In-Depth Post #2

So far with my mentor I have come up with a regular schedule for meetings to ensure that I am continuously working on the project and learning my skill. I have also learned more about the specific knowledge of my chosen mentor which decides what aspects of my skill I can learn from them. I know basic signs like greetings and introductions, which is a great basis for continuing on, as it is necessary vocabulary and is a good introduction to the language and how it works.

As I was arranging the first meeting with my mentor I asked when she was most available to work around her busy schedule. I respected that, and I politely asked if she could do it on an earlier date than the day she suggested because that would help me more. In this way we figured out a time and date that worked for the both of us without conflicting with our schedules.

Currently, there isn’t much to use the “How To Have A Beautiful Mind” content with in our interactions, but as we progress with the project there will be more opportunities to. As I start learning more about the deaf culture and what is considered rude or disrespectful when it comes to “speaking” the language, I will be able to express my opinions on this subject. I can ask questions as to why it might be that way and I can discuss what I think about it, taking into account the experience and thoughts, etc. of the deaf community. I will express my opinions about the topics using the Beautiful Mind habits and strategies.

To fully develop an opinion on the social “rules” of the language I need to understand the history and the reasons behind them, which includes the feelings of the deaf community that influenced the creation of those rules. I will explore all of this with mentor and try to understand the reasoning and if I disagree with something I will figure out why and express that in a reasonable, logical way to my mentor using the techniques discussed in the book.

Because my mentor isn’t completely fluent in the language if I know something that I think she didn’t necessarily get correct I can politely tell her that I am aware of something else, and find out if she has an explanation for why I have different information. Then if she does I can agree and say that I didn’t know that and it will be resolved.

In conclusion, I have confirmed a meeting schedule to keep me on track with the project and to eliminate unnecessary time spent on planning the next meeting. I have not yet been able to really use the skills explained in “How To Have A Beautiful Mind” in learning ASL with my mentor, but as I continue on to learning deaf culture and such I will try to incorporate them into developing my own thoughts on the social aspect of the language.