All posts by Betsy Hoke

ASL for Teachers of PreSchoolers

July 2nd, 2019

OBJETIVOS:
• SERVIR COMO MODELO DE LENGUAJE (ESPAÑOL VISUAL) PARA ESTUDIANTES AUDIO-IMPEDIDO
• COMMUNICAR EN EL SALON DE CLASES DIRECTAMENTE Y FACILMENTE CON UN ESTUDIANTE AUDIO-IMPEDIDO
• HABLAR EN VOZ Y CON SEÑAS SIMULTANEAMENTE PARA AYUDAR LA COMPRENSION DEL ESTUDIANTE AUDIO-IMPEDIDO

BENFICIOS DE ESTE CURSO PARA LOS ESTUDIANTES PRE-ESCOLARES AUDIO-IMPEDIDOS/SORDOS y SUS MAESTROS:

LOS PEQUEÑOS SORDOS NO TIENEN CONOCIMIENTO DE LENGUAJE DE SEÑAS HASTA QUE ALGUIEN LES ENSEÑA LAS SEÑAS.
COMO SU PRIMERO MAESTRO, USTED ESTARA SU ACCESO PRIMARIO A APRENDIZAJE.
SIN ACCESO A LENGUAJE POR SUS OIDOS, LOS NIÑOS SORDOS NO DESARROLLAN DESTREZAS SOCIALES, EMOCIONALES NI LINGUISTICAS
CON ACCESO A LENGUAJE DE SEÑAS, LENGUAJE VISUAL, LOS NIÑOS SORDOS DESARROLLAN DESTREZAS LINGUISTICAS Y SOCIALES COMO SUS PARES OYENTES

VOCABULARIO EN SEÑAS:
• ABECEDARIO
• ANIMALES
• ADJETIVOS
• COLORES
• NUMEROS
• PALABRAS ESCOLARES

REUNIREMOS diariamente de LUNES, 29 DE JULIO de 2019 hasta VIERNES, 2 DE AGOSTO de 9 a.m. – mediodíaen el salón multiuso del Colegio Cristiano y Capilla Para Los Sordos.

El costo del curso estará $50 por persona. Descuentos disponibles para grupos de maestro/as de la misma escuela.

2 personas por $80
3 personas por $120
4 personas por $150

Escuelas sin fines de lucros pueden pedir un costo mínimo para sus maestras.

Cualquier maestro interesado debe llamar – podriamos hacer planes para tutorias o clases para grupos pequenos.

Carretera 983 Km 2.0, Barrio Pitahaya, Sector Casa Blanca, Luquillo PR 00773
Ver más en la página www.cscdluquillo.com

Envia texto al 787-435-1757 para separar su espacio. El grupo tiene límite de 12 personas. Paga en adelante para reservar su espacio y para preparar los libros y materiales.
OTRAS FECHAS DISPONIBLE. LLAMA AL COLEGIO PARA HABLAR DE UN TALLER PARA SU PROGRAMA.

This summer, we are holding a workshop for teachers of pre-schoolers who would like to learn sign language vocabulary for any reason. We have a few pre-schoolers in the area who are hearing-impaired and will be teaching their teachers vocabulary and techniques for use in a classroom with a child with a hearing-impairment.

If you are interested in a basic sign language class – get in touch. The contact info is on the flyer.

July 2, 2019NewsBetsy Hoke

End of School Year Celebration

May 25th, 2019

Diego receives his 1st grade award We started our LAST DAY celebration with a handbell number followed by a PPT recognizing DIEGO for completing the work of FIRST GRADE! We were SO excited to have his entire family with us and Diego did an amazing job of sitting during the procedures and signing our song to honor and thank the parents for their support.

Zuleika received an award for EFFORT; Glenda and Betsy exchanged gifts

Zuleika was next on the Awards List – her efforts to begin learning as a young adult were recognized. Glenda gave Betsy a gorgeous orchid in thanks for her work with the school this year

mizael participated and received 2 awards

Mizael attended the activity! Though still ill, he was able to play a bell part in our opening. He received an award for his interest in SCIENCE – though sick, he has been working hard on a science project to be revealed at a later date. We also presented him with the samurai sword – part of our Bible Sword Drill program – and the admonishment to continue to study his memory verses and to BATTLE ON in his medical appointments.

Larimar was recongized for her accomplishments

Larimar was recognized for her diligence in her studies – she is working non-stop to complete her Level 11 studies before leaving us for North Carolina to which her family is moving during the summer. After her own awards ceremony, Larimar went to see her mother graduate from her nurses’ training program. It was a great day for her family!

