As some of you may know, Saint Louis High School acquired many staff changes over the summer. Some switched subjects while others moved to younger grades. American Sign Language gained a new teacher, Ms. Winright. She spoke out about the difficulties quarantine brought to the table. “The hardest part is not knowing where everyone’s skill level is due to the school closure in the Spring.”   

The struggles of sharing expressions, which is a huge part of ASL, also arose with masks covering half of the students’ faces. “It’s like teaching half of the language. Several signs look the same, but it’s the facial expressions and mouth movements that change the sign. For example, the signs ‘depressed’ and ‘naked’ have the same sign, the difference is in the face.”

“With this being a unique school year, not only would I like to see students build skills, but relationships as well.” Winright has certainly had her fair share of struggles when it comes to classroom environment changes and teaching barriers, but she’s managed to keep a positive front throughout all of it