My name is Christina but people call me Chrissy. Welcome to my blog! This will be the main lounge for Early Childhood Education discussion. My goal is to reach across the world and bring the attention to the concept of implementing American Sign Language (ASL) as a part of the language acquisition for all children. Also, to promote restoring play into early childhood programs, especially preschool, prekindergarten and kindergarten.
As a child, I always played outside. I loved every moment of it. It did help me develop relationship with other children and my siblings. Although I am deaf and had been since 2 month old, I experienced some communication barriers and play removed the barriers. How? Play is all about imagination, fun, and involves a lot of body language/acting. It worked out very well.
Relationships/attachment were something that I always had difficult with establishing as a child. I did not have positive relationship with my mother. My father encouraged for independence. So, I grew up being very independent. I did many things on my own. Naturally, I scared my parents quite frequent with wandering off into who knows where. Independence gave me confidence to success.
As an adult, I move quite frequent unlike my sisters. All of my sisters remain in the same city or state. I lived in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Florida, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, and so on. I believe this came from being independence. My parents live in West Virginia and Maryland where my sisters also reside. My childhood had a lot to do with the person I became as I entered adulthood.
Early childhood developments and relationships/attachments are very important. One major issue I have to admit and share--is being left out in a family of hearing on regular basis. This began the moment my sister was born. I needed attention and time from parents and others in my life as a child. The older I became, the more I resented them. I think this issue is imperative to be addressed because it affected how I relate to others and think of others. It took a long time for my relationships with family to heal. I am always left out regardless how old I am. I learned to not let it bother me as much as when I was a child. As an adult, I consider deaf friends my family more than my own biological family based on the fact I could communicate at dinner without asking "what are you talking about? what is so funny?" only to be told "nothing. you don't understand anything." Language is a large part of the childhood.
Here are several photographs...
Below: Taken at the end of June 2014.. My husband and our 7 month old son, Jacob.
Below: This was taken when I was about 6 year old. I am the one with toe-headed blond in blue sleeve shirt. I am the oldest child of the four. Theresa, in pink jacket, is the 2nd oldest. Jennifer, in light blue jacket standing behind our mother, is the third child and Deborah is the youngest in mother's arms. All have normal hearing but me.
Below: This photo was taken in the summer 1978. I was a year old. I played with my oldest cousins, Vicki and Jimmy. Pay a close attention to my body language.. I was and am deaf. I looked at Vicki to communicate using sign language.
Below: a newspaper photograph of me at age 4. I was enrolled in a pilot preschool program for deaf children in New Jersey. The teacher communicated in American Sign Language (ASL).
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