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Media Stars! |
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Listen up! Four Year 9 St Paul's Way Trust School boys have become TV stars by visiting
Parliament to tell MPs how to improve listening conditions in
schools. Agibou Deen, Ahtik Ahmed, Boody Hassan and Samiur
Rahman from 9T, Ms Bentham, Head of the Deaf Support Base and Ms
Wild, Assistant Headteacher, were interviewed by a BBC TV crew
for a See Hear programme to be screened in September.
We were invited to Parliament by
the National Deaf Children's Society as part of a campaign for
good acoustics in schools on Tuesday June 10th. Acoustics means
listening conditions - how easy it is to hear the teacher's
voice in the classroom. Ms Bentham and Ms Dew, DSB teacher, came
on the trip with us. We talked to loads of MPs, but Agibou and
Ahtik talked to the most - at least 15! Samiur and Boody also
talked to many politicians and important people including the
Minister for Health Ann Keen and two Labour Lords. Agibou and
Ahtik spoke to an expert on acoustics, who offered to come and
test our school's listening conditions and then come back in
2011 and test the classrooms in the new school when it has been
built.
We used laptops and headphones to
show the MPs what it is like to be deaf in class. We first
played a recording of a lesson in a classroom with poor
acoustics (echoes) and background noise (noisy children). We
then played a recording from a classroom with good acoustics and
no background noise. The MPs were shocked when they realised how
hard it could be for us and others to learn. We took a hearing
aid so they could hear what it is like to have all the sounds
and noises around you amplified.
One of the politicians we spoke to
was Labour Lord Baroness Wilkins. She said, "I very much enjoyed
having such a convincing demonstration from the local deaf
pupils. They did it superbly - clear and confident."
We spoke about how to stop bad
acoustics in classrooms and large rooms in other parts of a
school. Dining rooms and halls often have poor acoustics because
sound echoes off the walls, there is no carpet and the ceilings
are high.
Before going into the committee
room we met Lord Ahmed on College Green outside Parliament and
told him about the campaign. Agibou talked to another Lord in
the House of Commons toilets! He later said that when the
acoustics are bad in his lessons he sometimes misbehaves because
there is too much noise. Ahtik spoke about the causes of bad
acoustics, how to improve listening conditions and suggested
that all schools should have good acoustics by law.
Susan Daniels, NDCS Chief Exec,
mentioned that she was incredibly impressed by how good all of
the students were - and said that the event would still have
been a complete success if all the staff had disappeared and
left the students running the event! As I've said before, we
literally cannot thank you and the students enough.
Agibou commented, "Altogether, we
spoke to 30 MPs, which was very brave and suprising. I never
thought the MPs would want to speak to us. I enjoyed talking to
the politicians - they were very friendly."
Ms Bentham said, "I am so proud of
the students for their hard work and excellent conduct at this
event. It was a great follow-up to last year's event when they
made speeches in the Commons."
Ms Dew added, "Hopefully we have
persuaded the politicians to make rapid improvements in schools
which will help all deaf and hearing children to learn. Well
done Agibou, Ahtik, Boody and Samiur!"
Report written by Agibou, Ahtik,
Boody and Samiur
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DSB Students Shine
in the House!
Four Year 8 students have made history by becoming the first St
Paul’s Way students to speak in the House of Commons.
The four boys, Ahtik Ahmed, Agibou Deen, Boody Hassan and Samiur
Rahman of 8T, were invited by the NDCS (National Deaf Children's
Society) to take part in the launch of their Change Your
World report in Parliament on Tuesday June 10th 2008.
 Ahtik, Agibou and Boody gave speeches to a group of around sixty
MPs, TV celebrities and professionals from the NDCS and other
schools. The meeting, hosted by Dr. Tyron Woolfe of the NDCS and
Malcolm Bruce MP, took place in the Stranger's Dining Room, near
the famous Lobby in Parliament. Ms Bentham and Ms Wild
accompanied the students on the trip.
