Learning After Commencement
By MAGGIE JASTREMSKY '94
rowing up in the public school system, I found that learning meant following the system: obeying teachers, doing homework, studying for tests and getting good grades. I always did everything the teachers asked ( or most of it anyway ( with the ethereal 'A' in the back of my mind. When I arrived at Colorado College in the fall of 1988, I still had this mind-set.
I'm sorry to say that I continued in this rut for most of my college career, despite a two year break between my sophomore and junior year. When I returned in the fall of 1992, I was more ambitious than ever to be the best student possible, to read every text assigned, to do all my homework, and, as a reward for my hard work, receive that 'A.'
I don't believe that striving for an 'A' is bad. I just think it becomes a problem if it is the only goal. If this is the case, the student can be cheated out of too many experiences. I did learn a lot throughout my college career. However, if I went back now, I would do things differently. I would enroll in a physics class and study philosophy. I would take advantage of all the resources available: be involved with the ORC, attend more seminars, theater productions and concerts, visit Malachite, get outside and enjoy the mountains more.
I would view the college campus and surrounding area as my playground. I would play hard, take chances. I would be less afraid of failure or of getting a 'C.' I would know, even if a piece of paper did not show it, that I had grown and stretched myself in many ways. That is what counts the most, or should anyway. As I have mentioned, I unfortunately spent most of my college career focused on the final grade. What changed it for me was the Watson Fellowship.
Imagine getting $15,000 to study something of your choice anywhere outside the United States for a year. The only person who oversees the course work is you. Quarterly reports are required but, at the end of the year, no grades are assigned. That, in a nutshell, is a Watson, given by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation.
The topic I chose to study was deaf culture in the majority hearing culture of Spain. My interest in this topic arose because I am the hearing daughter of two deaf parents. At CC, I wrote my senior thesis on the roles and implications of American Sign Language in American deaf history, in deaf and hearing interactions, and in our increasingly technological society.
Because of the fellowship, not only did I learn about deaf society in Spain (and in England, Sweden, France and Denmark), I learned quite a bit about myself. I discovered what it really means to learn.
In Spain, I visited deaf organizations, schools and clubs. I learned Spanish Sign Language (LSE), eventually becoming more fluent in LSE than Castilian because of my strong background in sign language. I spent seven months in Spain, traveling to Granada, Barcelona, Madrid and other cities. I found the deaf community, on a whole, to be socially strong but politically weak. Deaf people's rights are not fully recognized nor supported by the government. In the educational sphere, deaf people are still underserved. Many deaf children are mainstreamed into schools that do not have adequate resources to support their needs. Overall, I found that Spain lacked a general awareness and a support system for deaf needs. However, the people are great-spirited, warm-hearted, and persistent. I have no doubt that the Spanish deaf community will continue to make progress and increase support of deaf issues ( especially if it is up to most of the people I met.
I decided to travel to other European countries to gain a different perspective on Spain. In England, the deaf schools I visited had teaching methods that ranged from bilingual to oralism. In Sweden, where schools are very committed to offering a bilingual education for all deaf and some hard-of-hearing children, signing instruction begins in preschool classes. The Swedes build a strong foundation early so deaf children can learn a second language sooner. In Denmark, I was thoroughly impressed with the Deaf Center of Total Communication. The center employs both hearing and deaf staff who work together to research, teach and distribute information. Because of its research component, the center constantly adapts and meets the changing needs of its community. If I ever start an organization for deaf people, I would use this one in Copenhagen as my model.
France was a relatively short experience but a place where I gained lasting impressions. Although the educational situation for deaf children is not generally as positive as it was 10 years ago, there still are schools throughout the country that continue to offer a bilingual education, despite dwindling funding. I learned that when deaf adults, teachers of the deaf, and parents of deaf children work together, change can occur, goals can be realized. However, if one of the legs of this triangle is missing, the platform is considerably weakened and can fall apart.
I ended my year at the XII Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf in Vienna, Austria. There, I saw many of the people I had previously met in Spain, England, Sweden and France. It truly was an amazing experience to be with deaf and hearing people from all over the world ( people united in their support of improving the quality of deaf lives.
As a hearing child of deaf parents, I have grown up learning about both sides of an issue ( the deaf perspective and the hearing perspective. Sometimes, I wished I was deaf or fully hearing because I could see the benefits of being one or the other but not both. It took time to accept that I am both and that there are positive benefits.
During my Watson year, I learned that learning is about expanding horizons, taking risks, facing challenges and, most importantly, setting your agenda. It's also about believing that if you truly have the desire and confidence, you can learn and do just about anything. I didn't realize this right away. It took four months after arriving in Spain before I realized the freedom and beauty of the Watson gift.
In the future, I'll continue my research, perhaps in Latin America; develop and implement a bilingual program for deaf children in the states; teach sign language to both deaf and hearing students; and become a counselor for hearing children and adult children of deaf parents. Currently, I am working as a sign language interpreter for deaf students. In the spring, I probably will begin interpreting a university physics, math or computer class, or possibly all three.
Learning is definitely an ongoing process. It seems that if you miss one opportunity, there will always be more.
Maggie Jastremsky graduated magna cum laude with departmental honors in sociology. She currently lives in Boise, Idaho. She was one of 60 recipients from 42 colleges chosen from among 200 nominees for the prestigious Watson fellowship in 1995. There has been at least one winner at Colorado College every year but one since 1971.