I see signs
Sometimes there is so much noise I cannot hear words. Or sometimes
people are too far away for their voices to reach me. But they make
signs with their arms and hands and I know what the signs mean.
In downtown traffic a policeman holds up his hand. That means our car
must stop.
In the baseball park the umpire makes a sign with his thumb and fist.
This tells me that a player is out.
At a concert the band leader raises his baton high, and I know the
musicians are ready to play.
Some actions say things almost better than words can.
I saw soldiers salute when the flag passed by. I knew what the salute
meant.
I clapped hard when a magician came to our school and did tricks for us.
The magician bowed. That meant, “Thank you.”
Sometimes just the looks on peoples’ faces tell me something I need to
know.
Yesterday when my friends and I went running through our living room, I
saw Dad put down his newspaper. He wrinkled his forehead and pressed his
lips together. I knew what that meant—Dad was cross. We quieted down.
Then he smiled.
I can hear, but sometimes I use my eyes to “listen.” Deaf people always
“listen” with their eyes. They learn to use their hands and fingers to
make signs that spell words. They “speak” with their hands and see what
others say.
