True story. I just sat in our lounge in the window seat. It's wooden and pretty uncomfortable, but when I sit there I get all of the sun and none of the cold. It's one of my favorite places on campus.
Anyway, I have been horribly unfaithful to this blog. Sorry. I will attempt to bring you all up to speed on my life.
I think the first noteworthy thing I can tell you about it the Karuna School discusison I went to. Karuna is a sanskrit word that means compassion. The idea behind the Karuna school is that it would be a peace high school. They would teach students to be better in tune with themselves, their emotions, and the world around them. It has a very Buddhist base, which was one of the things we discussed (whether or not that would put people off the school). I was one of five undergrad students present at the discussion. It was completely voluntary, and it was for my Gordie Fellman class. PS, I think he knows my name now (!). The Karuna people wanted younger students there who remembered high school more clearly so we could talk about what was good and bad about our high school experiences. I talked about G (world's most awesome theatre teacher, for all you noobs out there) and how wonderful my theatre class was. G gave us so much control over our productions. That was one of the things the Karuna people liked;giving students a hand in their educaiton. I feel like the Karuna school discussion was one of the reasons I went to college. Being in a room full of people young and old who are determined to change the status quo. It was really neat.
Moving on...Friday my War and Possibilities of Peace class had an Israeli soldier as a guest speaker. It was one of the most intense discussions I have ever been a part of. The guy, Ben, was a sergeant and he was 29. My only experience wiht anyone in the military is my friend Alex who most of you know is in basic training for the army. So when Ben started talking abuot these young boys who are being asked to go fight and die to protect their homes, I was tearing up. Then Ben opened the class up for questions. EXPLOSION. Well first of all, before any discussions of Israel/Palestine are opened at Brandeis, the moderator has to remind people to stay civil. With so many Jews and Israelis on our campus, people get very heated about this topic. So it was probably a bad idea to have a soldier in a peace class, but the discussion was fascinating. If terrifying. There were at least 4 Israelis in the class and two of them were in tears and between them and Gordie, Ben had it coming from all sides. Gordie jumped down his throat, and the whole class is anti-war. I don't feel like I know enough to state an opinion, so I was just caught in the emotional rollercoaster. Soooooo intense.
The weekend doesn't bear mentioning. It's over.
If anyone needs a good read, try Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. SO GOOD. And it's short. Very Buddhist. Very AWESOME.
Love to all!!!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Hmm
So I am feeling vaguely poetic. Let's see if anything comes of it ('stead of my old sh**)
Sitting outside
At night
The air is cool
It passes through my lungs
Easily
As only the sharp air of autumn and winter can
I look up
Expecting to see the stars
Stars are, to me, the most vital feature
Of the night sky
Yet my searching eyes,
Those circular lenses that shape the world,
Can see nothing
Save darkness
And the artificial light that comes from
A streetlamp.
No stars.
Where can I be
That there are no stars to brighten
The night?
Lost?
No.
I am where I should be.
And yet...
Why does the world seem darker
In this place where I
Know I belong?
No stars...
~So yeah, that's me being vaguely poetic. I'm really not unhappy, I just kind of miss stars (obviously). But light pollution is a small price to pay for being so close to BOSTON. Gotta love it. Really.
Peace!
Sitting outside
At night
The air is cool
It passes through my lungs
Easily
As only the sharp air of autumn and winter can
I look up
Expecting to see the stars
Stars are, to me, the most vital feature
Of the night sky
Yet my searching eyes,
Those circular lenses that shape the world,
Can see nothing
Save darkness
And the artificial light that comes from
A streetlamp.
No stars.
Where can I be
That there are no stars to brighten
The night?
Lost?
No.
I am where I should be.
And yet...
Why does the world seem darker
In this place where I
Know I belong?
No stars...
~So yeah, that's me being vaguely poetic. I'm really not unhappy, I just kind of miss stars (obviously). But light pollution is a small price to pay for being so close to BOSTON. Gotta love it. Really.
Peace!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
A Night on Renfield 1
So I am going to describe for you a typical night on my hall.
Before we even get to the hall, everyone meets up at Usdan dining hall for dinner usually around 6:30 or 7 depending on who has what classes when. So we all eat together, then walk back; complaining (depending on the night) about how cold it is outside. And usually talking about the opposite sex and problems thereof.
