Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teens
Record Life Turning Points
In Gallaudet’s National Essay Contest

Congratulations to all winners and participants in this year’s Gallaudet National Essay contest. This year’s theme was “A Life Turning Point.” We received more variety among the essays related to this topic than ever before. There were 110 entries on many issues from teens in 35 states.

“Turning points are the bone structure of time,” wrote Aaron Gaalema, from the Indiana School for the Deaf. “They branch out…in every complex detail, from mayhem to chaos to peace and love.” Then Gaalema speculated on two major turning points. From religious history, he picked the moment Eve bit into the apple. From political history, he picked the moment Julius Caesar decided to return to Rome to battle for leadership.

Most entrants wrote about turning points closer to home. Some wrote about problems within their families. Two entrants were asked to leave their families and one driven to a shelter by a stepparent. One wrote about convincing her father to stop smoking, and another wrote about his father’s suicide.

Others faced adversity—diseases, a rare genetic syndrome, a family home that burned down, the death of a family member or close friend. Many also wrote about struggling and achieving success in school. Stephanie Buttner, from Charlottesville, Virginia, had to work extra hard to learn to read. But she did learn and she was triumphant. “I finally got to ‘see Spot run,’” she wrote.

A few students considered multiple turning points in their lives. For example, Christopher Horner, from Brighton High, in Brighton, Colorado, considered being adopted from Chile as a baby and playing hockey as a teen two major turning points in his life.

Several teens wrote about success participating on sports teams. “Pain is temporary, pride is forever,” wrote Jason Ricci, from Scranton State School for the Deaf, in Pennsylvania, quoting something he read that helped him turn around his performance. Several teens wrote about success with hearing aids and cochlear implants. “I did not relish the idea of wearing hearing aids,” wrote Kate Chapman, from Haywood High, in Brownsville, Tennessee, “but the aids allow me to hear sounds that I never knew existed…the decision to wear hearing aids has been one of the best decisions of my life.”

Perhaps the majority of teens wrote about the turning point that occurred when they came to terms with being deaf or hard of hearing. This was part of their struggle for a positive identity and it was sometimes aided by a change in a school program. “I was treated badly in my elementary school,” wrote Nicole Dorman, who transferred to Newton North High School, in Newton, Massachusetts, with its large deaf program. “They were horrible to me, but I expected it and that is what made me feel safe…I had very low self-esteem…I am very grateful for the transition…I found myself through the Deaf community.”

Monica Rae Spangler, from Cabel Midland High School, in Ona, West Virginia, also wrote about her discovery of the deaf community. Spangler’s discovery occurred when she visited Gallaudet University, even though she wrote that she went to the university only at the insistence of her mother and against her own wishes. “I will never forget the moment I stepped into the cafeteria and saw all the people signing,” she said. “I knew at that moment that I wanted to be there and that I belonged there.”

Jason Begue, from Timken Senior High, in Canton, Ohio, wrote about how he tried to hide his hearing loss, smiling and nodding when he didn’t understand people talking to him. He even pretended to hear on the phone. Playing “a game of lies” led him to feel like the black sheep in his family. His teacher helped him, Begue wrote, and he eventually “found [his] place in the Deaf world.” Regina Beaulaurier, from Vancouver, Washington, expressed her affiliation with the Deaf community even more strongly. “Anywhere but Hear,” she titled her essay.

In some cases, students wrote about joining the hearing world. Tabitha Jacques, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, wrote about putting the “glory of being deaf” on hold in order to further her education at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts. Adam Enterkin, from Sedgwick High School, in Sedgwick, Kansas, wrote about wanting to participate in both hearing and deaf communities. “When I meet people that are deaf or hard of hearing like me, it changes my outlook on life,” he wrote. “I don’t feel different.”

Andrew Paluch, from Northeast Catholic High, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, wrote about his biology teacher. “His words still echo in my mind,” wrote Paluch. “‘Perseverance and patience are the things that light the fire of a dream.’”

Other topics surfaced, too—a solo airplane flight, acceptance of Christianity, a switch from clarinet to alto sax, and MMR shots given soon after birth.

We are proud to print the work of all of the place winners and some commendable award winners in World Around You.All articles have been edited for publication.

Thanks to Our Contest Judges

Our judges were Jane Nickerson, Karen Kimmel, and Nancy Kensicki, professors of English at Gallaudet University. Dr. Nickerson and Dr. Kimmel are also writers for the World Around You- Teacher’s Guide.

About the Cover

Heather Lightfoot, who has provided illustrations for World Around You throughout the school year, illustrates the concept “Turning Point” for our contest entries. [ full-sized image 70kb ]