On Monday morning, we went to a nearby town, Bergara, to visit a school for the deaf. It was such a unique experience! They were very welcoming and told us all about their program. The director explained to us that their philosophy is bilingual and bi-cultural. It is both spoken and signed language as well as the cultural difference between the hearing and the deaf. I thought it was a really cool way to explain their school. That's how they encourage the environment of their school to be. Students work with teachers who speak to them in Spanish (not Basque!) and sign to them. One of my favorite parts was that to say their names, instead of signing out all the letters, they come up with different 'signals' to say their names! We all got to come up with our signals for our names and teach it to all of the kids.
Sadly, we didn't have a release to take pictures with the kids to post online, but they were so adorable. The school works with 25 children that have their own timetables with different teachers as well as full inclusion in general education in schools near their homes. These students come from all over the valley to this school to get help. We bonded with these kids instantly. They were some of the sweetest kids I've ever met!
Jillian had to spell out her name with a Y so they could pronounce it correctly.
The saddest part of the visit was about the parents. We asked them if their parents knew how to sign and communicate with them, and most of them said no. We were shocked because in the US, if a child is diagnosed as deaf or impaired hearing, the family and friends of the child learn sign language almost immediately - the parents here don't. The director was explaining that this is the case because signing is banned in Europe. He was saying that since most European languages are so historically spoken, and speaking the language is so important to them, that they don't believe signing their languages is appropriate. It is a very cultural belief, but hopefully it changes soon.
On Wednesday, we had another field trip day. In the morning, we went back to Bergara to see the educational museum! It was very cool. They were able to have English translations for us! We learned a lot more about the scientific history of the Basque Country. Did you know that's where they discovered the periodic element Wolfram? It was the 24th element found! It was really cool to experience the history of our area that we've been living in for the past month!
In the afternoon, we went to the infant school which is for students 0-6 years old. Of course, we were beyond excited because we love the little ones. This place was like a 4 story tree house! It was absolutely gorgeous! The kids had so much freedom. It was very Montessori like and the kids got to pick what they wanted to do. All of the materials were natural instead of the classic toys that children play with. We were all in love with this school! The kids were also adorable :) Each level had different spaces for art, free play, home centers, and large areas to play and move.
After the visit, we had our wrap up meeting with Tane and Sinead. We talked about suggestions for the next time students come to visit them. We came up with a lot of ideas to improve the program but also talked about our favorite parts. We all had such a great experience at our schools here! We are so grateful for everything that Tane and Sinead did for us! THANK YOU!
Tomorrow is my last day at the school! It will be so sad to leave them, but I am glad that I get a full day with them. I can't wait to hear all about their plans for Carnival on Friday!
Agur, Ms. Peachy