We get back to the hall. Some nights we go straight to Trevor's room (that's where it's at. we all love Trevor's room) and sit on his bed, or floor, or chair, or whatever. And we talk. And try to do homework. And end up watching ridiculous youtube videos and randomly muttering about the work we should be doing.
Last night Milo, Michal, Trishna and I all watched Glee (a FOX show about a high school show choir starring Spring Awakening's Lea Michelle..last night guest starring Wicked's Kristen (fucking!) Chenoweth) in our room. It was fantastic.
Then, as per usual, we all migrate to the lounge. Again , various stages of doing and not doing and procrastinating on homework. We distract each other...but ultimately can get work done if need be. There is always a lot of laughter, several near mental break downs, and more nudity than would be allowed in a PG movie. Also more swearing. Welcome to the liberal arts.
Last night we decided to randomly order Chinese food at midnight. No joke. Asia Wok delivers right to the door of Renfield. So we had a Chinese food party until like 1:30 am. I love college! Then some people decided to go to bed, while others (myself and Trishna key among them) decided to stay up a bit longer. She and I talked for a little while, then this other girl on our floor came into the lounge and we started talking about our War and Possibilities of Peace class, which invariably led to watching Gordie Fellman destroy O'Reilly. Then we had a heated discussion about how the US never should have retailiated the way it did for 9/11 and how the plan was in place for this war looooong before that attack. The government just needed a catalyst. We were literally, the three of us, sitting in the lounge yelling emphatically at each other. Saying the same thing, but so eager to be able to say it. In high school, those things could not be spoken as loudly as they can be said here. Trishna said she actually got yelled at for being un-American when she criticized Bush's desicion to enter Iraq. then the three of us started talking about how voicing dissent is the most American thing you can do! We live in a democracy that we fought hard to obtain! Raise your voice! If the colonists hadn't, we would all still be BRITS!
So that was that. Then Trishna and I had to shut up everyone in the hall so we could sneak into our room without waking Ilana. I fell asleep happy. This is exactly the environment I dreamed of when applying for colleges. No sleep, surrounded by people completely dedicated to their studies, and not ignorant of the world around them!
(PS That was only a summary of the discussion in the lounge. There were many more excellent points made.)
Love you guys!
Before we even get to the hall, everyone meets up at Usdan dining hall for dinner usually around 6:30 or 7 depending on who has what classes when. So we all eat together, then walk back; complaining (depending on the night) about how cold it is outside. And usually talking about the opposite sex and problems thereof.
We get back to the hall. Some nights we go straight to Trevor's room (that's where it's at. we all love Trevor's room) and sit on his bed, or floor, or chair, or whatever. And we talk. And try to do homework. And end up watching ridiculous youtube videos and randomly muttering about the work we should be doing.
Last night Milo, Michal, Trishna and I all watched Glee (a FOX show about a high school show choir starring Spring Awakening's Lea Michelle..last night guest starring Wicked's Kristen (fucking!) Chenoweth) in our room. It was fantastic.
Then, as per usual, we all migrate to the lounge. Again , various stages of doing and not doing and procrastinating on homework. We distract each other...but ultimately can get work done if need be. There is always a lot of laughter, several near mental break downs, and more nudity than would be allowed in a PG movie. Also more swearing. Welcome to the liberal arts.
Last night we decided to randomly order Chinese food at midnight. No joke. Asia Wok delivers right to the door of Renfield. So we had a Chinese food party until like 1:30 am. I love college! Then some people decided to go to bed, while others (myself and Trishna key among them) decided to stay up a bit longer. She and I talked for a little while, then this other girl on our floor came into the lounge and we started talking about our War and Possibilities of Peace class, which invariably led to watching Gordie Fellman destroy O'Reilly. Then we had a heated discussion about how the US never should have retailiated the way it did for 9/11 and how the plan was in place for this war looooong before that attack. The government just needed a catalyst. We were literally, the three of us, sitting in the lounge yelling emphatically at each other. Saying the same thing, but so eager to be able to say it. In high school, those things could not be spoken as loudly as they can be said here. Trishna said she actually got yelled at for being un-American when she criticized Bush's desicion to enter Iraq. then the three of us started talking about how voicing dissent is the most American thing you can do! We live in a democracy that we fought hard to obtain! Raise your voice! If the colonists hadn't, we would all still be BRITS!
