Busman's Holiday
I had a day off from school district work today, so where did I go? To school.
But not just any school. California School for the Deaf Riverside. It seems the universe is trying to prod me into finishing my revisions (almost there) and get going on my book with a deaf character. Why else would this be Deaf Awareness Week in Riverside, with an open house at CSDR this morning? So I went over there at 11 a.m., forcing myself to stop being shy and go into the office.
To my relief, there were 7 other people there for the tour. Two couples and another woman, who were studying sign language and child development, and a couple of alumni. The man graduated from CSDR in 1968; the woman went there in the late '50s. She had a motorized wheelchair, and a little service dog named Tinkerbell on her lap.
Well, I'm a history buff as well as an info geek, so I was doubly pleased to get a school folder with a newsletter and other items, and to hear some of the alumni memories. They were both dorm students; the man went home on weekends, but the woman's family was poor, so she usually just went home for holidays. Her family spoke Spanish, she said and signed, so she had to learn two languages at school: ASL and English. They both agreed that the school has changed quite a bit. And new buildings are under construction.
We visited the Social Hall (basically a small auditorium), and saw the middle school dorms (the door was locked, so I peeked through the window), middle school campus, and staff building (for audiologists and other professionals; used to be a boys' dorm, the male alumnus said). They have an elementary, middle and high school on the 69 acres, each with its own principal and secretary. The middle school buildings are fairly new, and impressive. Nice open quad, LCDs that display messages and let students know how many minutes they have to get to class, and the principal's office with a big picture window, so she can keep an eye on things outside.
Our final stop was the cafeteria, which was also very nice. They show closed-captioned movies on a screen inside, or highlights from the school football games. Students have a card with a PIN that shows their I.D. on a computer screen. The server can see their age, grade, nutritional needs, etc. If it's their birthday, a candle pops up on the screen, and they'll receive a cupcake.
So, no, I didn't do any paid labor today. But hopefully my unpaid labor (research) will pay off in the future.
But not just any school. California School for the Deaf Riverside. It seems the universe is trying to prod me into finishing my revisions (almost there) and get going on my book with a deaf character. Why else would this be Deaf Awareness Week in Riverside, with an open house at CSDR this morning? So I went over there at 11 a.m., forcing myself to stop being shy and go into the office.
To my relief, there were 7 other people there for the tour. Two couples and another woman, who were studying sign language and child development, and a couple of alumni. The man graduated from CSDR in 1968; the woman went there in the late '50s. She had a motorized wheelchair, and a little service dog named Tinkerbell on her lap.
Well, I'm a history buff as well as an info geek, so I was doubly pleased to get a school folder with a newsletter and other items, and to hear some of the alumni memories. They were both dorm students; the man went home on weekends, but the woman's family was poor, so she usually just went home for holidays. Her family spoke Spanish, she said and signed, so she had to learn two languages at school: ASL and English. They both agreed that the school has changed quite a bit. And new buildings are under construction.
We visited the Social Hall (basically a small auditorium), and saw the middle school dorms (the door was locked, so I peeked through the window), middle school campus, and staff building (for audiologists and other professionals; used to be a boys' dorm, the male alumnus said). They have an elementary, middle and high school on the 69 acres, each with its own principal and secretary. The middle school buildings are fairly new, and impressive. Nice open quad, LCDs that display messages and let students know how many minutes they have to get to class, and the principal's office with a big picture window, so she can keep an eye on things outside.
Our final stop was the cafeteria, which was also very nice. They show closed-captioned movies on a screen inside, or highlights from the school football games. Students have a card with a PIN that shows their I.D. on a computer screen. The server can see their age, grade, nutritional needs, etc. If it's their birthday, a candle pops up on the screen, and they'll receive a cupcake.
So, no, I didn't do any paid labor today. But hopefully my unpaid labor (research) will pay off in the future.