Close call

This morning was wash day. I stripped the bed and washed three loads of king-sized sheets, blankets, and quilts. And I folded a couple of loads of clothes that had been piled in the dreaded "laundry chair" in the upstairs TV room. I turned on the dishwasher and hand-washed the remaining items in the sink. I swept the floor and spread out a new rug in the kitchen.

I'd been meaning to get area rugs to cover the laminate flooring in my family room and kitchen for several weeks. I'd thrown out the old ones after deciding that they'd seen better days and the effort to try and clean them would barely make a difference. They needed replacing. And I needed something to help absorb the sound better. After living with the echoing in the room for a few weeks, I broke down yesterday and purchased two rugs on clearance at the local home improvement store.

After spending a couple of hours on household chores, I sat down to enjoy a cup of tea. I was the only one home, and the peace and quiet was nice. It was only after turning on the television that I became aware that I'd not put my hearing devices on this morning. They're a necessary burden when my hearing husband and daughter are home. But not today. There was no one to hear. And I welcomed the noiselessness like an old friend.

Sauntering upstairs, I opened my handy-dandy Zephyr dryer to retrieve my hearing aid and CI processor. I noticed the dingy ear mold on my hearing aid. I should clean that thing, I thought to myself. I'm not able to remove it from my hearing aid without a special tool that only my audiologist possesses and I've had to depend on regular visits to her to have it cleaned and shined. But this morning I decided to try to take it off and clean it myself. It was wash day after all. To my surprise, the mold came off the receiver tip rather easily with one gentle tug. Per the instructions that had come with it when it was new, I would wash it with antibacterial soap. I thought briefly to myself that I should put a washcloth over the open drain in case it slipped from my hand and fell into the drain.

Nah, I was several steps from the sink. I'd be fine, I thought.

But alas, ZIP! BANG! and the slippery booger was on its way to the sink before I could say 'Boo!" Luckily, I am blessed with superhero reflexes and I lunged for that deep, dark abyss -- flailing my soapy hand over it with seconds to spare -- the mold swirled around the sink and came to rest beside my thumb.

It was a close call.

Next time it needs cleaned, I'll just take it to my audi like I'm supposed to.

It's Happening, Part Two

Recognizing hearing loss in students is only one part of the equation for helping students in the classroom. The other part is creating and maintaining hearing-friendly environments for them to learn in.

It's no easy task.

The architects of public school buildings rarely took sound into consideration when designing them - poor insulation, poor windows, noisy HVAC systems, noisy appliances, too much reverberation, poor acoustic design to support the teacher's voice, and poor acoustical design, such as high ceilings or open school design  --- all create an exasperating amount of noise pollution that students must be able to filter in order to hear and focus on what is being taught.

Research on student learning has found that, on average, students miss approximately 25-30% of what is being said by the teacher in the classroom. For children with hearing loss, it is much higher. Those missing parts in the instructional day can lead to academic and behavioral problems.

There have been many studies conducted about the benefits of a quiet classroom and school. Many of the things I've learned will take changing the mindset that "a noisy classroom is a busy, learning classroom". It also takes changing common practices in schools -- unchecked loud talking in common areas such as cafeterias, hallways, and gyms. Then there's my least favorite practice of encouraging students to scream at the top of their lungs in assemblies. "I can't heeeeeeeeeear you!" I've watched too many times as students grimace, cover their ears, yet continue to be called on by assembly leaders to make as much noise as they possibly can.  Practices like these can actually harm our students' and our own hearing.

Other suggestions are easier. I've incorporated many of these in my own classroom -- mostly out of need to reduce noise clutter for my own benefit. Noise is a contraindication to hearing well with hearing aids. But it can be harmful to your students as well. Here are some things teachers can do to make their classroom more hearing friendly:

1. Maintain a quiet classroom. Teach students to speak and interact with each other in an appropriate volume. A classroom of 25 students talking all at once can reach more than 90 dB. Exposure to that volume for very long can damage their ears. And that old practice of playing background music in your classroom while you teach? It only adds to the noise. Make music listening purposeful and give it its own time. Or just stop it altogether.
2. Reduce sound reverberation. Drape, drape, drape your hard surfaces whenever possible. Sound reverberation from hard surfaces can affect hearing and comprehension. I use fabric remnants to cover bulletin boards, filing cabinets, my desk, and bookcases. I use a tension rod and valances across the shelves of some of my bookcases to absorb sound. (The added benefit is that it also covers some clutter!) Stuff some stuffed toys in between books and materials to help absorb even more. Put curtains over windows. And bring in area rugs if your room isn't carpeted. My district also provided me with some acoustic tiles from an old band room to place above cabinets in my classroom. Just ask!
3. Limit students' use of headphones. Headphones are a necessary evil for students to work independently at computers and listening stations. But be certain to set the volume at an appropriate level and check it often. Students tend to turn it up too loud. Then limit how long students are required to use them. The concentrated sound delivered to the ears from headphones is the number one cause of environmentally-induced hearing loss among our young people. Don't contribute to that statistic!
4. Work to encourage quiet halls during instructional time. Encourage staff members to teach students to respect the learning going on in classrooms they pass by keeping their voices off. Staff should also be aware that their voices often carry into classrooms from hallways as well, and they should take their conversations into spaces where they will not be interfering with hearing and listening themselves.
5. Speak to your principal about abandoning the practice of having students scream at the top of their lungs in assemblies. That's just no good.
6. Be aware of noise and how it affects your students. Make it a priority to reduce the noise clutter. Invest in a decibel reader or download one from the internet. I downloaded an app to my phone and place it under my document camera during student work time. Students can see it and use it to monitor their own noise level, and I can see it at a glance to remind them if they've exceeded safe levels.

