Who am I?

My name is Lauren Fowlkes. I am currently the Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for Avery County Schools in the mountains of NC. I have three students (all boys) in 2nd and 5th grade. People often think I am talking about my personal children when I talk about my students because we have great relationships that most teacher's don't get to experience. I am starting my third year with these kids...let's just say I will be sad when they graduate high school (I will have been with my oldest kids for 1o years by then). Not only do I have relationships with the kids but also with their families whom I talk to almost daily. I have very close connections to Deaf Education, mainly due to my own experience going through a public school system as a deaf child. It was not easy for me and I understand the struggles that my students face. My students also appreciate that I can relate to them in having to deal with changing batteries, and technology failures related to our hearing devices, etc. They are not afraid to tell me they can't hear, as I do to them when I can't hear them.

I have been married to my husband Kevin for two years now and we currently reside in Marion, NC. We are looking forward to starting a family after I finish my master's program. In my free time...that doesn't really exist at the moment I love to play my tuba. I have a minor in music and studied tuba for several years under some great tubists. This is definitely my favorite past time. I also love to read. I have read 6 books this summer, and I have one more that I want to read before school starts back in three weeks.

I am completing my master's program in Reading at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. I plan to graduate in May 2010. I decided to pursue a master's in reading because of the experiences that are typical for Deaf students. Traditionally deaf students graduate high school reading at a 4th grade level....why? No one seems to know. I am determined to figure this out and help as many Deaf children as I can achieve beyond this level and be able to read.

After completing my masters degree I plan to continue my education. Right now I am in limbo with what I want to study. I am debating going back and getting my PhD in Deaf Education and continuing to develop my knowledge base there. However lately I have been thinking about going on to UNC Chapel Hill and getting my AuD in Audiology due to my interest in cochlear implants. Since being implanted I have developed an interest in the technology behind implants and how they affect children and the reading process. Sounds are not the same as they are with regular hearing and for a child that has never heard normally...I am curious how this translates into their reading skills. Most of this interest has been developed through my students and noticing the things they do and don't understand in regards to sound.

As technology is a large focus within this class I will address my comfort and experience with technology. When working with technology related to hearing loss such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, soundfield systems, personal FM systems, and TTYs I am more than comfortable. I deal with these aspects of technology on a daily basis so they are second nature to me. Computers are also not a stranger to me. I can usually locate and solve most computer problems thanks to my husband. I am comfortable with various programs that can be used both within a classroom and personally. I am comfortable navigating all of the social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, etc. I am comfortable with programs such as Microsoft Office (all parts), creating web pages, blogs, web quests, photostory. One of my favorite programs I have come across recently is Animoto. I used this program at the end of the year with my students and a project they completed on their favorite animals. After they completed the research, and created their pinatas they had to create a video that documented the process. My students loved completing this project and creating the video to take home and share with their families.