The Secret Deafie is a series of anonymous columns written by different writers. Today’s Deafie tells us about an incident on the tube…
I got into a spot of bother with the teacher during my first year at school.
The teacher had made us gather and listen to a story just before lunch, and my energy levels were dropping.
We all gathered round, and listened to her read, and the story seemed to drag on for longer than normal. After the first page I was struggling. Her voice seemed to drone on and drop in volume, plus straining to hear was getting too much.
So mentally I switched off, and just pretended to be listening. It would be lunch soon, and we could all relax.
But when the story finished, to my surprise she asked everyone to draw a picture, and write about the story!
I nudged a friend for help, and attempted a variation on her picture. I wrote a couple of lines based on the best I could gather to be the gist of the story.
Aged five, I was attempting to ‘wing it’ in class!
I was in the queue to get my superbly vague and colourful contribution marked when the dinner lady arrived to escort us to the canteen. She waited for the teacher to finish.
When the teacher got to me, she asked me what I remembered of the story. I continued to attempt to “wing it” for a few brief seconds, then gave up.
She asked if I had listened to the story, and I felt it was time to confess that I hadn’t. She was flabbergasted and cross.
She made me wait with a few others who were too slow to finish, or had make unsatisfactory rushed jobs of it (they had lunch on their minds too I suspect). The dinner lady led the others to lunch, whilst she made the rest of us queue at the classroom door, and lectured us about concentrating and trying harder.
What she seemed to have forgotten is that around that time an ENT consultant thought I had glue ear. I had a grommet fitted the next year, but my hearing just gradually continued to worsen, and a more accurate diagnosis was given when I was 13.
Luckily, I did eventually get my lunch!
But I never forgot that day, when the teacher found out I wasn’t listening.
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Kevin
March 12, 2014
I cant images in my old day back in 80s. I’m definitely wearing a bra with 2 hearing aids equipment in my boobs. ( old fashion hearing aids with AA battery)
I was in mainstream primary school and was first deaf pupil in Ormskirk. My parents fighting and argue to council. The specialist school in Preston was too far away and was taken by free taxi ride. I fall asleep on way up and on the way down. I was 5 year old.
I must i could remember my past childhood was fun. Not much learning but lot of fun with all hearing people. A lot had made friend with me because I’m really special. It had been good friend helping me cos they really care about me but not teacher.
The teacher had forgotten, a lone wolf among the sheep flock (feeling like hearing world)
When teacher tell them story book, my eyes were so busy and concentrating the lip reads (self learn lips read). I soon i had enough and my eyes were closing and fall asleep. My friend wake me up when is finish.Time go out and play…
Kevin
March 12, 2014
Anyway more than you had remember and i had refresh my memory. But I actually took book home and read it. On next day the teacher was wondering were the book. I manage to look at her body languages and starching her head. I went get the book from my bag and hand it over to teacher. She did bump on my head with and told me “that cheating”.