So that was that. Then Trishna and I had to shut up everyone in the hall so we could sneak into our room without waking Ilana. I fell asleep happy. This is exactly the environment I dreamed of when applying for colleges. No sleep, surrounded by people completely dedicated to their studies, and not ignorant of the world around them!
(PS That was only a summary of the discussion in the lounge. There were many more excellent points made.)
Love you guys!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Deaf Like Me
Ok, so my mom asked me to post one of my papers. This one I had to write for Bio and Culture of Deafness about the book Deaf Like Me. I don't think its the best thing I've ever written, but I got it back yesterday with an A and the following comments from the professor, "Hillary, this is an excellent paper. You have a fluid, mature writing style and you communicate your ideas and thoughts very well. The summary is clear; the description of sensorineural hearing loss is easy to read and understand; and your reaction very frank and honest. Well done. "
Without further ado, please enjoy my paper.
BISC 7A Paper #1
Summary of Deaf like Me
Louise and Thomas Spradley are a fairly average American couple. They are young, married, and have one child, Bruce, and they of course love him deeply. One summer, Bruce becomes ill with German measles, or rubella. Just a few days before this diagnosis, Louise discovered that she was pregnant. The doctor tells her that contracting rubella while pregnant could lead to various congenital defects in the newborn. The indefinite quality of this warning serves as the material for Louise and Thomas’s nightmares for the next nine months.
When Lynn Spradley is finally born, she appears to be a perfectly normal and healthy child. She has no physical deformities, nor any noticeable mental deficiencies. Louise and Thomas are hesitantly relieved. Thomas admits in the book to having still lingering fears for months to come. However Lynn continues to grow and develop in a perfectly healthy manner. Gradually, her parents stop living in fear. They relax; secure in the love of their newest child.
Around the time Lynn reaches the age of six months, she and her family attend a Fourth of July celebration. As is typical of these events, there were fireworks. Characteristic of a child her age, Lynn fell asleep before the festivities started. When the fireworks started exploding, Thomas expected Lynn to wake. She did not. Nor did she start at all in reaction to the thunderous sounds. She slept soundly on. This was the first time Thomas and Louise suspected their daughter might be deaf.
After a barrage of tests and the passage of close to two years, it was determined that Lynn had a profound hearing loss. The next years were spent attempting to train Lynn’s residual hearing though use of a hearing aid. Another component to this approach was the efforts spent trying to get Lynn to talk. Louise and Thomas were led to believe that the only way Lynn could be a functioning part of society was if she was able to talk and lip read.
Years passed. Lynn’s residual hearing was next to useless in helping her to communicate. She was able to lip read many words, but not nearly enough. And she was able to articulate only a handful. She was completely isolated from everything and everyone because she had no way to communicate. This led to her constant frustration, which in turn forced her parents into dealing with her tantrums. The situation seemed next to hopeless.
Then Thomas met a group of deaf adults. These people were able to communicate with one another and with select hearing people. These adults were fluent in American Sign Language. Through ASL, deaf people were able to converse just as easily as hearing people. While the Spradleys had been led to believe since the diagnosis of Lynn’s hearing loss that learning to sign would isolate her; the opposite was true. When Louise and Thomas taught Lynn to sign and learned to sign themselves, a whole new world was opened up to her. Now she could clearly communicate what she wanted. No longer did she have to be frustrated by her own silence and the silence of those around her. By learning sign language, Lynn was given a way to tell the world what she wanted. American Sign Language gave Lynn a voice, and a life of her own.
Biological Explanation of Lynn Spradley’s Deafness
Lynn Spradley was diagnosed at 18 months with a profound sensorineural hearing loss. While her parents suspected that she might be deaf or hearing impaired at an earlier age, no definite diagnosis could be reached before Lynn was old enough to respond effectively to tests. Testing is typically done at around age two. Lynn’s early test age was no doubt due to the persistence of her parents. They wanted to know the exact details of their daughter’s hearing loss so they could learn what to do about it.
