Update

Well, I can't think of much to write about right now, but here i go. My ASL classes are going pretty well. I've good grades and I'm really enjoying everything we are learning in class. I didn't think i would like the dictionary class very much, but it is nice to know words when I am signing with someone at bowling or Pam or Ruby. Speaking of bowling, I am sad that I have only gone once so far, but I do plan to go more. Hopefully this Sunday we can all go. One thing I know I really need to work on is receiving. I think it is pretty hard to know the signs when I see them. I have a hard time getting my brain to remember the sign when someone signs it to me in a conversation, but I'm sure with a lot of practice I will get better, slowly I'm sure.

Silent Game Day

So I haven't got the chance to write about the Silent Game Day we had on Wednesday! I had a good time. The group I was in played apples to apples. That's a fun game, but it didn't give us a whole lot of reasons to practice our signing. Next time I think a different game might be more benificial for me to play. I really like getting the chance to have time when we are only supposed to sign. Learning through experience is always the best way to learn things. I had a great time getting to use the signs we have been learning in class. Being in the dictionry class is a lot cooler then I thought it would be too. I was so nervous when i realized that the dictionary class actually just goes through the dictionary and teaches you signs from a-z. I have to admit that was very intimidating at first, and still kind of is, but I was very excited when I used some of the a and b words at Silent Game Day!

Bowling

Tonight I went to the Fairmont Bowling Center with Sarah and Lauren, two friends in my class. I got the chance to talk to some of the people on the Deaf Bowling league. All of the people there were very friendly and it was great getting to communicate with them. We spent a lot of our time chatting with Ruby's father. He's a really cool guy. He was patient with us and helped us when we didn't know a sign. We talked about everything from cats to school. He asked us some questions like, "what do we think when we see people sign, since we don't know what they are saying?" and some other tricky questions like that. We asked him a few questions too. It was nice of him to be so patient with us and willing to sign with us for a while. I was a little nervous to go tonight, but I'm very glad I went. :) I really enjoyed chatting with people and observing everyone sign. It was truely beautiful. We didn't actually bowl, We just sat and watched and chatted. It was very awesome to get a chance to use what we have been learning by signing with very nice people and I hope I can go many more Sunday evenings.

About Me

Hi. I'm Shawna. My brother's name is Jacob. He is a high school freshmen this year. My mom and dad, Beverly and Rodney, are the senior youth (grades 9-12) leaders at my church. I go to St. Paul UMC here in Fairmont. I have lived in Fairmont all my life and gone to St. Paul UMC all my life. I love my church family. Last summer some of us went on a mission trip to a school for the Deaf in Georgia. I was so excited, but pretty nervous to get the opportunity to talk to the students and staff there. All of the people there were very kind and patient with our group as we attempted to sign with them. I knew a little bit of sign language before we went so I could talk with the people there a little bit and help others in my group too. This trip is the main reason I am interested in sign language. I'm very excited to learn ASL and I hope I can become good enough to communicate easily with Deaf people.
I am a Freshmen at FSU and my major is Early Childhood Development. I also plan to earn the one year sign language certificate. I love children. I have always loved helping with the nursery and Vacation Bible School at my church. Children are so much fun to be aroubd because they are still facinated by the simplest things and they can teach you probably as much or more then you can teach them. They have a joy for life that most of us forget about as we get older and try to mature. So I just love them!
Well, that's all for now. :o)
Shawna