IT’S BEEN A CRAZY SUMMER, BUT THINGS ARE SLOWING DOWN A BIT.
II HAVE 2 TELL U HOW MUCH THE SPEECH PROGRAM, SENTENCE SHAPER, IS HELPING ME, EVEN THOUGH THE SUMMER HAS BEEN TOO CRAZY FOR ME 2 USE IT! WHAT IT HAS TAUGHT ME IS THAT MY WORDS RUN TOGETHER, MAKING ME SOUND LIKE THE TEACHER ON CHARLIE BROWN! BUT IF I SAY THE WORDS SLOWLY & SEPERATELY, LIKE I DO FOR SENTENCE SHAPER, I MAKE SENSE!
MY DAUGHTER, SOPHIA, CAN SOMETIMES FIGURE ME OUT WHEN I SPEAK FAST (AMAZING), BUT IF SHE CAN’T, SHE HAS ME BREAK IT UP WORD-4-WORD, LIKE IN SENTENCE SHAPER. IN FACT, THE OTHER DAY, SHE WAS IN HER CLOSET & COULD NOT SEE ME, BUT WE HELD A CONVERSATION. IT WENT LIKE THIS:
ME: HI
SOPH: HI! HOW ARE U?
ME: GOOD. (PAUSE) DO
SOPH: DO
ME: YOU
SOPH:YOU
ME: KNOW
SOPH: KNOW
ME: I(F)
SOPH: IF
ME: YOUR
SOPH: YOUR
ME: (P)IANO
SOPH: AGAIN? (SHE CAME OUT TO SEE MY LIPS)
ME: (P)IANO
SOPH: WHAT WAS THE 1ST LETTER?
ME: I SIGNED “P”
SOPH: OH! PIANO! SAY IT AGAIN?
ME: PIANO (PAUSE) TEA(CH)ER
SOPH: TEACHER
ME: I(S)
SOPH: IS
ME: LD(S)?
SOPH: LDS
THEN SOPH ANSWERED MY QUESTION.
AT THE END OF MAY, I STARTED HAVING “NO SIGNING DAYS”, & I CAN ONLY TALK FOR 6 HOURS DURING A DAY/TIME THAT I PICK. I HAVE QUITE A BIT OF ANXIETY, SO I HAVE HAD A TOUGH TIME, BUT OCCASSIONALLY, I AM “ANXIETY-FREE” & HAVE EMPLOYED THIS SAME TECHNIQUE WITH MY OTHER 2 KIDS, & HUSBAND. IT WORKS EVERYTIME!
SOMETIMES I LIKE NOT BEING UNDERSTOOD, BUT FEEL SATISFACTION SAYING IT (LOL)…BUT IF I WANT 2 BE UNDERSTOOD (& I WASN’T UNDERSTOOD), I SLOW IT DOWN, & TRY 2 PAUSE BETTER BETWEEN WORDS! (I LEARNED THAT FROM SENTENCE SHAPER)
IN OTHER NEWS, IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I’VE READ THE ARTICLE I PUBLISHED IN THE LDS (MORMON) CHURCH MAGAZINE, THE ENSIGN (SEPT. 2008, Primary Songs Blessed Me):
http://www.lds.org/liahona/2008/09/primary-songs-blessed-me?lang=eng&query=jennifer+lynn

HOWEVER, THERE WAS A PART THAT STOOD OUT 2 ME:
“We may not always understand why the Lord has given us a particular assignment. Even so, we must trust the Lord and put our faith in Him and His promptings. “

WHEN I WAS GIVEN THE ASSIGNMENT 2 TEACH THE YOUNG WOMEN (YW), I HAD NO CLUE HOW I’D DO IT—I COULDN’T TALK & I COULD BARELY MOVE, BUT IT WAS MADE CLEAR 2 ME THAT THIS WAS AN ASSIGNMENT FROM THE LORD. & I HAD THE FAITH THAT GOD WOULD FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT WORK….& HE DID!

I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER ATTEMMPTED 2 EXPLAIN HOW I TEACH THE YOUNG WOMEN (12-18 YEAR OLD GIRLS), ONCE A MONTH, BUT I WANT TO DO SO NOW:
GIRLS VOLUNTEER 2 BE MY TRANSLATOR THAT MONTH. THE TRANSLATOR SPEEAKS & ACTS 4 ME (WRITING ON THE BOARD, HANDING THINGS OUT, CALLING ON PEOPLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, CLARIFING WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY, OR ADD INPUT TO THE LESSON AS WELL.)

SINCE I WAS A TEACHER PRIOR 2 MY STROKE, & SINCE AM “HYPER-ORGANIZED,” I HAVE A VERY DETAILED, COLOR-CODED LESON PLAN. (WHAT THE TRANSLATOR SAYS/DOES IS 1 COLOR, WHAT I SIGN IS ANOTHER COLOR, ETC.) I TYPE OUT WHAT I PLAN TO SAY, BUT IT CAN CHANGE, SO THE GIRL’S REALLY DO READ MY SIGN LANGUAGE!

HOWEVER, WE HAVE A PRACTICE THE WEEK B4, SO THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE LESSON, WE CLEAR UP ANY QUESTIONS OF WHAT THEY’LL BE DOING, & THEY KNOW MY MESSAGE. I ALSO TRY TO LIMIT MY SIGNING BY:
• USING THE SPEAKING MACHINE ON MY IPAD (IT SITS IN MY LAP, W/SPEAKERS ATTACHED 2 MY CHAIR) TO ASK QUESTIONS
• I OFTEN HAVE A POWERPOINT OR A VISUAL ID THT “SPEAKS” 4 ME
• THE GIRLS READ A LOT FOR ME (STORIES, SCRIPTURES, & SOMETIMES THINGS ON THE POWERPOINT SLIDES)
• AS MY SPEECH IMPROVES, I TRY 2 USE MY VOICE MORE

MY DAUGHTER, JESS, TURNED 12 IN FEB. SHE READS MY ASL FAST & CAN HELP IF THERE IS THE NEED, & SHE IS A “BACK-UP TRANSLATOR,” BUT SHE HAS ONLY BEEN NEEDED ONCE AS MY TRANSLATOR!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS ASSIGNMENT, & I AM LUCKY 2 WORK WITH THE GIRLS 1-ON-1, SO I GET 2 KNOW THEM! I AM SO GLAD THAT I ACCEPTTED THE ASSIGNMENT, EVEN THOUGH I HAD NO UNDERSTANDING OF HOW I WOULD ACCOMPLISH IT!