I would like to be funny, cute, adorable, spunky, witty, clever and sexy right now, but I'm not. I'm currently working on a Masters in Shitology. I have no study group, I'm flying solo, but I am certainly deeply in the subject matter at hand.
The Italian school system is totally different than the American one, and since this is Jordan's last year of middle school, he has to choose a high school. These are some of the choices:
High School specializing in Classical Studies
High School specializing in Scientific Studies
High School specializing in Art
" Social Sciences
Technical Institute
Institute of Architectural Studies
Professional Institute with three choices: Hotel Admin., Graphic Advertising, and something else I can't think of...
School of Agriculture
Commercial Institute with three different specializations in Computer Science, Linguistics, or Tourism
And
The
List
Goes
On...
At age 13 a student must decide what he wants to be when he grows up. Having taken into consideration all of his needs, interests and the fact that I would like him to be able to breathe as he goes through his teen years, we have chosen The Professional School specializing in graphic advertising that also has courses in photography and filmmaking alla Rachel Chaikof. I took Jordan there to check it out and his support teacher came with us, she's amazing and loves him. The teachers there greeted us and were so nice. They said to me, "This is a school that teaches students to communicate their thoughts, feelings and desires by giving them different means of expression through computer graphics, video, photography and film"
Signed, sealed and delivered. We're all about communication here.
So, we're all standing there and one of the teachers says, "Jordan, tell me something about yourself!"
And Jordan, who was in a mood, replied, "Well, you know, I'm American so I don't really speak Italian very well. And I'm going through a very difficult time in my life right now."
Shit.
Hmm.
I kind of just stood there speechless. I just let him ramble on and on. Then we thanked everyone and went on our way. I took him for a piece of his favorite pizza and he said he liked the school. A man of few words that day.
Jordan is thirteen years old, going through a separation and the stress of leaving a secure middle school for a high school filled with smokers and boobs. It ain't the easiest of times here in the Cutler household. He made an excuse for how he speaks and it wasn't that he's deaf, it was that he's American. So, I said to him, "Jordan, there's nothing wrong with how you speak, your Italian's much better than mine. And you know, you can tell them you're deaf and tell them about your cochlear implant, no problem."
He said, "I know, I'm just tired."
I told him I understand.
He hugged me and I think smiled.
6 comments:
What a man you have there, Jodi! "He's just tired"...OY! He's starting early that one!
He's so brave (and I happen to know, for sure, where he gets it from!) -- Do you remember how scared we were to go to High School? Excited yes, but scared...altho frankly, I was so excited to get away from Patrice Green who stole my shoes in gym class in middle school...but I digress...
Hunker down -- teenagers ain't the easiest thing to anticipate -- Lord knows we weren't!!!
LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!
It wasn't too long ago that boys left school at age 13 or 14 and became apprenticed to working tradesmen...nowadays educators are saying that high school is the required grammar school of the past.
Nevertheless, no course is ever wasted, no experience lost on young people. No matter what course of study your son pursues, he will layer upon it many different experiences and possibly even end up in a different area ultimately or several. What counts is the quality of the experience. Best of luck!
I can totally understand how he is feeling. Just a thought, reach out and introduce him to deaf italians. Its not easy being solo in a hearing world, no matter the country.
You know when I was Jordan's age I wasn't deaf. It pained me to have to spell my weird last name constantly. Looking back I realize that prepared me for hearing loss. It's rough explaining yourself over and over. People come at you with all these misconceptions of deafness, hearing aids and cochlear implants. They say things to test you. You feel you're constantly explaining why you can talk, why you don't sign, why you have a slight speech impediment, why your hearing aids make noises, why you can hear in this environment, but not in that one, why you can't hear high voices, but hear low ones, why or how you hear music, why you can't hear the TV, why you can hear on some phones and not others. . . And they're never satisfied because then they'll give you advice. They all know someone who has hearing loss who hears better, so they assume you haven't seen the right doctor or been fitted with the right aids or implant or what have you. It never stops. Sometimes you just want to be normal, whatever that is.
Debbie- I SO remember Patrice Green- little skinny girl:-) Love you too...
Dianrez...I hope you're right, as long as he learns a skill, and that skill can be used in the USofA as well...it's positive.
Thank you Sheri...he just needs to be surrounded by the people he loves- deaf or not deaf...
Kim, as you know we avoid normal:-)...diverse is so much sexier! Love your comments...
nice post. I would love to follow you on twitter.
Post a Comment