Unfortunately, there is typically very little that can be done about a hearing loss as serious as Lynn’s. By definition, a profound loss means that the individual has lost 90 or more decibels of hearing. This kind of deafness renders the person almost completely without the ability to process sound. Only the lowest noises register, even with the use of a hearing aid. A profound hearing loss is the most intense. The other classifications are mild, moderate, and severe. They are fairly self explanatory when viewed in context.
The sensorineural component to Lynn’s loss is rather complicated. Sensorineural is an inner ear hearing loss. The damage is found in the cochlea, a spiral-shaped organ in the deepest recesses of the human ear. The cochlea is filled with fluid that responds to sounds that come from the middle and outer ear. The movement of said fluid forces the numerous tiny hair cells into motion. These hair cells are essential for the hearing process. People with sensorineural hearing losses have somehow obtained damage to the hair cells. Thus, any sound that is received is distorted. This makes speech next to impossible, even with the help of a hearing aid.
Various things can cause damage to the hair cells. Loud noises (the bass at a rock concert, the sound of a gunshot, etc) can cause the hairs to fall limp. An illness can have the same effect. The illness can be contracted by the individual postpartum, or, as in Lynn’s case, while the child is in the womb. Louise Spradley, Lynn’s mother, had rubella while she was pregnant. This led to Lynn’s condition.
The combination of profound and sensorineural makes a hearing loss that is very difficult to improve upon. The profound component means that Lynn can hear only certain loud, low sounds to begin with. The sensorineural aspect garbles those sounds. The conclusion, even if a hearing aid can train Lynn’s residual hearing enough to enable her to discern her parents’ voices, she will not be able to understand what they are saying to her.
The remedies for a hearing loss like Lynn’s are, as previously stated, difficult to come by. Hearing aids can only do so much. There is new research into cochlear implants, but the controversy surrounding the issue is too great for the moment. As of right now, the main ‘cure’ for a child like Lynn is to teach her to lip read and to sign. Those things gave her the ability to communicate with the world around her.
Reaction to Deaf like Me
I was not planning on enjoying this book. I assumed it would be another one of those books assigned for class that would be interesting, but not especially intriguing. I was wrong. Plain and simple. From the first page, Deaf like Me had me enthralled. I waited anxiously with Louise and Thomas during the nine months of pregnancy. I was happy, but still nervous when Lynn was born physically normal. I, as the reader of a book about a deaf child, had the advantage of knowing what was coming. It didn’t help. I was still devastated when it was revealed how serious Lynn’s hearing loss was.
I was amazed by the processes involved in testing for hearing loss. I did not know, for example, that every deaf individual has some level of hearing. I assumed that deaf meant deaf. The levels of hearing impairment are much more varied and distinct than I had previously thought. I was impressed by the Spradleys’ determination to discern the exact details of Lynn’s impairment. I feel like most parents would have given up at ‘deaf’. Louise and Thomas stayed dedicated to Lynn through the entire process. Yet they also did not neglect their other child. They were as attentive to Lynn as they needed to be, and they were still loving parents to Bruce.
Throughout the book, I was completely drawn in. The long and seemingly futile attempts to teach Lynn to lip read and to speak were fascinatingly heartbreaking. I understood the thought process behind teaching Lynn to communicate through speech and was on board with the pure oral approach, I just gradually came to understand how difficult a task that was. I did not realize how much effort had to go into teaching a child what slight variations in lip movement corresponded to what object. Lynn was lucky to have parents who were so patient. It is truly amazing the amount of hard work they put into helping her. They literally had to rearrange their lives every time Lynn graduated from a lower level school. Thomas and Louise were constantly researching the latest innovations surrounding hearing losses so that they could provide Lynn with the most effective level of care. As learners and teachers, they were open to anything and everything that could help Lynn assimilate into a society that could be forever foreign to her.
The length of time devoted to the pure oral approach was disheartening, especially once it was revealed how few children are actually successful. I at first thought the idea made sense. Given how afraid our society is of people who appear obviously different, it was completely plausible that Lynn’s only chance of assimilating was to learn how to blend in. However, as the years passed and Lynn’s language did not improve, I, like the Spradleys, began to wonder if she would ever talk. True stories occasionally do not have the happy, inspirational endings found in fiction.