Pastor Rosendo Arvizu spoke; the board members are recognized

It is always an honor for me to interpret for the pastor of my church here in Fajardo. Pastor Rosendo presented a message to us all from Joshua 1. His message was encouraging as well as challenging to each of us to be strong and courageous in our walk with God.

We got a few pictures of the group. Oh, and the Board of Directors and support workers, Valie and Mackay, were given a COMPASS bracelet with the encouragement to continue to seek God’s direction for their own lives and our ministry.

Palmas Community Church brought lunch for everyone; Brother Bau prayed for us. Our activity began at 10:25 and ended at 12:25 with LUNCH brought to us by the Palmas Community Church. They are a special group of people who come each month to encourage us just by remembering us. We are so thankful for this church and all of the others represented at the activity.

AND our summer newsletter is DONE – yours may be in the mail soon, but you can open and read it here if you like: WTH_Summer2019_small If you want to print it, this one will print on ONE 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper, double-sided. Please choose LANDSCAPE for the layout.

May 25, 2019NewsBetsy Hoke

48 hours

May 22nd, 2019

Hard to believe but OH SO TRUE, in 48 hours we will be looking back on the 2018-2019 school year.

The above 3 students and their families will be attendance at our closing. Little Natalia has a busy day of appointments and therapies because that’s what little Deaf girls do on Fridays! Mizael has been sicker than before – of course, there is a cumulative effect on his body so any more illness seems worse than any previous sick-day – so keep him in your prayers.

While his teacher was explaining to Diego today that they had only ONE MORE DAY OF SCHOOL, he got an oh so serious look on his face. WHAT? Yes after tomorrow, no more school for… and looking through the daily calendar, located August 12 – THIS many days. WHAT?

Yes Diego, no more you and me sitting at this table for 2 whole months.

WHAT?

Oh dear, but I will take you to ASL camp with me and you will come to my church camp and we will still see each other…

Oh dear… imagine being home where no one takes time to sit with JUST YOU and play a game with JUST YOU? Imagine being on the outside of most conversations because the conversations flow SO quickly that to follow them by sight, by lipreading, it’s impossible to keep up? Imagine being immersed in an environment where no one is aware that you are missing out? That’s the life of most Deaf children. Pray for the kids in the summer time. Pray for the Deaf adults for whom this is daily life. Pray for workers who will come and be WITH them…

And praise God that He is always with us…

May 22, 2019NewsBetsy Hoke

40th annual World Mission to the Deaf Conference

April 18th, 2019

WMD Conference June 8 2019

Click above link for a printable flyer.

June 8, 2019. 3:30 p.m.

Bob Rumball Centre of Excellence for the Deaf

Toronto Ontario Canada

Speaker: Gilberto Martinez,

former student of the Evangelical School for the Deaf

April 18, 2019NewsASL, ASL PR, Christian School and Chapel for the Deaf, Christian School for the Deaf, CSCD, Deaf, Deaf education, deaf mission, Deaf Puerto Rico, Escuela para sordos, Evangelical School for the Deaf, Hispanic Heritage Month, Luquillo School for the Deaf, Mission work team, missionary, missions, missions trip, Sordo en Puerto Rico, Sordo PR, students, World Mission to the DeafBetsy Hoke

Mizael’s story

April 14th, 2019

Mizael has been diagnosed with a vestibular disorder that is associated with his deafness. Mizael has missed a great portion of the school year due to dizziness, nausea, medical appointments, motion sickness, and headaches.

With all of the analyses, the doctor suggests doing a cochlear implant so that his health will improve and his dizziness will lessen. Some of the medical costs and costs of therapy and recovery will not be covered by the insurance and we are praying for your cooperation to help us with this.

Please feel free to share with others for prayer support as well as possible financial support through GOFUNDME.Thanks!

April 14, 2019NewsChristian School and Chapel for the Deaf, Deaf education, deaf mission, deafness, Escuela para sordos, Luquillo School for the Deaf, Puerto Rico, Sordo en Puerto Rico, spring break, studentsBetsy Hoke

sick kids’ month

March 29th, 2019

This month, I have had more time on my hands to do office and school administration work. We have only 4 students! HOW can I have so much admin to do?!

School insurance needs to be kept up. The school license documents need to be prepared for our renewal of license. Reports need to be written. IEP (Individual Educational Profiles) need to be kept current. And then there is the accountant and his questions about accounts and payments. Tax season!

So the extra time has been good for the administrator (me) but the extra time has meant that the teacher (me) is not as content as she would normally like to be.

THIS GIRL above pictured has been in a hospital for 2+ weeks now. She was in hospital 1 for a week, released for 24 hours, returned to the emergency room and was ambulanced to hospital 2 which has better facilities to take care of the complications. She’s in the Pediatric ICU. I’ve been doing “relief” work so her mom can get home to take care of the other kids a little. The ICU has good nursing care too which makes it easier for her mom to feel secure in leaving her alone in the hospital for a few hours.

