Wednesday, December 12, 2018
By Brian Foley, Web Content Specialist
Every Monday evening for an hour, it is completely silent inside the library at the Parkside School for the Arts. The silence is not because the school day is over; in fact, there is still plenty of education rattling around the Parkside halls. No, it is because in Anthony Bryant’s weekly sign language class, the first step of every session is to promptly “turn off” one’s voice at 6 p.m.
Bryant – who is hearing-impaired – graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with an education degree focused on American Sign Language studies. He now works as a paraprofessional educator with students in kindergarten through second grade at the Milwaukee Sign Language School during the day. He has instructed Milwaukee Recreation sign language classes for two years; his current class focuses on finger spelling, vocabulary, non-verbal expressive skills, and sentence structure for adult beginners.
It’s rare for 16 adults in the same room to go an hour without speaking, but once Bryant signals to each class member to switch off their voice dial, he flips on his slideshow and the session is underway. From there, though, things get much more lighthearted. The instructor’s affable personality clearly comes through by way of his glowing smile, friendly signs, and desire to make his students laugh. With each new word and phrase, Bryant will point at the expression on the board – such as “how are you?” – and then perform the appropriate sign, often with some extra flair. His students will then follow suit, repeating the sign together as a class. Once Bryant has also signed several possible replies to the original phrase, he bounces around the room from person to person, signing the question until they individually sign their response.
“The ability to use sign language is important to be able to communicate with those who have a hearing impairment. I'm so impressed with Anthony as an instructor and his ability to connect with students,” Milwaukee Recreation supervisor Joel Symons said.
As with every great coach or teacher, Bryant emphasizes fun in the classroom and the importance of repetition in sign language. “Practice, practice, practice,” Bryant said over email. “Practice with your friends, family members, classmates, and deaf friends… That way, [you] can be prepared and comfortable [when you] meet deaf and hard-of-hearing people later in life.”
According to Bryant, the best ways to improve one’s sign language skills are to use facial expressions, meet deaf and hard of hearing individuals at community events, sign in front of people, and practice the finger spelling of names, street signs, and billboards during everyday life.
“I am doing this because I want to break down the language barrier between [the] deaf and hearing worlds. We can build the bridge by using sign language.”
Milwaukee Recreation is offering two more sign language classes this winter at the Milwaukee School of Language and Parkside School for the Arts. Registration is now open for City of Milwaukee residents, and will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 18 for non-residents.