Teacher Certification...

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
May 29, 2002

Angus wrote:
>>  http://www.brainbench.com....
I got several certificates from them when the tests were free, but
then they started charging, and they set the certifications to
expire. The fees and expirations may be negotiable, however. I think
it would be hard to have one certification for SignWriting in all
languages, though.  It might be better to have certifications in ASL
SignWriting, DGS SignWriting, etc.


-------------------

Thank you, Angus, for this excellent message. I visited the web site
you mention above. It makes me feel even stronger, that it is
important that SignWriting remains free for everyone to use...

The reason the web site you mention has to charge money for
certification, is that it is a great deal of work from the
administrative point of view. It takes a staff of people to
administer a "teacher certification program", because a true
certificate program coordinates with schools to make sure their
program is equal to what a school requires, plus the participants
have to come back to renew or update their certificates on a regular
basis. So it is not a small job to correct all the exams, etc.

 From 1975-1981 I certified 80 DanceWriting teachers. It was a full
time job. And I had three other DanceWriting teachers helping me
administer the renewal exams. Then my life changed enormously. I now
work alone out of my house, with no secretary. Deaf people and
computer programmers who work with me now are not employees at
all...they are occasional, part time consultants. So I don't have the
staff to administer a certification program.

Meanwhile, reading and writing Sign Languages all over the world must
be free to use, or the writing system will not be free to evolve
properly.

And you are right, Angus....If people study with me, I cannot specify
SignWriting to their specific Sign Language. I can only teach the
symbols in general, with no application to a Sign Language...

So I think teacher certification in each country would be wonderful,
and far better. If others are interested, we could work together to
try to establish such programs around the world...
--

Val ;-)


___________________________

Valerie Sutton
Sutton at SignWriting.org

.....visit the...

SignWritingSite
http://www.SignWriting.org
Read & Write Sign Languages

SignBankSite
http://www.SignBank.org
Sign Language Dictionaries

DanceWritingSite
http://www.DanceWriting.org
Read & Write Dance

MovementWritingSite
http://www.MovementWriting.org
Read & Write Movement & Gesture

Deaf Action Committee for SignWriting
Center For Sutton Movement Writing
an educational nonprofit organization
Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038-0517, USA
tel: 858-456-0098....fax: 858-456-0020
..