This one thing I KNOW:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

So as I drive to hospital 2 (it’s an hour’s drive away) and as I stand in hospital corridors or sit in hospital chairs and listen to whomever is nearby or talk with Larimar (sometimes she just wants a story and I love to story-tell) this is in my head, in my heart pounding away – the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases… so even though the new results seem worse than the previous study’s results, we are trusting the heart of our ever loving Father in Heaven.

In addition to this saga, my boys are both not in school today due to medical appointments and/or health issues.

Well, Deaf children are often multiply-challenged and so are these. Part of this day and age of working with children is addressing their specific needs in individual ways. Working out how to get a boy who gets dizzy from lights to do online-work from home… maybe we need to resort to paper and pencil but he’s often too weak or dizzy to use his eyes… so I resort to prayer and seeking God’s peace for HIM (my student and his family) and me.

Pray for me as I walk alongside these families and their children with special SPECIAL needs. May I bring God’s peace and love to the situation. May “a merry heart do good like medicine” (Prov 17:22) and may my merriness not insult the gravity of the situations.

Yesterday I was kidding with Larimar and she started to cry! NO! Then her mom said, “What did you say?”

I had said, ” seriously, if you wanted to avoid a book report, we could have made a different plan”

Her mom said, “Don’t lie! What did you say to upset her?

Larimar said, “She’s telling the truth! (cry cry cry)”

So I found a new subject and we had some more smiles… I left her smiling last night!

Pray that she continues to smile today!

Betsy

March 29, 2019classroom, NewsLuquillo School for the Deaf, missionary, missions trip, Puerto Rico sordos, Sordo en Puerto Rico, students, World Mission to the DeafBetsy Hoke

Pray for some little friends

March 7th, 2019

Needed: one (or more) 7(ish) year old hearing-impaired or Deaf children to accompany Diego on his educational journey.

His teacher is older than his grandmother and she needs some help in the PLAY department… The other students are older too and don’t exactly want to swing and play baseball during recess time. Pray with us for the next group of little ones to join in the learning fun.

Needed: one (or more) 2ish something hearing-impaired or Deaf children to accompany Natalie on her educational journey.

It’s just more fun to learn with a friend and have someone to talk with other than the older people around you.

We truly know that language is best learned in community. We have established an environment that is linguistically rich and visually accessible for our students. Pray with us for the little ones in the area – we hear of some in public schools where they are not linguistically stimulated, where they are developing delays in their linguistic development due to the non-accessibility of a visual stimulus accompanying their language experience. Deaf children learn by SEEing and DOing. Hearing children learn by hearing. English and Spanish are but auditory languages. They do not reach into the brains of a child who has a hearing loss of any significant levels.

And hearing aids don’t FIX things the same way glasses can fix things. My students all have hearing losses into the orange region of the audiogram at this LINK. They do not hear most of the speech sounds without extra help – that means raising my voice, using a hearing aid or other amplification. Most parents don’t take the time to look their hard-of-hearing/Deaf child in the face to have a conversation. So the child misses out on 82.9% (totally off the cuff estimation) of what is said. They are left wondering, guessing, trying to fill in the blanks.

On the other hand, most parents don’t raise a HAND to help their hearing-impaired child:

About 90%of the deaf population has two hearing parents and 88% of those parents do not know sign language. LINK HERE

And so I know there are children experiencing LANGUAGE DEPRIVATION simply because someone told their parents that having an interpreter is the answer. Suppose you don’t know ASL (American Sign Language) and you travel to China and you are given an ASL-Chinese interpreter. How much are you going to learn about China from watching the ASL interpreter?

Exactly what a child who doesn’t KNOW ASL faces when watching someone batting their hands around in first grade. The child MUST be in a place to learn the language so that they can then access the materials of learning. How does one learn a language? Come on, you know. You learned a language. You are reading this. YES! You learned by listening to your world from the time your ears developed (about week 16 of gestation inside your mom) you were learning the language of your world. But a child born deaf missed out on even that opportunity. Of course, some babies are born hearing and then lose the sense through trauma… but alas, without a language, they are left behind.

And so, would you pray for those children who are in this area, on this island? Because we have some lovely little ones here beginning to learn ASL and speaking and communicating in glorious ways… and my heart breaks every time I meet a small child who is SO isolated because the significant forces at work for the child haven’t grasped the idea that LANGUAGE development is IMPERATIVE to life experience and learning.

Thanks for praying. Thanks for your interest.

