Jada Profit (26’) and Jordan Richardson (26’) learn new ASL signs everyday and go teach them to students in Mrs. Rust-Matters class during the beginning of second period. During that time, they also wash the towels for the kitchen and DECA.
Jordan and Jada love to go in to see their friends as well as help out with the laundry. The students also love to learn from them and are always waiting to see what new sign they have to say.
“So Jada and Jordan usually have a new sign language every single day, it’s either good morning, friends, happy, whatever day it is and Jordan usually says something on his iPad to greet us.” Said Jordan Cardona (29’).
The students love to see Jordan and Jada’s happy faces everyday and look forward to other things they get to learn together. They have been doing laundry for a couple of years but then just recently decided to start teaching them ASL.
“Jordan takes an ASL class, so his teacher wanted him to practice talking to other kids. One day we were like, let’s teach them a word, Jordan… Jada started joining, and she was really into it, and so we decided to kind of expand on that, and greet them in ASL, because Jordan uses his device to talk, we thought that’s another way to communicate. So Jada has been learning and then wanting to teach them, so it kind of just started with Jordan’s ASL class, and then it expanded into teaching them things, and we greet them every day, and the kids in there really love it, it’s really fun” Sara Carlson said.
This would not have started if it wasn’t for Sara Carlson, P, who began helping out with this. The classroom has been really impacted by Jada and Jordan because they have learned a lot from them.
“I’ve learned it’s really fun for everybody to be involved in one thing and have our class go along and get to do that because you can tell that it makes them super happy and just makes somebody’s day. It just really makes your day better.” Said Brooklynn White (27’).
Jada said that her favorite part in doing it is her friends, in particular, Aunna. Sara Carlson mentioned that it’s really cool to see the connections that they have made with students in the class.
“That’s been the best part about the whole thing. The connection they’re making, so now when they see the kids in the hallway or other places, they sign or they say hello to them, and it’s been a really neat thing for the kids in DECA and our kids as well. It’s awesome.” Said Carlson.
Overall, it is a blessing in disguise and it goes both ways. The kids get to learn new things everyday from them and Jada and Jordan get to show off what they have learned and meet new friends.
“I think my favorite part is when we talk back to them in ASL. They’re super proud when they do it and it’s really cool to see them when they’re showing us it and then we relay the message back to them and do the same thing.” Said White.