The boys paid tribute to SPWCS and their teachers and spoke
about their experiences of being deaf and their ambitions and
hopes for the future. "I am extremely proud of our students for
bravely standing up in front of so many important people and
speaking so well – many adults would not be able to achieve what
they did," said Ms Bentham. "The boys were a credit to the
school as they behaved with confidence, impeccable manners and
charm."
The day, which began with a tour of the NDCS headquarters near
the Barbican, and included a 'flight' on the London Eye, was a
great success. "It was good fun," said Samiur Rahman. "The NDCS
staff were great," added Ahtik Ahmed.
The boys are now hoping to get NDCS support to set up a football
league for deaf and hearing players from schools in East London,
and an after school snooker club at SPWCS. |
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We're Deaf Aware!
 Do
you know what a Malleus is? Or what an Incus is? Or maybe even
what an Audio Shoe is? Do you know what sound is like through a
hearing aid? Or how to make life a bit easier for those with a
hearing loss? The chances are that if you ask someone from 7T
they will know the answer.
This term, 7T have been doing a
course called 'Deaf Awareness' taught by Ms Bentham, Head of the
Deaf Support Base. We have learnt a lot about how the ear works
(it is very delicate and complicated) and about what can happen
when you have a hearing loss. We worked out how sound is
produced and what kind of equipment can help those who are deaf.
We have also talked about the prejudice deaf people face in
their lives.
And in lunchtimes, we have all
been learning British Sign Language with Sonia Marquis. All 7T
students have their own 'sign names' (like a nickname), know how
to fingerspell, how to sign numbers and have everyday
conversations in sign language. Sayidul Alum and Nadira
Choudhury were awarded special British Sign Language
certificates in assembly for outstanding commitment and
achievement. It has been great fun and we have been lucky enough
to have six DSB students to help us. Thanks Tahmina, Banu,
Fhabia, Charlie, Sahera and Ezekiel - we love having you in 7T.
How to be more listener
friendly...
• Face people when you are talking to them;
• Don't shout (your face scrunches up and makes you look angry);
• Don't whistle, screech, tap or make loud noises;
• Speak one at a time.
And lots more. Look around the
school for posters. Thanks to Ms Bentham, Sonia and Hassan too.
Ms Evans, 7T Tutor |
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There
are lots of famous deaf people:
- Nelson Mandela
(ex-President of South Africa)
- Winston Churchill
(British Prime Minister in World War II),
- Beethoven
(one of
the world's most famous composers)
- Evelyn Glennie
(world renowned percussionist)
See if you can find
out about other famous people who are deaf! |
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A Letter from Louis!
 Four boys from 8T have received a letter from the famous author
Louis Sachar, who wrote Holes. Agibou Deen, Ahtik Ahmed, Boody
Hassan and Samiur Rahman wrote to Mr Sachar in December to ask
him some questions about his life and his writing. "We enjoyed
his book so much, we asked him to come and visit us!" said Ahtik
Ahmed. "My favourite character was Armpit and I enjoyed watching
the DVD of the story," said Agibou Deen. Louis Sachar sent the
type-written letter from his home in America. He wrote:
Dear Agibou, Ahtik, Boody and Samiur,
Thanks for your very nice letters. I'm glad you like my books so
much. I live in Austin, Texas, with my wife, Carla. She was a
school counsellor when I met her, and was the inspiration behind
Carla, the counsellor in 'There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom'.
Our daughter is away at college. Our dog, Watson, is barking as
I type this. He's a mutt we rescued in the pound, which is where
all the best dogs can be found. He takes me for a walk every
morning before I write. My most recent book is 'Small Steps'. It
took me two years to write, one small step at a time. The main
character is Armpit, from 'Holes'. My first book was 'Sideways
Stories from Wayside School'. I wrote it in 1976 after working
as a playground supervisor at an elementary school. You can see
me in the movie version of 'Holes'. Sam sells me onion juice to
make my hair grow. I'm wearing a fake moustache.
In my spare time I like to play bridge. If you're interested,
there is more information about me at
www.louissachar.com.
Your friend,
Louis Sachar
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