In the late 1990s, a family visited the school where I taught deaf students. They said they would be moving here and planned to send their deaf daughter to my school as a first grader. They were upset that their child's kindergarten teacher told them not to have high hopes for her academically. Based upon assessment results, the teacher painted a bleak picture for their little girl's future. Standing behind them was Katherine, a beautiful five-year-old with long hair and dark eyes. The whole time her parents were there, and she didn't make a sound or use sign language, even when her parents prompted her.
After a few weeks with Katherine, I discovered I was dealing with a very bright, very strong-willed child. Although I was able to engage her in a variety of learning activities, writing was a constant struggle. I tried all kinds of trickery to interest her in writing. Every time the pencils came out, she would shut down and refuse to write.
One day Katherine got off her bus and stood in front of the school wailing. The staff members present did not know enough sign language to ask her why she was crying. Finally they quickly took her into the office where they handed her a pen and a notepad. Katherine wrote: "PAC BAK.". Immediately the office staff realized she left her backpack on the bus. They summoned (召唤) the bus back to school and soon Katherine was reunited with her backpack.
That day Katherine discovered the power of the pen. From then on she had a new appreciation for writing. She is a young woman now and has become an excellent writer, public speaker and student leader. In the summer of 2008 I traveled to the National Association of the Deaf Conference in New Orleans and watched her perform competitively as Miss Deaf Colorado. Kathy keeps in touch and I especially treasure her e-mails with term papers attached. This young lady wields a very powerful pen!
