On KJZZ's SOAPBOX, The Show turns over the mic to listeners. In the latest series, listeners tell their own true stories on the theme of Misbehaving.
Arizona storyteller Susan Lacke is an accomplished academic with fancy degrees. She also happens to be deaf. This is the story about the one college class that tripped her up.
SUSAN LACKE: In order to graduate college, students must to take at least one semester of a foreign language: French or Spanish or Chinese. That’s a problem for me. I’m deaf, and this accent should make it clear that I have enough trouble with the English language, much less Chinese.
But I had to do it. You see, when I lost my hearing at the age of 2, my parents had a problem with that. They didn’t want to learn sign language, they wanted a normal kid. So from the time I was 2 until the time I was 21, I spent hours each day learning to speak and lipread. This accent? It took a lot of work.
But I needed a college degree, so to fulfill the foreign language requirement, I saw one class that would work: American Sign Language. I laughed at the irony. I’m deaf! This is my language, these are my people. How hard could it be, really?
As it turns out, pretty hard. No matter how much I stared at the professor in class, all I could understand was the alphabet — A, B, C, D, E, F. I saw the letter F a lot on my tests, including the midterm, after which my professor suggested I get a tutor.
God bless Meghan, who met with me after class each week to practice sign language. She was patient and kind. I’d sign things like “I work in the office,” and she’d correct me saying, “No, no, no — this is work. What you signed was the f-word.”
Meghan and I practiced for weeks, and still all I could remember was the alphabet and the f-word. When we sat down next to each other to take the final exam, she wished me “good luck.” I had no idea what she said.
The teacher began the exam. She said “number one” and then signed a sentence. For each sign, we had to choose the translation from multiple-choice options on our test. By the time she hit “number two” I knew I was doomed. I was going to fail, and I would never graduate — all because I was a deaf girl who couldn’t sign.
I looked down and tried not to cry. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. It was Meghan’s hand under the desk, waving the letter “B.” The alphabet! I know the alphabet! It’s literally the only thing I know!
Did I cheat on my sign language exam? Yes. But I graduated college! Then I got my master's degree! And then my doctorate! And then I went to therapy, which is where I should have started!
I didn’t know it then, but I do know — the biggest gift you can give someone is meeting them where they are. Meghan helping me cheat on my sign language exam was the first time I ever felt seen. I mean, yeah, I wanted to graduate — but what I needed was for someone to say: “What if we stopped trying to make ‘normal’ happen? Because it’s clearly not happening here.”
So whatever “normal” you’ve tried and failed to achieve, please know that I see you, and I celebrate you. Because accepting what I’m not finally opened the door to be proud of who I am. Now, I own it — I’m a deaf girl who doesn’t sign.
Well, that’s not entirely true. I know how to sign the alphabet. Also, the f-word. As it turns out, that’s all I really need.
-
The threat of ICE entering schools is hurting students and pushing down enrollment, even in a district that projected growth. One Valley superintendent explains why some families didn’t come back this school year. Plus, how a Los Angeles transplant found his dream life in Bisbee. -
The threat of ICE entering schools is hurting students and pushing down enrollment, even in a district that projected growth. One Valley superintendent explains why some families didn’t come back this school year. Plus, how a Los Angeles transplant found his dream life in Bisbee.
-
On KJZZ's SOAPBOX, The Show turns over the mic to listeners. In the latest series, listeners tell their own true stories on the theme of Misbehaving. -
On KJZZ's SOAPBOX, The Show turns over the the mic to listeners. In the latest series, listeners tell their own true stories on the theme of Misbehaving. Phoenix storyteller and teacher Carly Davis explores the difference between being bad — and being authentic. -
On KJZZ's SOAPBOX, The Show turns over the the mic to listeners. In the latest series, listeners tell their own true stories on the theme of Misbehaving. Tempe writer, performer and storyteller Kim Porter has always been a stickler for rules. So when her high school best friend did nothing but break the rules — you can imagine what happened.
