Multilingual Moments at TIS

What language do deaf people think in? This is a tough question to answer. Aside from the science behind what language deaf people think in and whether this question can be answered or not,  there is a better way we can gain a clear insight into this. Why not ask deaf people themselves?  Michele Westfall  is our best candidate. Michele was born deaf, had deaf parents, and has deaf children. When she was asked what language do deaf people think in, she beautifully replied:   I was born Deaf and have been Deaf my whole life. I do not wear hearing aids or cochlear implants (and have no desire to wear either). I speak American sign language (ASL) and it is my primary language. I am a mother of two born-Deaf children, so our being Deaf is genetic for us.   I have a voice in my head, but it is not sound-based. I am a visual being, so in my head, I either see ASL signs, or pictures, or sometimes prin...

On February 1, 2019 TIS Elementary School celebrated the World Read Aloud Day by organizing a Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) session. LitWorld founded World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) in 2010 because we believe reading is powerful and transformative act (LitWorld, 2010). Studies show that individuals who frequently read are better able to: understand other people empathize with them  see the world from their perspective  Reading aloud not only helps develop literacy skills like word mastery and grammatical understanding, but it also builds community and connects us to each other. On World Read Aloud Day, people all around the globe read aloud and share stories to advocate for literacy as a human right. At TIS Elementary school the whole community including teachers and students read their favorite books, some in home languages. Students had an opportunity to hear other languages and celebrate our diversity in a meaningful way. Other students listened a...