i have been reading Rhianna's Cochlear Implant journey and i'm amazed at Yanti's (her mom) effort to get Rhianna to hear better. After Rhianna was diagnosed with her hearing loss, she got he cochlear implant. Yanti took a long time off work to intensively care for Rhianna. She signed her up for music and reading class, and actively went for playgroups/seminars.
i decided to enroll Afif into a music class for toddler too.
We initially went for a trial class. Us being us, we got there half an hour late. Afif being Afif, he was so amazed at a new place and busy exploring. Instead of joining in with the teacher and other kids dancing and singing, he went to bang on the wall, tried to open drawers, and busy pushing buttons at power outlet.
Totally not what i expected.
The teacher assured us that it's common for newcomers to be like that. Busy exploring and not joining in. i felt a bit better. So we signed up for the class.
Last Saturday we went for the first class. Got there half an hour early, at the teacher's advice. Afif, as usual, busy running in the mall, went up and down the escalators (my brother and i took turn to watch him).
At 3pm, the class started and Afif has gotten a little cranky. i guess he was tired from all the running and climbing. Again, he refused to cooperate and join the crowd. He followed instruction when he feels like it but most of the time he'd just do his own stuff.
The teacher gave a pair of bells. He just played with it for a while and then threw it on the floor. When i picked it up, he'd cry and want it back and then proceeded to throw it on the floor. The same with plastic mirror. More throwing and crying. A couple of times, he laid on the floor and bang his head on the floor. That's the first time he did that!
It was chaotic. Music playing, 5 toddlers with parents dancing around and there i was, desperately trying to calm my child and getting him to join the fun.
i was so depressed. What happened to my fun loving boy? My singing and dancing boy? The other parents looked at us like we're aliens. i could feel them judging me- a bad parent.
At the end of the class, the teacher told me to sign Afif up for a sign language class. She said that he can't tell me what he wants, that's why he's so angry. i felt so humiliated, especially as she done that in front of other parents.
YES, my child is deaf. i want him to hear and speak that's why i sent him to a music class. If i want him to sign, i would've taught him sign language without you telling me to. Besides, i know he wanted milk but would you like it if i breasfeed right then and there in the class with fathers watching? Instead of saying that to her face, i kept quiet and left.
Sigh.
If it's up to me, i would never want to go back. But we paid for a semester of music class and the money would've gone to waste. We'll see how it goes next week.
1 comment:
teefa, rude nya teacher tu. This is his first class pun. she,as a teacher should have known right? kalau hamza pun belum tentu nak duduk dengar instruction mau dia pusing berlari and baling barang je. but since you already paid, takpa lah. InsyaAllah dia akan adapt nanti. biasalah budak2 tak kenal belum warm up lagi kan.
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