Then Louise and Thomas met the deaf couple. I have to say, after pages and pages of learning how awful sign language was, I was not overly excited for Lynn to resort to gestures. That was one thing I disliked about the book, how prejudiced it tried to make me against deaf signers. American Sign Language is not a primitive form of communication. It is a unique language that enables people who were for so long isolated to be able to interact. When Lynn first signed “I love you” to her parents, I was choking up. For so long their dream had been to hear her voice. Really, all they wanted was to hear her thoughts.
Signing opened up the world for Lynn. I thought it was so amazing that she picked up the signs so fast. It took years to teach her to say a few words. Yet teaching her sign language took weeks if that. She learned so much more quickly than her parents. I guess this is just a testament to how truly flexible a young mind is. With this new ability to actually communicate what she wants from people around her, Lynn is able to lead a normal life. Thomas’s realization that giving in to sign language was not forever barring Lynn from ‘normalcy’ was a fundamental turning point in her life and in the message of the book. Normal is a fluid concept. Normal should not be defined as being exactly like everyone else; it should instead be however a person is most comfortable and able to make their voice heard.
Without further ado, please enjoy my paper.
BISC 7A Paper #1
Summary of Deaf like Me
Louise and Thomas Spradley are a fairly average American couple. They are young, married, and have one child, Bruce, and they of course love him deeply. One summer, Bruce becomes ill with German measles, or rubella. Just a few days before this diagnosis, Louise discovered that she was pregnant. The doctor tells her that contracting rubella while pregnant could lead to various congenital defects in the newborn. The indefinite quality of this warning serves as the material for Louise and Thomas’s nightmares for the next nine months.
When Lynn Spradley is finally born, she appears to be a perfectly normal and healthy child. She has no physical deformities, nor any noticeable mental deficiencies. Louise and Thomas are hesitantly relieved. Thomas admits in the book to having still lingering fears for months to come. However Lynn continues to grow and develop in a perfectly healthy manner. Gradually, her parents stop living in fear. They relax; secure in the love of their newest child.
Around the time Lynn reaches the age of six months, she and her family attend a Fourth of July celebration. As is typical of these events, there were fireworks. Characteristic of a child her age, Lynn fell asleep before the festivities started. When the fireworks started exploding, Thomas expected Lynn to wake. She did not. Nor did she start at all in reaction to the thunderous sounds. She slept soundly on. This was the first time Thomas and Louise suspected their daughter might be deaf.
After a barrage of tests and the passage of close to two years, it was determined that Lynn had a profound hearing loss. The next years were spent attempting to train Lynn’s residual hearing though use of a hearing aid. Another component to this approach was the efforts spent trying to get Lynn to talk. Louise and Thomas were led to believe that the only way Lynn could be a functioning part of society was if she was able to talk and lip read.
Years passed. Lynn’s residual hearing was next to useless in helping her to communicate. She was able to lip read many words, but not nearly enough. And she was able to articulate only a handful. She was completely isolated from everything and everyone because she had no way to communicate. This led to her constant frustration, which in turn forced her parents into dealing with her tantrums. The situation seemed next to hopeless.
Then Thomas met a group of deaf adults. These people were able to communicate with one another and with select hearing people. These adults were fluent in American Sign Language. Through ASL, deaf people were able to converse just as easily as hearing people. While the Spradleys had been led to believe since the diagnosis of Lynn’s hearing loss that learning to sign would isolate her; the opposite was true. When Louise and Thomas taught Lynn to sign and learned to sign themselves, a whole new world was opened up to her. Now she could clearly communicate what she wanted. No longer did she have to be frustrated by her own silence and the silence of those around her. By learning sign language, Lynn was given a way to tell the world what she wanted. American Sign Language gave Lynn a voice, and a life of her own.
Biological Explanation of Lynn Spradley’s Deafness
Lynn Spradley was diagnosed at 18 months with a profound sensorineural hearing loss. While her parents suspected that she might be deaf or hearing impaired at an earlier age, no definite diagnosis could be reached before Lynn was old enough to respond effectively to tests. Testing is typically done at around age two. Lynn’s early test age was no doubt due to the persistence of her parents. They wanted to know the exact details of their daughter’s hearing loss so they could learn what to do about it.
Unfortunately, there is typically very little that can be done about a hearing loss as serious as Lynn’s. By definition, a profound loss means that the individual has lost 90 or more decibels of hearing. This kind of deafness renders the person almost completely without the ability to process sound. Only the lowest noises register, even with the use of a hearing aid. A profound hearing loss is the most intense. The other classifications are mild, moderate, and severe. They are fairly self explanatory when viewed in context.
