Teacher Opens Doors Through Silence

December 19, 1990|By ROBYNE COOKE Staff Writer

She asks a question and the entire classroom answers simultaneously in sign language. The room is completely quiet as the children wait for her next math question.

Alouise Ritter doesn't teach deaf or hearing-impaired students. She has an ordinary second-grade class at Yorktown Elementary School. The only difference between her class and any other second-grade class at the school is that she teaches all of her students sign language and a large part of the day is spent signing answers to questions.

Signing can easily be incorporated into math, English, spelling and almost all of the other subjects, she says. The students sign the answers to math questions and they sign their spelling words. ``I thought as long as we have the alphabet, we may as well use it.''

And Ritter has been using it for about five years.

While she explains the reasons for utilizing sign language in her class, the children start talking and fidgeting. She raises her hand, still explaining, and moves her fingers quickly. Within seconds, the children are again seated and quiet.

``It gives me control,'' Ritter says. Rather than raising her voice, she simply uses her hand to tell them to sit down and be silent.

If a child needs to go to the restroom, he can let her know right in the middle of the class. ``They can sign to me and give me clues without interrupting the class,'' she adds.

Ritter says sign language has a quieting effect on the children. If they are acting up or being particularly rambunctious, she asks them to practice their signing.

Finally, and probably most importantly, when she asks a question, everyone can answer by holding their hand up and signing the answer. This way, those who know the answer can show her proudly, and she can easily spot those who don't know the answer.

That some 30 children each year are leaving her classroom knowing how to fluently sign, makes it that much easier for hearing-impaired people to communicate. ``At my pool, there's a kid who can't hear. Now I could talk to him,'' says Adam Cheney, one of Ritter's students.

Another student, Nadia Hussaini, says simply, ``It's fun to spell.''

The kids are proud that they know how to sign, says Ritter, who took classes in signing. This is Ritter's third year teaching at Yorktown Elementary, but she has been a teacher since 1957.

Signing isn't the only unique way Ritter has of keeping her students interested in learning. For 10 years, Ritter has used a money program with her classes. For good behavior and handing in work on time, each student gets ``$1'' a day. The dollar is fake, of course, but the pride the students feel for ``earning'' their own money is not.

With the money they earn, they purchase supplies from a class store to make special projects such as candle holders, potholders and key racks. The students keep a ledger in which they keep records of their deposits, withdrawals and balances. They are encouraged to save all their receipts for items purchased in case they need to return them.

They can receive sick pay if they bring in a note from a parent as to why they were sick; they earn vacation pay during school holidays, but if they don't do their homework or if they misbehave, the students don't get paid. ``It teaches them the value of money and shows them the joy of earning their own. These kids do a super job,'' says Ritter.

Yet another way Ritter inspires imagination in her students is by being the captain of her ``ship.'' The classroom is set up like a ship, with the stern, bow, starboard, keel and port all labeled with carefully printed cards. There's a captain's wheel at the front of the room and a picture of an old sea captain hanging on another wall.

``He comes to life ... we have proof,'' says Ritter seriously.

The captain supposedly awakens each night and moves the student's desks around. A former student supposedly caught him in the room and cut off some of the fluffy gray whiskers to prove it. The incriminating whiskers are now pasted in a book which tells the story of the old sea captain.

Ritter even wears a nautical outfit complete with anchor earrings. She's never really been on a ship, she says, but she became fascinated with them after she taught fifth-grade classes the story of the Mayflower.

Students are ranked and each rank comes with duties. They keep their title and its accompanying duties for one month. ``Everyone is so helpful to me,'' says Ritter, who is a Seaford resident.

There's a chief mate, second mate, third mate, boatswain, yeoman, signalman and steward. They perform tasks such as passing out papers, washing the blackboards, leading the Pledge of Allegiance and keeping attendance.

``I think this is just like the Lincoln boat,'' says student Kelly Mosher.

``I like the ship because my dad used to be on a ship,'' says Adam Cheney.

``It's fun to give out papers,'' says this months' yeoman, Nadia Hussaini.

Some of Ritter's techniques are being emulated by other teachers in the school, specifically using the sign language. She speaks softly and the kids seem eager to please her.

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