been able to follow along! It's awesome seeing progress!

Sadly, I didn't have time to make a video, because, let me tell you, filming and editing videos actually takes a real long time... Instead of having a video of me signing, I'm going to post pictures of some of the signs I have recently learned:

I actually have a personal connection to this sign. I volunteer in a first grade classroom and if one of the students has to use the restroom, instead of disrupting the whole class by saying it, the teacher has them use this sign and will discretely dismiss them. I love that the teacher connects sign language into her classroom, and hopefully, if someday I become a teacher, I can too!

I don't have a connection to this sign, I just really love food and thought it would be a good sign to share with all of you. Also, you need food to survive, so if you're ever out in the deaf community and are hungry, this would come in handy. 

I'm a firm believer in the fact that "please" is the magic word, so this one doesn't really need an explanation as to why I chose to share it ;)

Along with the videos and movies/TV shows I've been watching, I made a board on Pinterest dedicated to ASL and my 20-Time project! Pinterest is kind of my favorite, and I love seeing all the things others have posted about sign language and the deaf community. While browsing, I found a Youtube channel of a husband and wife who sign the lyrics to popular songs, and I'm a bit obsessed with it. I've watched basically every video, because it's just so cool to see the signs and how they go in time with the music. Here's one of my favorite videos:

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! :)

Just Another Week

Well, the last time I posted was right before the Project Fair, and let me tell you, it went great! Everyone seemed really interested in what I had to say and how my project was going. I loved hearing all of the motivational advice and encouragement provided by the parents.

After the Project Fair, I had a lot of motivation to get stuff done. I've watched a couple more ASL videos and have been practicing some more common phrases! In my next post, I'll try to post another video of myself signing something!

This week, however, I've been super duper busy and am now completely exhausted, which is kind of reflecting in this blog post. With everything that's going on, my creativity has been at an all time low, so, sorry for that...

For my next post, like I stated earlier, I will post a video, and my goal is to also watch the movie Children of a Lesser God. The author of the book (I'll Scream Later by Marlee Matlin) I'm reading for our SSR time, is the star of the movie, and I can't wait to see her performance, after learning a little about her experience with the filming.

Here's the trailer for the movie:

I'll be sure to provide a review of the movie after I watch it, too!

Thanks for visiting!
Piper

Project Fair!

Welcome to my blog! Hopefully you enjoyed the 20-Time Project Fair hosted by Ms. Hechlik! And, if you didn't go, you really missed out. 

Like you (probably) learned if you attended the fair, my original goal was to have a minute and a half long conversation in American Sign Language (ASL) with another ASL speaker. After some time experimenting with the language, I decided that my goal probably wasn't very achievable and that I might want to amend it. So, my new goal is this: learn common words and phrases in ASL, as well as learning about the history of ASL, and a little about deaf culture. 

Along with my pursuit of knowledge into the deaf world, I am also watching videos that are motivational, about ASL, or deaf culture, or even both! 

Below are three videos that I've recently watched that just happen to be both motivational and about deaf culture! After each video, I'll provide my thoughts and opinions about what was said:

1)

I find this video to be very cool, because along with Pamela, I am also trying to learn ASL. Though her journey is further along than mine, it really drove me to keep signing away and continue along with my pursuit of new knowledge. 

2)

This video is very moving. It's very brave of her to actually speak her presentation rather than signing it and having an interpreter. Her humor and bravery inspire me to continue my journey learning sign.

3)

What really struck me about this was that the first deaf person he knew was Moses. That just goes to show how separated deaf people are from the hearing world. 

After watching these videos I've realized that deaf people aren't really that different from the rest of the world, and we need to stop looking at them as disabled, and this of them as abled people in society that can do anything we can, except hear!

Now, I have a task for you:

1. Watch all of these videos.
2. Answer this question in my comments: Do you think of deaf people as disabled? If so, why?
3. Comment how you think you can change your outlook on the deaf community.

Motivation?

