Sign language class

Last week, I started taking a Buenos Aires sign language class.  I specify that it's Buenos Aires sign language because different countries have different sign languages and actually Argentina has several different sign languages within different regions.  There are about 20 to 30 people in my class.  On the first day, one of my professors (there are three in the class) asked if anyone was a parent of a deaf child.  No one raised their hand.  There are two students in the class who have a family member that is deaf (one is a sister and the other is a cousin) but there aren't any parents of someone who is deaf in the class.  The teacher said this is because a lot of parents don't want to associate their child with a disability.  

Being deaf is a physical disability not a mental disability.  I think a lot of times people associate being deaf as a mental illness when in reality they are just as capable in any task and their mind is as clear as any one of the rest of us.  I think that it is really sad to know that a lot of times deaf people are separated from other people because of their disability and others are afraid to associate themselves with deaf people.   I have learned a lot from my deaf students.  Sign language is their first language and then after that they learn Spanish, so learning English is a third language for them.  Sometimes it is really difficult for them to learn a third language, I know that for me learning a second language is tough, but they catch on to the material very quickly.  They really are very capable of learning a new language (in their case a third language).  It is very impressive to see.  I love teaching them and am actually thinking about specializing in teaching English to students with disabilities. 

I should probably talk a little bit more about my sign language class here.  We have three teachers; a professor, a deaf teacher (who shows us the signs that we are learning for the day so that we know the movements), and an interpreter.  They are all very nice.  The class is once a week on Saturday morning from 9-1.  It's a 4 hour class which is tiring but I am really enjoying it.  I would love to take the second level class but it starts in April and I am supposed to go home at the end of April.  Maybe I can stay longer in Buenos Aires?  

I am also thinking about getting my TESOL certificate while I'm here.  There is a language institute a block away from my apartment.  I could get my TESOL certificate in three months, so that I could volunteer and take sign language class at the same time.  I am very excited about my options right now and am just waiting now to see how they unfold.