Courtesy Photo | Sheila Fields, Bauguess Child Development Center staff member, Ayden West and his best...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Fort Bragg Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Loehr presented five staff members from Bauguess Child Development Center certificates of appreciation for their above and beyond efforts to ensure equality in education for every child in their care, Feb. 22.
Carol Lyons, La’Marthalyn Norman, Quandrea Williams, Sheila Fields, and Marshelle Maynard were named Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s Exceptional Team of the 4th Quarter of 2021 for taking upon themselves to learn American Sign Language.
“These educators are leading the example for inclusivity and ensuring every child has equal opportunities to succeed,” said Loehr. “By taking the extra effort to expand their knowledge and understanding the very important role they play in our military children’s lives, they have assured Fort Bragg’s workforce that knowing their children are taken care of by the very best.”
The longtime caregivers and preschool educators came together with the unanimous decision to learn ASL with the arrival of Ayden West, whose primary means of communication is sign language. To better communicate with their new hearing-impaired student, the team used their own time to learn ASL, utilizing online resources and help from Ayden.
“I was interested in learning American Sign Language the day Ayden entered my classroom,” said Maynard, who has worked for Child and Youth Services for 13 years. “Learning the basics of sign language has made me a better caregiver for not only Ayden, but other children to come.”
Maynard, who has been a caregiver for over 20 years, learned ASL with the help of her team and Ayden; adding that it has been a very fun and interesting experience.
“I wanted to be active and communicate directly with children in our room who may have a disability in hearing or speech,” Fields echoed, a caregiver of 33 years. “I don’t want any child to be left out of activities. My desire and love is for all the children, no matter what, and I wanted them to feel comfortable, safe, protected and loved.”
Fields added that learning ASL has improved her communication skills not only with children, but with anyone who has hearing or speech disabilities – the experience isn’t just limited to the classroom, she said.
“Learning to include others is a big part of what we teach and I’m glad we are teaching through actions,” agreed Williams. “We never know who we will encounter (in life) and I want to teach other children how to interact with others who may use sign language to communicate.”
Each team member agreed that the extra worth is well work the challenge and enforces their unwritten motto; learn by doing, teach by example.
“I have experience with all types of little personalities and children with special needs,” said Norman, another seasoned caregiver of 23 years. “The love you have for the children is genuine. Once (Ayden) realized we were using sign language, he started communicating more by signing and using more verbal words.”
Norman added that using sign language also helped the entire class as a whole to learn ASL – so everyone could communicate with Ayden.
“(Students) were very surprised,” said Fields when the team began using sign language in the classroom. “They would tell me and show me the correct positioning of my hands or fingers. They would laugh when I messed up. They would smile when I got it right. Reactions were fulfilling for me, but more so providing positive feedback from (Ayden).”
Carol Lyons, the director of Bauguess CDC, said that children with special needs are mainstreamed in CDCs and is extremely proud of the commitment from her staff.
“We all have learned from (Ayden) to meet his needs,” said Lyons. “His parent works with us every day and the staff has helped other children learn to include him in all room activities. I’m so proud that our staff continues to go the extra mile for inclusivity. It has been a great experience for all staff to see the progress (Ayden) has made.”
Each team member of the preschool, 3-5 year old classroom, said that a basic sign language course to get a certification annually would be beneficial for every employee at CYS. Staff members certify annually for First Aid, so why not add an annual certification for the basic communication of sign language, smiled Fields.
“It makes me feel like my child is right where he belongs and that the caregivers actually are invested in my son’s growth and development,” said Johnell West, Ayden’s father. “It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that my son is around people who learned how to communicate with him, so that he never feels alienated.”
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.04.2022 09:15 |
| Story ID: | 417764 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 440 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Going the Extra Mile: CDC staff members learn sign language on own time to better learning experience for all students, by Sharilyn Wells, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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