Students find sign language a way to express themselves

Montgomery sixth-graders enthusiastic about after-school club

By: Kara Fitzpatrick
   MONTGOMERY — Is it possible for a handful of sixth-graders to be together in a room and not open their mouths?
   In Room D-7 it is — if you’re there after school for special education teacher Alison Pankowski’s sign-language club.
   About 10 Montgomery Middle School students participated in the club during its first year, spending 10 weeks learning the basics of sign language through games, movies, stories and simple observance.
   Ms. Pankowski, who is fluent (yes, that is the correct terminology, she assures) in sign language, said she began the club for MMS students "just to open their world, to be able to communicate with others."
   So far, it seems to be working.
   The students, both male and female, have their own reasons for joining the club.
   Brandon Smith said he joined "to learn a new language." And his classmate, Jenna Abbot, said she wanted to be a part of the group "so if you see a deaf person, you can sign to them."
   But overall, this group of youngsters will tell you — if not by way of mouth or hand, through their smiles — that learning sign language is fun.
   Brandon recalls one club meeting when the students had to sign, "Can I please have a cookie and some juice?" and when done successfully, well, they were rewarded with just what they had asked for.
   But asking for a snack isn’t all these students can say without using their voices. On a recent Tuesday afternoon, an eager group of students, fresh out of a full day of school, showed off their best signing techniques.
   "How many people are in your family?" signs sixth-grader Olivia Austin by moving her hands in a complex circular motion — in a way that only those who know the special language can translate.
   Ryan Smith, patting his lower leg (sign for dog), demonstrates how to sign one of the oldest homework excuses in the book. "My dog ate it," he said with a smile.
   Ms. Pankowski, who has been teaching at the middle school for four years, spent the earlier years of her career educating deaf students using sign language consistently throughout the day, she said.
   "I enjoy sign language," she said. And the club "is also a way for me to practice my skills."
   The teacher said students at this age are good candidates for learning a skill like sign language.
   "This is the age when you want to expose them to lots of different things," she said, adding that you never know what extracurricular activity could materialize into something larger.
   Even if the students aren’t corresponding with deaf people, they seem to be making an effort to practice their newfound skills — sometimes without expectation of a response.
   Ryan, who is Brandon’s twin brother, said they "taught our sister and some to our mom, and a little bit to our bird," admitting that the bird was the least cognitive of the three.
   And Aladjuan Jones said he has spoken to his mother in sign language. "I told her I was hungry," he said, laughing.
   Although, students say, sign language is a tricky task right off the bat, "Once you catch on, it’s easy — you just have to get the gist of it first," sixth-grader Katie Restuccia said.
   It can even serve as secret code.
   "It’s fun to talk (with sign language) outside of school to other people, because they have no idea what I’m saying," said Katie.
   These signing students know how to mind their manners, too. They ended the after-school session by filing out of the room while brushing their fingers on their chins — the proper gesture for "thank you."