Well, India was absolutely incredible, but in the midst of my traveling, and crazy life, I've kinda neglected my 20-Time project... I've just been so crazy busy and stressed that while trying to juggle everything else, I've dropped the ball...

I think part of it is that I have lost some motivation to learn sign language. Don't get me wrong, I still really want to learn how to sign, I just have been so stressed with all my other commitments that I haven't spent as much time as I should on the project. I totally love the idea of the 20-Time project, but feel like it's adding some more stress to my already hectic schedule because it's just one more thing I need to worry about. 

So, being the problem solver that I am, I'm not just going to focus on the problem, but also a solution. In order to fix my lack of motivation, I'm going to amend my goal a little bit. Instead of putting a time limit on my conversation, I just would like to learn some common words and phrases. Those words and phrases will help me to hopefully have a conversation with someone in the future, but if I don't right away, I'm okay with that. After talking with Ms. Hechlik and bouncing ideas off each other, I've come to the conclusion that my goal isn't just learning how to sign, but rather, learning about the deaf community, the struggles they face, and how they have overcome these struggles. All that I've learned so far, from the videos I've watched, the book I'm reading, and meeting with my mentor, have helped me to understand some of the struggles, and hopefully, I'll learn some more.

Also, I'm going to try to watch a motivational video every week; whether it be a TED Talk, or some other random video that will help me focus on my goals. Hopefully these videos will also help me feel less stressed and like I'm some crazy person who's always running around doing tasks that don't really matter. 

Along with the videos, I'm going to try to spend one extra night a week trying to learn some more sign language. One of my commitments, that took up a lot of my time, just ended, so I have a night a week where I don't have anything scheduled. During this time I hope to spend time either watching videos to motivate me, or working on my sign language skills. 

Here's the first video I watched: 

This video is about the anonymous extraordinaries in life who work hard for their goals, without seeking recognition for the tasks they completed. It's a great reminder to continue doing the small things in life that make you happy, or even better, that make others happy.

Here's to hoping my motivation comes back!

Piper

P.S. 

If you have any tips about how to stay motivated, feel free to drop a comment and let me know! :)

Mentor Meeting

I met with my mentor, and it was amazing. After school, last Wednesday, I met with a sign language interpreter here in Midland and she shared with me so much phenomenal information. She gave me work book pages with different common signs to learn, as well a link to a cool website that quizzes you on different common signs (http://www.aslpro.com/).

Along with different ways to learn, she taught me a little about the history of American Sign Language. The two important people who brought sign language to the U.S. were Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc. Thomas Gallaudet's neighbor was deaf, and he wanted very badly to communicate with her, so he went on a search for sign language. He traveled to Spain, where sign language was prominent, but they wouldn't share the art with him, so he left for France. While in France, he met Laurent Clerc, who shared the art with Thomas. Laurent and Thomas traveled back to the U.S. and began teaching ASL.

My mentor also taught me a lot about the deaf community in Midland, which she is very in touch with. She shared with me some different social events that the deaf community have, with the hope that once I know more than the ABC's and common phrases, I will be able to attend with her.

This meeting got me so pumped. I have some homework to do before my next meeting with my mentor (scheduled tentatively for after spring break), but I  could not be more excited to do it. For once in my life I am actually excited to do homework! This is what learning should be like: fun, exciting, engaging, and entertaining. I'm very thankful for this project. It is allowing me to help explore my love and desire for learning and is making me feel like a little first grader who wakes up excited and ready to learn new things!

As a parting little gift, I'd like to share two things:

• First, a quote from Helen Keller my mentor shared with me: When Helen was asked if she'd rather be deaf or blind, she stated that she'd rather be blind because, "Blindness separates people from things; deafness separates people from people."

While on my pursuit of knew knowledge, I hope to carry this quote with me always. It will serve as some motivation for me and I believe that it will help me be able to relate to the deaf community just a little bit better.

• Second, a video shared with me on Facebook by my sweet cousin, Jenny. The video is of a deaf man and his amazing town. Several of his neighbors took the time to learn common signs to try and make his day, which I most certainly think they did:

This video just shows how nice people truly are. I hope to make someone's day with sign language, like others did in this video!