There are many other things that could be done. A quick search on Google can help you find more. The thing is this --- schools should be a place of learning and we, as educators, should be doing whatever is necessary to make that learning "hearing safe". From one who knows how devastating hearing loss can be, protect the hearing of the little ones in your charge. And protect yours, too.

Hear well, my friends.

It's Happening, Part One

This week, a communications specialist from the Oklahoma Education Association came to my school to interview me for the article he is writing on hearing loss in students. About this time last year, my motions to educate educators on promoting and maintaining hearing-friendly classrooms and how to recognize hearing loss in students were unanimously adopted by my state delegation. They were also adopted by my national delegation last summer. Now my advocacy is coming into fruition. A national representative will be interviewing me by telephone next week.

While hearing loss is certainly less than epidemic in children of school age, it can significantly affect learning, communication, and behavior in the classroom. Because it is not easily recognized by teachers, it is often dismissed as lack of interest, poor listening, attention deficit disorders, second language learning, learning disabilities, and "bad attitude." Children with hearing loss are relegated to back rows, time out, detention rooms, behavioral or academic counseling, child study referrals, retention, and learning disabilities resource rooms.

The fact, however, according to the National Institute of Health, is that 1 in 10 school-aged children in our public schools have some form of hearing loss. That translates to a staggering reality -- in a typical classroom of 20 or more, there may be at least 2 children who have difficulty hearing and understanding oral instruction. And due to acquired environmentally-induced hearing loss, those numbers are growing. The ear bud generation is paying for their choices in the form of hearing loss.

We cannot afford to ignore the statistics. Nor can we excuse our ignorance about hearing loss anymore.

"What are some tips you would give teachers for recognizing hearing loss?" he asked.

"These things," I said.

1. Don't assume that inattention or lack of interest in learning are related to a behavioral disorder. While ADHD, autism, and sensory disorders have consumed the spotlight in education circles, hearing loss is a real and possible cause of behavioral and learning problems. ALWAYS assume hearing loss first and have the child screened.
2. Don't assume that a child's academic difficulties are because they are learning a second language. Hearing loss isn't selective about spoken language. It affects children who speak English, Spanish, Hmong, Arabic, and pig-Latin. If there is ANY problem in language development or communication, ALWAYS assume hearing loss first and have the child screened.
3. Don't assume that a child's poor academic progress is related to a learning disability. A child with hearing loss may hear environmental sounds, including speech, but may be incapable of understanding speech due to their hearing loss. If a child is having difficulty achieving academically, ALWAYS assume hearing loss first and have the child screened. 

Above all, educators should remember that hearing loss is invisible. Unlike vision, it cannot be recognized by a student who squints or tells you they can't see the board. Children with hearing loss may not even realize they aren't hearing properly. So it is up to us, as their teachers and parents and caregivers, to be observant, educated, and aware of the signs. And to offer support and help.

Read more about my motions here: https://bonniestone.blogspot.com/2016/04/once-upon-time.html

My next post will address hearing friendly classrooms and schools.

Until then, hear well, my friends.

When There's Just Too Much Noise...

Recently, I was once again assessing my first graders on their sight word list. It's something I perform each month to measure their reading growth. Mini-mic positioned onto their shirt collars, I attempt to test individual children while the rest of the class is engaged in at least a semi-quiet activity.

It doesn't always go as planned.

Most of the time, there's just too much noise to hear the child who is reading effectively enough to get an accurate score. I have to settle for something close, if not exact.

I resort to lip reading, I confess. "Say that again," I repeat over and over again, watching them form the sounds of the letters on their lips. Sometimes when I ask them to repeat the word, a child will think it's because they missed it. Then I watch them search their brain for a reason as to why they missed it. I am constantly reassuring them that I just couldn't hear them well enough to know if they said the word or not.

In between the "Say it again" and the "Use it in a sentence" and the "One more time", I am shushing the rest of the class continually. First graders make a lot of noise, no matter what they are doing. And that noise often makes it near impossible to work with children individually.

Added to the mix is my student teacher. She is guiding some students in completing a math lesson while I test a few more students and my CI picks her voice up louder than my reader. I reduce my sensitivity settings hoping that will help. The difference is negligible, so I quietly slip the CI magnet from my head, disengaging the sound as I do so. Then maybe I can focus on the sound being piped from the mini-mic into my hearing aid. It doesn't really help. There's just too much noise.

So I do the only thing I can think to do at the moment. I tell her to finish the assessments.

She is done in record time.