Silencing the Editor Within

SILENCING THE EDITOR WITHIN One of the most difficult parts of writing – even if you write all day, every day – is learning to ignore your internal editor when you’re working on a first draft. Even now, as I start writing, I can hear the nagging voice of doubt that makes it difficult to put words on paper. My particular voice of doubt looks a bit like my ninth-grade English teacher: She’s got a sour expression on her face, and she’s wearing necklace made of little wooden apples. She knows everything. She hates experimentation. She stands behind me, reading over my shoulder and shaking her head. She makes little noises of disapproval as I work; the tap of my fingers on the keys punctuated every so often with notes of discouragement: â€Å"Oh, you can do better than that, can’t you?† â€Å"Well. That’s not very interesting, is it?† â€Å"I just don’t get it.† Writing, well, isn’t always easy. Fighting the urge to engage in too much self-editing is even harder. There’s nothing wrong with having high standards. But, if you fret too much about getting it right the first time, you’ll wind up with a migraine and a blank page. Maybe your first draft is dreadful. So what? Throw it away, hit the â€Å"delete† key, bury it in the backyard in a shallow grave – whatever makes you feel better. And keep going. Experiment a little. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You’ll have plenty of time to revise and let your internal editor go crazy after you’ve gotten your ideas written down. But, when you’re trying to write a first draft, you have to ignore her and concentrate on what you’re trying to say and how you’re trying to say it. You can’t grow as a writer until you learn to stop worrying about perfection.

Supporting Hearing-Impaired Students in Classrooms

Supporting Hearing-Impaired Students in Classrooms Children suffer from hearing loss for a variety of reasons. Genetic factors, illnesses, accidents, problems in a pregnancy (rubella, for instance), complications during birth and several early childhood illnesses, such as mumps or measles, have been found to contribute to hearing loss. Signs of hearing problems include: turning the ear toward the noise, favoring one ear over another, lack of follow through with directions or instructions, seeming distracted and or confused. Other signs of hearing loss in children include turning the television up too loud, delayed speech or unclear speech, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the CDC also points out that signs and symptoms of hearing loss differ in each person. A hearing screening or test can assess hearing loss. â€Å"Hearing loss can affect a child’s ability to develop speech, language, and social skills. The earlier children with hearing loss start getting services, the more likely they are to reach their full potential,† the CDC states. â€Å"If you are a parent and you suspect your child has hearing loss, trust your instincts and speak with your child’s doctor.† Hearing-impaired children have a higher risk of developing language-processing difficulties. If left unchecked, these children can have trouble keeping up in class. But this doesn’t have to be the case. Teachers can employ a number of methods to prevent hearing-impaired children from being left behind in school. Strategies for Teachers of Hearing-Impaired Students Here are 10 strategies teachers can use to help hearing-impaired children. They’ve been adapted from the  United Federation of Teachers website. Make sure hearing-impaired students wear amplification devices, such as a frequency modulated (FM) unit that will connect to a microphone for you to wear. â€Å"The FM device allows your voice to be heard directly by the student,† according to the UFT website.Use the child’s residual hearing, as the total hearing loss is rare.Allow hearing-impaired students to sit where they think best, as sitting close to the teacher will help the child to better understand the context of your words by observing your facial expressions.Don’t shout. If the child is already wearing an FM device, your voice will be amplified, as it is.Give interpreters copies of lessons in advice. This will help the interpreter prep the student for the vocabulary used in the lesson.Focus on the child, not the interpreter. Teachers do not need to give interpreters directions to give to the child. The interpreter will relay your words without being asked.Only speak while facing forward. Do not speak with your back to hearing impaired children. They need to see your face for context and visual cues. Enhance lessons with visuals, as hearing impaired children tend to be visual learners.Repeat words, directions, and activities.Make every lesson language-oriented. Have a print-rich classroom with labels on the objects inside.