The Abnormal Life of a Deaf Person

Pre-K

So, I'm 3 years old and starting my first day of school. 

I went to an elementary school outside of my school zone because it was the closest one that would service hearing impaired children. There was a bus that picked me up as well as a few other deaf/ HOH kids in my parish so that our parents wouldn't have to go out of their way to drive us.  This was really beneficial to my family because of work and my siblings own school schedules.  My school was a good 45+ minute drive from my house. 

I'd get on the bus around 5 in the morning and I'd get home around 3. I only went for 3 days out of the week and when I was 4 I went 4 days out of the week. I stayed in Pre-K until I was 4 years old. 

At that school, they taught us everything a normal class would teach, but we learned through signing and sometimes oral. 

I made friends with everyone in my class, but I either eventually got tired of how they couldn't talk normally or they just weren't my type of friends. I stayed in contact with maybe 2 of them. 

A lot of their families either just didn't care if they could talk or not, or they strictly enforced signing only. 

My parents wanted me to learn how to speak well, but at the same time learn sign. 

I was a really good student, even though it was just Pre-K, but i was a very good speaker. So good that when I was almost 5, Mrs. Suzette told my parents, "You know what, I don't think I need to sign with Lana anymore. She's doing exceptionally well orally and she's really understanding English grammar."

Pre-K was a very easy time. I played with all the toys and shared. I participated and talked. I signed when talking with my classmates, though. 

I did really well on my audiology tests. Audiology tests are like exams that I had to take every year to make sure my hearing levels were progressing. It looked like a little studio. There was a soundproof box that I'd sit in and I'd raise my hand when she's make a noise from the computer. She'd make the same sound at different frequencies, and I had to raise my hand every time I heard something. I also had to repeat the words she said. She would cover her mouth and speak to me through the window and I had to say exactly what she said right back to her. 

So, to sum up Pre-K, I was in a deaf only classroom and I learned both sign and practiced speaking. I also had audiology tests every year, and the papers proved I was hearing really well.