Until next time (and I'm back from India!),

Piper 

Yay! A Video!

Okay, so in my last post, I said I'd post a video, and well, here it is:

So, I found out that making a video isn't as easy as I thought... I have to refilm myself like 20 different times because I kept messing up... Also, my mom kept making fun of me, which made me laugh, resulting in a failed attempt at a video. After many trials, I finally got one that I would deem good enough to post!

In the video I am (attempting to say) saying, "Hello! My name is Piper. What is your name?" For all of you that might know sign language, please feel free to drop a comment and tell me if I'm actually saying that... If I'm not, I would like to extend my apology to the deaf and ASL speaking communities for my failed attempt. (I actually do think I'm saying what I meant to, but would just like to cover my bases in case I messed up).

The videos that I've been watching have really helped me to learn new vocab words. Though they've helped me with words, I haven't really been able to practice sentences much, which could be a problem down the road when I want to actually be able to have a conversation with someone.

On a brighter note, I got in contact with my mentor! She is a sign language interpreter here in town, so she'll be able to aid and assist me throughout the process. I'm stoked about this because it means that I'll actually be able to begin conversations with others. I'm meeting with my mentor today after school in the library here at Dow! So in about 30 minutes I will be having my first real ASL lesson.

As a part of 20-Time, in order to make it even more of a learning experience, my teacher is requiring us to pick a book(s) to read for 10-15 minutes each day in class that somewhat relates to our project.
The book I chose to read is called I'll Scream Later by Marlee Matlin (http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Scream-Later-Marlee-Matlin/dp/1439171513). It is a memoir written by Marlee, a deaf actress, and highlights here struggles in the film industry. I'm really enjoying it so far and can't wait to keep you all up to date with what I read!

Next week I will be traveling to India with my friend Faith and her family for spring break, so unfortunately, I will be missing 20-Time :( However, my goal is to watch at least one video in the airport either on my way to India, or back home. I am super excited for my trip and can't wait to tell you all about it when I return!

Until then, wish me luck with my lesson and safe travels for my trip!
Piper :)

20-Time Week Two

Well, it's been a long week. As many of you know, your junior year of high school is tough, and this week has been one of the toughest for me. It was the week of the dreaded ACT. I've been stressed about it for a while and am glad it's over, but it has really restricted the amount of time I've had to work on my 20-Time project...

Though I haven't spent as much time as I would like on my project, I did watch the first video from the website that was included in my last post! I learned how to sign many common words like: he/she, yes, no, again, sign, deaf, etc. I also learned question words and how to ask question like "are you deaf?" and "what is your name?" I'm super excited about this because these are great ways to start a conversation, which means I'm one step closer to reaching my goal!

I have also contacted a possible mentor, but she hasn't gotten back to me yet. Hopefully she will soon so I can have someone to help me practice and eventually reach my goal.

Next week I hope to watch at least two more videos. Also, in my next post I'm going to try to post a video of myself signing some common words, phrases, and questions to show off what I've learned.

Until next time...

My 20-Time Project!

I've never written a blog before so this might be a bit awkward, just bear with me and I'm sure things will get better..!

My name is Piper and for my 20-Time project I have decided to learn sign language. In the future, I am interested in getting an education degree, and I believe that knowing sign language would be a great tool to possess. It would allow me to be a special education teacher if I wished, or would just help me understand others better. Also, communication is not my strong suit and is something I would like to work on. I think that learning sign language would give me some perspective on how to effectively communicate with others. 

By the end of this project, I hope to be able to have a minute and a half (weird time length, I know) conversation with someone else who can sign. Each week I will watch tutorials, informational videos, and do anything else that will help me learn how to sign. 

After my initial research I found a great source that I think will help me tremendously throughout the whole process (http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/lessons/lessons.htm). There are a bunch of different lessons, videos, and sample sentences that I can use to practice, along with tips on how to learn and retain the information. 

Though, it will be a difficult and long process, I am super excited to learn sign language and am ready to work hard!