The sensorineural component to Lynn’s loss is rather complicated. Sensorineural is an inner ear hearing loss. The damage is found in the cochlea, a spiral-shaped organ in the deepest recesses of the human ear. The cochlea is filled with fluid that responds to sounds that come from the middle and outer ear. The movement of said fluid forces the numerous tiny hair cells into motion. These hair cells are essential for the hearing process. People with sensorineural hearing losses have somehow obtained damage to the hair cells. Thus, any sound that is received is distorted. This makes speech next to impossible, even with the help of a hearing aid.
Various things can cause damage to the hair cells. Loud noises (the bass at a rock concert, the sound of a gunshot, etc) can cause the hairs to fall limp. An illness can have the same effect. The illness can be contracted by the individual postpartum, or, as in Lynn’s case, while the child is in the womb. Louise Spradley, Lynn’s mother, had rubella while she was pregnant. This led to Lynn’s condition.
The combination of profound and sensorineural makes a hearing loss that is very difficult to improve upon. The profound component means that Lynn can hear only certain loud, low sounds to begin with. The sensorineural aspect garbles those sounds. The conclusion, even if a hearing aid can train Lynn’s residual hearing enough to enable her to discern her parents’ voices, she will not be able to understand what they are saying to her.
The remedies for a hearing loss like Lynn’s are, as previously stated, difficult to come by. Hearing aids can only do so much. There is new research into cochlear implants, but the controversy surrounding the issue is too great for the moment. As of right now, the main ‘cure’ for a child like Lynn is to teach her to lip read and to sign. Those things gave her the ability to communicate with the world around her.
Reaction to Deaf like Me
I was not planning on enjoying this book. I assumed it would be another one of those books assigned for class that would be interesting, but not especially intriguing. I was wrong. Plain and simple. From the first page, Deaf like Me had me enthralled. I waited anxiously with Louise and Thomas during the nine months of pregnancy. I was happy, but still nervous when Lynn was born physically normal. I, as the reader of a book about a deaf child, had the advantage of knowing what was coming. It didn’t help. I was still devastated when it was revealed how serious Lynn’s hearing loss was.
I was amazed by the processes involved in testing for hearing loss. I did not know, for example, that every deaf individual has some level of hearing. I assumed that deaf meant deaf. The levels of hearing impairment are much more varied and distinct than I had previously thought. I was impressed by the Spradleys’ determination to discern the exact details of Lynn’s impairment. I feel like most parents would have given up at ‘deaf’. Louise and Thomas stayed dedicated to Lynn through the entire process. Yet they also did not neglect their other child. They were as attentive to Lynn as they needed to be, and they were still loving parents to Bruce.
Throughout the book, I was completely drawn in. The long and seemingly futile attempts to teach Lynn to lip read and to speak were fascinatingly heartbreaking. I understood the thought process behind teaching Lynn to communicate through speech and was on board with the pure oral approach, I just gradually came to understand how difficult a task that was. I did not realize how much effort had to go into teaching a child what slight variations in lip movement corresponded to what object. Lynn was lucky to have parents who were so patient. It is truly amazing the amount of hard work they put into helping her. They literally had to rearrange their lives every time Lynn graduated from a lower level school. Thomas and Louise were constantly researching the latest innovations surrounding hearing losses so that they could provide Lynn with the most effective level of care. As learners and teachers, they were open to anything and everything that could help Lynn assimilate into a society that could be forever foreign to her.
The length of time devoted to the pure oral approach was disheartening, especially once it was revealed how few children are actually successful. I at first thought the idea made sense. Given how afraid our society is of people who appear obviously different, it was completely plausible that Lynn’s only chance of assimilating was to learn how to blend in. However, as the years passed and Lynn’s language did not improve, I, like the Spradleys, began to wonder if she would ever talk. True stories occasionally do not have the happy, inspirational endings found in fiction.
