This month Smigel will continue teaching at Nathan Hale Primary School in Crestwood, but will expand her skills and reach out to the hearing community. She will teach a sign language class on Wednesday evenings at the Crete Park District.

"I think it’s a good idea to teach kids sign language," Smigel said. "Aside from teaching them a second language, it teaches them patience, acceptance, and gives kids a sense of how diverse the world really is."

Contrary to popular belief, sign language is not a universal language. American Sign Language, or ASL, is an intricate visual-spatial language that is used by the those in the United States who are deaf or have hearing loss.

ASL shares no grammatical similarities to English. It involves the use of hand gestures, facial expressions, and lip movements and is the fourth most commonly-used language in the United States, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Studies have revealed that teaching a child sign language improves their early communication skills with their parents and can boost the child’s learning of language.

"Babies experiment with their hands," Smigel said. "They try to reach for things and point to objects that they want. Children can learn to sign before they learn to speak and this helps them understand and express their desires at an earlier age."

As a teacher for the hearing impaired, Smigel has learned to wear many hats. She often finds herself playing the role of counselor and interpreter between a child and parent.

"The most difficult part of my job is that most families are in denial about their child’s hearing loss," Smigel said. "Parents don’t realize that their denial delays the child’s development."

Janelle Geary, recreation superintendent at the Crete Park District, is thrilled to have Smigel as a teacher.

"I feel that learning sign is such a benefit for hearing children," Geary said. "It exposes them to the deaf culture and allows them to be more accepting of others who are different than them."

Smigel has kept in close contact with one of her first deaf students, Keith Rokicki of Park Forest. She plans on inviting Rokicki as a guest speaker at the Crete Park District during one of her sessions.

"Keith is the greatest example that someone with a disability can succeed in life," Smigel said. "It’s not only important to teach another language to the kids but to break down the barriers and myths in society that tell us that being different is a disadvantage."

By Alanna Gross
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2006/01/10/news/illiana/0ae00e45c93ff889862570f2000d29bd.txt