Semifinalists named for 2016 Kentucky Teacher of the Year
Nine outstanding teachers from across the state – three elementary, three middle and three high school teachers – are semifinalists for the 2016 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Award.
Professional learning needs to align with students’ specific needs
Heidi Givens Summer is a time for family fun, travel, and relaxation. Many of us look forward to these months of putting aside all our teaching responsibilities and focusing on our mental rejuvenation. Sadly, no matter how hard we try to focus on ourselves for a change, summer is also a time for completing professional development (PD) and [...]
Communication/social needs important considerations in placement decisions
Heidi Givens As I end my 18th year as a teacher of deaf and hard of hearing children, I have seen students educated in a wide variety of settings in three different states. I have taught at a residential school for the deaf, in self-contained classrooms in public schools, as part of a regional program in a public [...]
National Deaf History Month offers opportunity to learn, share Deaf history with your students
Heidi Givens (Editor’s note: When used as a cultural label, the word deaf is often written with a capital D in speech and sign. When used as a label for the audiological condition, it is written with a lower case d. This column uses the term Deaf/deaf in deference to the Deaf culture.) I am not much of [...]
Questions to ponder about how best to educate deaf and hard-of-hearing students
Heidi Givens I spent Christmas Break catching up on some professional reading. Yes, I am an incessant learner. There are so many advances in our field that if we do not keep abreast of the recent research and practices, we are doing a disservice to our students. One book in particular that fascinated me is How Deaf Children [...]