In the Refiner’s Fire: Darts

Adam: Our dart board gets used most when male visitors come! And a few Sunday’s back was no exception when two deaf students, Amos and Isaac came to have supper with us. The game fascinated them and their experimental powerful, throwing techniques were funny to watch.

   However, what struck me even more forcefully was the difficulty they had in calculating their scores. What I’d experienced with Aisha our trainee tailor instructor earlier this year was  highlighted again. We need more effective ways of teaching deaf people numeracy.

   Numeracy skills are  key to the counting, estimating, accounting, budgeting, comparing and forecasting of not just money but quantities and time. I can see they also affect what impact deaf vocational trainees gain  from the courses we support and their future career progression. So, I feel we can no longer ignore this funda-mental issue, just as our guests can’t ignore the rules of how darts scoring works, if we want to make a real and lasting impact. Initially the thought that we need to refocus our efforts onto more effective ways of teaching deaf numeracy skills, made me wince - now I know we just must.

    

I started to demonstrate some techniques they had not been shown before. Eruba primary staff have said more effective tech-niques would also benefit their hearing students as well. I am starting to contact other co-workers locally involved in training maths teachers and with a passion for primary teaching.  

    

Helen’s Story Time programme that seeks to address literacy challenges also seems to have been motivated by her conviction of  the far-reaching impact that programme could have. Back a step to then go forward again more effectively! That is what our inclusive community development proposal asserts.

     

We also learnt that a cultural exchange visit we were helping to arrange to the UK for a local deaf instructor in July was not possible. Opportunities are like beauty are in the eyes of the beholder. In the eyes of others they can be seen differently. Again, the Lord showed us all there are  more important issues to be worked through first. Thanks LORD.