Children of a Lesser God

Yes, this is another review... and don't worry, there are more to come! Last night, we watched the 1986 drama, Children of a Lesser God, starring Marlee Matlin and William Hurt. And no, I'm not a really big Matlin fan, it just so happens that she is THE deaf actress to watch. And after this movie, I think I'm done with her for awhile (unless she's on Dancing with the Stars again). Since I was only 6 when the movie was made, this is the first time I've seen, or really even heard of it. But since I'm on "quest", I thought I'd check it out.

Here's the plot summary (from Wikipedia):

Matlin plays Sarah Norman, a deaf and troubled young woman working at a school for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in New England. An energetic new teacher, James Leeds played by William Hurt, arrives at the school and encourages her to set aside her isolated life of frustration by learning how to talk. As she already uses sign language, Sarah resists James's attempts to get her to talk. Romantic interest develops between James and Sarah and they are soon living together, though their differences and mutual stubbornness eventually strains their relationship to a breaking point, as he continues to want her to talk, and she feels somewhat stifled in his presence. Sarah leaves and goes back to her mother's house, in the process reconciling with her once estranged mother. However, she later returns to James, as both realize they need each other.

I thought it was pretty good... Lucas's daddy was bored about half-way through and went to bed. Maybe I was mostly interested in the signing - I wanted to see how much I could understand! I understood some, but not nearly enough. Matlin is a beautiful signer - very energetic and expressive, but VERY FAST! It kind of reminds me of when I'm teaching the alphabet to my German and Spanish students, and I spell words to them to see if they can write them down. They always complain that I go too fast, and then I ask them how they would spell their own names, for instance, and they go "oh..., I guess you're right". The film had an interesting way of interpreting the sign language - James Leed would just say aloud what Matlin and he were signing.

The other interesting part was the portrayal of the deaf school, and the speech class that James Leeds teaches. He reaches out to them in a way that hadn't been done before, and he teaches them to appreciate music by feeling the beat.

Matlin won the 1986 Academy Award for Best Actress. She is the youngest actress to have received the nod.

when Lucas can't or doesn't wear his processor...

There are times when Lucas CAN'T wear his processor:

1. bathing/swimming - water + CI = disaster
2. sleeping - not necessary, will fall right off and be uncomfortable

There are times when Lucas often DOESN'T wear his processor:

1. car - if I'm driving alone, he often pulls off his hat and the processor and uses it as a chew toy (no good)
2. highchair - as soon as he turns his head, it's off... I've been opting for the booster seat on a normal chair lately, because his head is above the back and the processor won't fall off
3. blanket time - you might be asking, what is blanket time? Well watch and see for yourself (there's no talking, just baby "grunting effort" noises):

Lucas loves blankets. If he sees one on the ground, he goes into a sprawl (a sprint crawl), and dives and rolls and rolls and rolls. If he eyes a blanket in his crib, he sprawls over to it and pulls it out from between the bars so he can play with it. During this activity, the processor falls off and I worry about the static that's being created anyway, so I often just remove it until he's done. We should just get rid of all his toys, and put blankets on the ground. They provide lots of entertainment for him. What will he do when it's summer and there are no more blankets everywhere? I'm sure he'll find something else... :)

deaf child crossing

Last week, I read the book deaf child crossing, by Marlee Matlin. The book is intended for children ages 8-12, so it's a quick, easy read. The book, although fictional, draws from the childhood experiences of Marlee Matlin - her dog Apples, her neighborhood friends, and her love of Billy Joel music, to which she would sign the words while listening to the beat.

Here's a description from the inside of the book jacket:

Cindy looked straight at Megan. Now she looked a little frustrated. "What's the matter? Are you deaf or something?" she yelled back. Megan screamed out, and then fell to the ground, laughing hysterically. "How did you know that?" she asked as she laughed. Megan is excited when Cindy moves into her neighborhood -- maybe she'll finally have a best friend. Sure enough, the two girls quickly become inseparable. Cindy even starts to learn sign language so they can communicate more easily. But when they go away to summer camp together, problems arise. Cindy feels left out because Megan is spending all of her time with Lizzie, another deaf girl; Megan resents that Cindy is always trying to help her, even when she doesn't need help. Before they can mend their differences, both girls have to learn what it means to be a friend. Deaf Child Crossing will strike a chord with anyone who has ever had, or wanted, a best friend.

Definitely worth the quick read, if you like that kind of thing. I think it would be really great for a child with a Deaf friend. Of course, deaf education has changed since Matlin was a child, especially with the invention of the cochlear implant. The book is not quite as relevant for deaf children who don't sign and have good hearing and speech with their CIs. But, I would say that maybe it would be good for them too, to see what it could/would be like without the access to sound that the CI affords them. I will definitely encourage Lucas to read the book (in 10 years, HAHA!).