A Book Review

When I was sitting in my adviser's office, registering for classes last week, I noticed she had a pile of the book "If a Tree falls". I asked her if the book was any good, and she said yes, and that she was assigning it as reading in one of her graduate classes. She asked if I would like to borrow a copy, and I said sure. I took it and had finished it in less than 24 hours.

I remember when this book was first published. It was 2010, and in the advertising it said that the parents had made a "controversial decision" about how to go forward with language and learning when they discovered that their to daughter were deaf, and deaf from a genetic condition that was throughout their family history. When I heard that, I was like, "Wow, they must decide to forgo the implant and use ASL." Well, nope. Don't mean to spoil it for anyone, but they end with with a CI, and listening and spoken language. I guess they would have been making the decision in 2004, so maybe it seemed more controversial then (but I doubt it). Plus, their older daughter was already attending Clarke Northampton, so it is not like they were alone on this journey, unable to find support or understanding for their choices...

Don't get me wrong, I fully understand how difficult a decision it is to implant your child. I mean, we did it just a few years ago! And I know how heart-wrenching decisions about language and schooling can be. Our family still struggles, and will until Miss Kat is old enough to decide for herself. But, to call choosing spoken language and cochlear implants "controversial" today? In the hearing world? I don't really think so.

Other than that, I thought the book was nice. It was an interesting story, very heart-felt and truthful. I could feel the emotions the mother was going through, and I ached for her. I would recommend it for anyone. It is a nice easy read, and a good introduction for people who have never been a parent of a deaf child, or if you are one, it is always lovely to hear the story of another!

House rules? Oh, never mind...

Miss Kat's Nana came to take her back to Utah for the last weeks of summer, and her oldest cousin came along to get a taste of our city. We love showing the out of town guest all the awesome things there are to do here. Well, her cousin said something and Miss Kat missed the remark. Miss Kat asked for clarification, and her cousin brushed her off. That's when Miss Kat stopped everything and did something I'm EXTREMELY proud of!

She said:
"No, in our house we don't say 'never mind', you have to tell me. It is the rule".

Great job Miss Kat!! She advocated for herself, and wasn't allowing herself to be left out of the conversation. And she is right, we don't allow never mind in our house. We don't allow either side of a communication to give up or to leave the other person out. I was so excited that Miss Kat has completely internalized the fact that she has the right to be included in every conversation and that she deserves access! Keep fighting Miss Kat!!

Relaxation...

So, it is the last week of summer school, and in a few short days Miss Kat will be headed back to Utah to visit with family. We are having a simple Sunday at home, allowing all of us to just hang out. Well, Miss Kat was attempting to finagle an extra bit of candy out of Dad and I. (She is allowed one treat a day, and she knows it.) So, she says "Can I have a Fun Dip?" So, we start tut-tutting about the one treat rule, and Miss Kat comes back with "It would be soooo relaxing. Remember last time I had a Fun Dip, it really helped me relax".

Seriously? What kind of argument is that?? An adorable one...and now she is off enjoying her candy treat...

The Principal's Award

This year at graduation/honor's day, Miss Kat was awarded a great distinction. She was given "The Principal's Award". She earned this accolade by making greater than 1 year's progress in 1 year's time, in ALL AREAS of her standardized testing!!!! She also received the "President's Award for Educational Achievement" and "High Academic Achievement Award" for "superior achievement in reading comprehension, total math, language and listening,"

In addition to that, we just got her reading assessment (Woodstock Johnson III) back, and she has made tremendous progress. She scored withing the normal range in three areas, and huge gains in all of the areas. In fact, she went from a score of 71 to 87 in "Passage Comprehension"! She gained an average of 5 points (a score remaining the same from year to year indicates a full year's growth) but as high as 14 points (in Reading Comprehension)!

Way to go Miss Kat!!!

Advanced Bionics Naida CI Q70

AB is rolling out their new device, and here is the user guide. It is extremely in depth and has about 60 pages!

http://www.advancedbionics.com/content/dam/ab/Global/en_ce/documents/recipient/AB_Naida_CI_Q70_User_Guide.pdf

A name change

Miss Kat told us today at dinner that she wanted to change her name. She wanted something "fancy". We inquired if she had a name in mind, and she did. She says that we must now call her (drum roll please!) MARSHA!!!

She said that it is fine for the teachers at school to continue to use her given name, but that we should send a note explaining that the students would be calling her by her new, and improved name. (We would hate for those poor teachers to be confused by the goings on!)

She also found this at dinner!

What an excellent fortune cookie! Amazing!!!

A New Holiday

Miss Kat has decided that she is looking forward to "Children's Day" in July. When pressed about it, she declared that "children's day" is like Father's Day and Mother's Day. She should get breakfast in bed and "lots of presents".

(It is in July because Mother's Day is May, Father's Day is June, so Children's Day must be in July.)