Signing gives Darcy new take on teaching

Darcy Wilson's working world is about teaching and providing a superb education for her students.

She wants nothing but the very best for her junior pupils at Tawhero School and goes the extra mile to get it.

This year she has a hearing-impaired student and also a registered teacher of the deaf in her class.

She's been learning sign language from the teacher and so have the children in the class.

Mrs Wilson has also been going to an evening sign language class once a week.

Now she has decided to really conquer the language of signing, which she calls our third national language after English and Maori, and study sign language full-time next year.

She will be studying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching [Deaf and Hearing Impaired].

It means she will be working full time teaching during the day at Tawhero and studying for her specialist graduate course at night.

"It will be amazing, and no, there won't be a lot of spare time but I will love it."

Signing has shown her how to look at teaching from a whole new perspective, she said.

"It shows how seeing other things other than talking can be really helpful, like learning to read body language.

"I sign to my class phrases like 'it's time for lunch', or 'you can go outside and play' and the kids respond so well. They all stop what they're doing and watch carefully and understand, it's great."

Once she becomes qualified as a teacher with sign language, Mrs Wilson is keen to see where it could take her.

"I would really like to incorporate it in with my teaching skills. I am excited by it ... it could lead along a whole new teaching path."