Inquiry Project Reflection

Overall, I learned so much about the d/Deaf and hard of hearing community, but there is still so much to explore.  During my research, I learned more ASL from watching YouTube videos and visiting ASL websites.  I tried to compare many videos when I was learning new signs because in the past I'd find that there are different ways to sign a word or a phrase (which is a general truth about signing!).  I learned that our facial expressions and head movements are just as important as hand and arm gestures, like when signing "DON'T UNDERSTAND".  Part of why I enjoyed researching this topic is that I found myself inquiring more and more about the d/Deaf and hard of hearing community.  There were many ideas that I wish I could have included in my presentation, but due to time constraints, I left them out.  These ideas include: cued speech, funding, and more on how sign language relates to embodied mathematics.  I suppose I can look into these ideas more in Inquiry II!  

Slight tangent, but when I was younger, the Filipino community was quite small where I lived.  I remember my classmates not knowing where the Philippines was on a map and thinking I was from Hawaii, India, or Mexico.  However, I have a really fond memory of when I felt my culture finally being recognized.  My parents and I were dropping off my sister at her friend's house and her friend's family was Russian.  Their accents were quite thick, but our families were friendly despite the language barriers. What I remembered most about this time was when the friend's dad greeted my dad in Tagalog.  "Kamusta!", he said.  It brought the biggest smile to my parents' face and to all of us really.  I guess the point of me sharing this memory is that learning about another community's culture, like learning their language, can create a strong sense of togetherness.  We can feel safe with each other.  I think that as a future teacher it is so important for me to emphasize that we can't create a better world if we don't help each other out, and a part of helping one another is to have everyone feel like they belong.

I'm excited to see what new and unexpected directions I may take in Inquiry II!