Disappointed by Gazette’s Clarke schools coverage
I am disappointed in the Gazette’s reporting on Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech. There is a strong bias against the school using student experiences from many decades ago. I do not want to undermine the experiences of those quoted in the interviews. They clearly bear scars of the corporal punishment that was unfortunately widely practiced in many educational settings at the time. I hope they find healing in their lives.
I am disappointed a Gazette reporter exploited their stories to introduce a biased account of the complicated relationship between educational models available to hearing impaired students. I was disappointed further when it was again reinforced in an opinion piece by the editorial board.
The reported experience at Clarke was a stark contrast to my experience. I called Clarke campus my home from birth to my early 20s, living in the dorms and on campus with my parents who worked in various capacities covering a greater than 40-year period in Clarke’s history. The positive educational community fostered on the campus was a formative part of my childhood. I greatly value having an opportunity to grow up among Clarke students.
There are two things essential to the conversation of the education of children who are hearing impaired that were notably and shamefully absent.
First, interviewing a single parent of a child who currently receives support from Clarke is insufficient representation. Where were the accounts of students who benefited from their experiences at Clarke? Where were the accounts of the educators who passionately dedicated their careers to these students?
Second, where was the discussion of the science of language development and the role that plays in language acquisition throughout life?
I am saddened by this coverage. I am sad for the former students whose long held wounds are brought to light in a format that will not bring resolution or healing. I am saddened by the general negative impression this sheds on the entirety of Clarke’s history and community and that this coverage may cause families to not consider Clarke for services and education that could benefit their children and family.
Caitlyn Butler
Northampton