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Sign Language

Harriet Murray —

The New Zealand Sign Language class ran weekly on a Monday afternoon and saw a small group of girls, made up by all year levels, excel in learning New Zealand's third official language.

 Our tutor built an inclusive classroom that allowed us to develop in basic sign conversation as well as build a understanding of deaf culture. The girls started off the year with counting, finger spelling and key commands, yet bloomed by the second semester as we dove into everyday vocabulary and question asking. The group was busy with conversation and never had a dull moment. Our small classroom in the corner of the CGHS library became a haven for learning and most sessions would end in the girls filling the library with laughter as each of us fumbled through the signs. By using a mixture of class-learnt signs and applying resources such as ‘learn NZSL’ each girl became competent in holding conversation. It was a absolute joy to see the girls eagerness to connect with others.