March 7, 2019classroomASL, ASL PR, Christian School and Chapel for the Deaf, Christian School for the Deaf, CSCD, Deaf, Deaf education, deaf mission, Deaf Puerto Rico, deafness, Escuela para sordos, ESD, Evangelical School for the Deaf, lenguaje se senas, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico sordos, Sordo en Puerto Rico, Sordo PR, Sordos, students, World Mission to the DeafBetsy Hoke

February: visitors’ month

March 1st, 2019

February is often a month of guests and Feb 2019 was just that.

We started with 8 visitors from Pennsylvania (we enjoyed an afternoon with them at the beach and lots of fun times in the dining room)

followed by our principal’s mother (above photo far right, lady in the center in the white sweatshirt) and sister who also came to visit (purple shirt person). While they were staying at the school, our friends Tim (center photo adult red shirt) and Pam also came to the island (they rented a place off of the school grounds) and while they were hanging out with us, we had our own Bible Challenge Week with Brother Dan Knickerbocker and his lovely wife Anne Marie.

Brother Dan spoke with us the last four afternoons of February – challenging us to think wisely, speak Biblically, and to share our faith effectively. We enjoyed having Dan and AnneMarie for lunches during the week and some time to chat with them. Dan and AnneMarie have been ministering to churches on the island having been invited to Maranatha Baptist Church for a weekend of special services.

God’s goodness to us is amazing over and over again. We are SO THANKFUL for the ways He provides and protects our ministry here. Continue to pray for workers – teachers, a cook, people to work along with us as we develop outreach programs with our Deaf adult friends and for teens in need of tutoring and discipleship. The work is great and the laborers are few and aging! We are trusting God to send younger workers who will carry the ministry forward as our older workers begin to think about lightening their workload.

Meanwhile, we are praising God for the strength He gives our bones and our muscles!

thanks for visiting today!

March 1, 2019missions trip, NewsASL PR, Christian School and Chapel for the Deaf, CSCD, Deaf education, deaf mission, Deaf Puerto Rico, Evangelical School for the Deaf, Luquillo School for the Deaf, missionary, missions trip, Puerto Rico sordos, school for the deaf, short term missions, spring break, World Mission to the DeafBetsy Hoke

February 2019

February 19th, 2019

We have added a puppy to our “Alarm System” at the school Zyba, who is NOT a Great Dane, looks a lot like Delilah who is a Great Dane (Petite). Our brown dog, Roxy, is not a fan of Zyba (yet).

Thursday evenings, we have an ASL class for the parents of our tiny student Natalia. I love the picture on the right above – while a visitor was playing with Natalia (seated with her dad), Philip (himself a deaf adult) was sharing his life experiences with the parents. So much learning was happening around that table and I was able to sit there and enjoy watching it unfold. Pray for all involved in this picture – the parents as they learn ASL and have their own life experiences raising a hearing-impaired child, Philip as he helps from his perspective, the young lady who played with Natalia and the ways God will use her in the future, Natalia and her future in learning and life…

We had a lovely Valentine’s Day luncheon presented by Glenda (center photo). I love that our married couples show their affection in good ways. So many of our students don’t see their parents interacting in the best ways. Having real-life Christian married people on the premises and coming to the dining room to share their lives with our students has always been a benefit to the students. Pray for the students’ families and their sensitivity to things of God.

February 19, 2019NewsBetsy Hoke

THAT was a fast month!

January 30th, 2019

The first Friday of every month, we have OPEN HOUSE and invite ANYONE in to play games with us in the school multi-purpose building. WHAT FUN it is to catch up with our friends in the area!

Our games night in January was led by Mike and Glenda Coupe – our new Outreach and Chapel Program Director. We had loads of fun games and plenty of conversation and snacks when the group games ended. Already we are looking at the next games night this coming Friday (February 1).

How did that happen? It seems we just had our first social night… time surely does fly.

“For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4)

Thanks for praying for our school and our other ministry programs. We are seeing God at work as He answers prayers prayed since 1957 (or before) for the Deaf of the island to have churches that teach His Word in a way that is accessible for the Deaf. Pray for our students as they have opportunity to learn from the Bible and have opportunity to shine His light in their homes. Pray for our island as crime is increasing and many are still rebuilding their homes and lives 16 months post-hurricanes.

We take time to pray for our supporters – if you have a request, please send it along (by e-mail or snail mail) so that we may pray for YOU.

January 30, 2019NewsASL, ASL PR, Christian School and Chapel for the Deaf, CSCD, Deaf education, deaf mission, Deaf Puerto Rico, Escuela para sordos, lenguaje se senas, Luquillo School for the Deaf, post Maria experiences, post-hurricane, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico sordos, Sordo en Puerto Rico, Sordo PR, SordosBetsy Hoke