Zariah Williams, a 2nd-grader Cravens Elementary Schools, was born deaf. Over the last week, she and her interpreters taught Cravens students the Pledge of Allegiance in sign language. The students’ desire to learn a new way to communicate and be more inclusive doesn’t stop there.
Cravens Principal Courtney Inklebarger said the desire to learn the pledge in sign language came from the students.
“Students are naturally curious, and so when they see somebody doing all of these things with their hands [signing], they start asking questions,” Inklebarger said.
Danny Hinton, teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, said they started teaching the students bit by bit on Monday, and by Friday they had the whole pledge learned.
“That’s the beautiful thing with kids. I ended up having to take language classes in college … and it took me forever to learn a dozen different new words, but kids pick it up crazy quick,” Hinton said.
Hinton said Williams was happy to see all the other students signing the pledge.
The sign language lessons didn’t stop there. Tara Jones, also a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, placed displays under common areas such as the cafeteria and gym with instructions on how to sign those words.
Hinton recalled walking through the hall and asking a 5th-grader student where he was going. To his surprise, the student didn’t speak a reply. Instead, he signed “nurse’s office.”
“That was cool. 5th grade has zero deaf students, they have zero exposure to sign language other than morning meeting,” Hinton said. “… The entire building has become a place that is a fantastic catalyst for Zariah to learn and language growth, but also has become a place where they can communicate in sign language.”
Zariah’s mother LeShawn Williams said she was very happy when she heard about the extra mile the school was taking to help her daughter feel included. And this single instance isn’t the only time she feels her daughter has been included in the day-to-day activities.
“They’ve been supportive. Her teacher is on the bus, and when she misses they ask if everything was okay. They’re really supportive and they care a lot about her,” LeShawn said.
LeShawn said that while Zariah is deaf in both ears, she has had a cochlear implant since she was 2 years old to help her. In addition, Owensboro Public Schools dedicated an interpreter to help her take in the lessons throughout the day.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement over the years. She’s talking a whole lot better.,” LeShawn said.
Hinton also said that he has seen Williams improve and flourish, interacting with friends and staff often.
“She’s become a leader honestly. She went from very quiet, very shy, very ‘we’re going to …….