Then Louise and Thomas met the deaf couple. I have to say, after pages and pages of learning how awful sign language was, I was not overly excited for Lynn to resort to gestures. That was one thing I disliked about the book, how prejudiced it tried to make me against deaf signers. American Sign Language is not a primitive form of communication. It is a unique language that enables people who were for so long isolated to be able to interact. When Lynn first signed “I love you” to her parents, I was choking up. For so long their dream had been to hear her voice. Really, all they wanted was to hear her thoughts.
Signing opened up the world for Lynn. I thought it was so amazing that she picked up the signs so fast. It took years to teach her to say a few words. Yet teaching her sign language took weeks if that. She learned so much more quickly than her parents. I guess this is just a testament to how truly flexible a young mind is. With this new ability to actually communicate what she wants from people around her, Lynn is able to lead a normal life. Thomas’s realization that giving in to sign language was not forever barring Lynn from ‘normalcy’ was a fundamental turning point in her life and in the message of the book. Normal is a fluid concept. Normal should not be defined as being exactly like everyone else; it should instead be however a person is most comfortable and able to make their voice heard.
You Know You're at a Dork School When (Pt. 2)
1. Anyone anywhere anytime can make a Harry Potter reference and EVERYONE IN THE ROOM GETS IT.
Seriously, (Siriously), somebody said they were EXPECTANT, and everyone yelled EXPECTO PATRONUM!
I have never seen more Harry Potter shirts in one place before. No lie.
2. A weekend can feasibly be killed studying. And no one finds this odd or lame.
Some things I can't even tell you because you will all think less of me :) Ask me in person. I might divulge. Might.
Oh, 3. People see my Robert Frost book and get REALLY honestly excited.
4. People talk about Romeo and Juliet and The Importance of Being Earnest while completely wasted.
5. I know I've said it before, but it still holds: People get honestly excited about their classes. It is completely legit to ramble about a class for like 20 mintes. It's considered cool. :)
Sorry I don't have time for more, but I have classss!!
PS I got an A on my first paper. I will try to remember to post it later.
Seriously, (Siriously), somebody said they were EXPECTANT, and everyone yelled EXPECTO PATRONUM!
I have never seen more Harry Potter shirts in one place before. No lie.
2. A weekend can feasibly be killed studying. And no one finds this odd or lame.
Some things I can't even tell you because you will all think less of me :) Ask me in person. I might divulge. Might.
Oh, 3. People see my Robert Frost book and get REALLY honestly excited.
4. People talk about Romeo and Juliet and The Importance of Being Earnest while completely wasted.
5. I know I've said it before, but it still holds: People get honestly excited about their classes. It is completely legit to ramble about a class for like 20 mintes. It's considered cool. :)
Sorry I don't have time for more, but I have classss!!
PS I got an A on my first paper. I will try to remember to post it later.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Comments
I also think I fixed the commenting issue. I think anyone should be able to comment now. Let me know if it worked.
Challenge
So I tried to post a video on here, but after much fruitless trying, it didn't work. But I love the video and want you all to try to watch it. So here is the challenge.
1. Go to youtube.com
2. Where is says Search type "Gordon Fellman O'Reilly Factor"-it's not case sensitive, so it actually does not matter what you capitalize.
3. Click on the first video.
4. Press Play
5. Watch video.
This is a vid o fthe professor of my War and Possibilites of Peace professor on the O'Reilly factor when he was younger. He clearly dominates O'Reilly. Clearly. No competition. At all. The professor is still just as awesome as he was then. He is one of the Brandeis celebs. He has legit groupies. I am considering becoming one of them. When we watched this video clip in class, everyone literally started cheering at one point. If you can't make the video play, I will help out at Thanksgiving. Or ask Jesse. I am sure he is Youtube efficient.
Love to all!
1. Go to youtube.com
2. Where is says Search type "Gordon Fellman O'Reilly Factor"-it's not case sensitive, so it actually does not matter what you capitalize.
3. Click on the first video.
4. Press Play
5. Watch video.
This is a vid o fthe professor of my War and Possibilites of Peace professor on the O'Reilly factor when he was younger. He clearly dominates O'Reilly. Clearly. No competition. At all. The professor is still just as awesome as he was then. He is one of the Brandeis celebs. He has legit groupies. I am considering becoming one of them. When we watched this video clip in class, everyone literally started cheering at one point. If you can't make the video play, I will help out at Thanksgiving. Or ask Jesse. I am sure he is Youtube efficient.
Love to all!
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