by Gwen Cox, Signing Time Academy Director

As you may have heard, the Signing Time Academy has recently opened its doors and the virtual halls are buzzing with activity.  Each month I will focus on a special Instructor that has exemplified the essence of the Academy and its mission.

This month, however, I can’t just pick ONE! During the first few days after we launched this new network of certified instructors, there were a number of applicants that stood out among the rest because of their hard work and their “get it done” attitude. I nicknamed them The Dynamic Dozen.

This group has worked hard to help create an Academy that supports and motivates all who come through our “doors.”   There are obviously many more Instructors that have since come on that are an integral part of the structure of the Academy and are doing an amazing job.  You will hear about a new instructor each month!

And now, without further adieu, I’m pleased to introduce The Dynamic Dozen (plus one!):

Abbey Cook, Master Signing Time Instructor – Peoria, Illinois abbey@signingtimeacademy.com

Amanda Hudgins, Baby Signing Time Instructor – Surprise, Arizona amanda@signingtimeacademy.com

Brenda Jones, Master Signing Time Instructor – Corona, California brendajones@signingtimeacademy.com

Cathy Ybarra, Advanced Signing Time Instructor – Henderson, Nevada cybarra@signingtimeacademy.com

Christine Fitzgerald, Advanced Signing Time Instructor – Burbank, California cfitzgerald@signingtimeacademy.com

Dana Iungerich, Advanced Signing Time Instructor – Frisco, Texas dana@signingtimeacademy.com

Franci Agajanian, Advanced Signing Time Instructor  - Hermosa Beach, California teacherfranci@signingtimeacademy.com

Hedi Bright, Baby Signing Time Instructor – Laconia, New Hampshire

hedi@signingtimeacademy.com

Jen Norton, Master Signing Time Instructor  - Peterborough, Ontario jnorton@signingtimeacademy.com

Jennifer Turnbull, Master Signing Time Instructor – Knox, Maine jennifer@signingtimeacademy.com

Jessica McLaren, Baby Signing Time Instructor – Twenty-Nine Palms, California jmclaren@signingtimeacademy.com

Ronai Brumett, Master Signing Time Instructor – Maple Grove, Minnesota ronai@signingtimeacademy.com

Sue Rouillard, Advanced Signing Time Instructor – Whitefield, New Hampshire sueroulillard@signingtimeacademy.com

I hope you will take some time today and contact them about classes that they are offering in your area.  You can view all Certified Instructors here. Click on your state or Province to see if there is one near you. We have over 100 instructors either certified or in the process of becoming certified, so be sure to check back frequently.

If YOU want to become a part of the Academy, you can find out more at www.signingtimeacademy.com.  This could be an opportunity for you in 2010, to start your own business, reaching out to families in your community and provide them with the educational tools that help them to learn to sign with their children. We are a very diverse institution with men and women from all parts of the world interested in teaching parents how to use the Signing Time materials to enhance their lives through early communication.  We invite you to join us!

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*Next month read about THE DREAM TEAM.  These individuals have been instrumental in using their creative abilities to help other Instructors make the teaching experience a memorable one!

Hello!  We are a Signing Time Family!  I want to thank you for creating Signing Time.   The bond we have developed with our daughter Cambrelyn is amazing. At the end of October, she will turn two, and she will be receiving more Signing Time DVDs!

I was diagnosed with Acute Mylogenous Leukemia (a horrible blood cancer) when Cambrelyn was 9 months old.  Between August 2008 and March 2009 I was either in the hospital or at home in bed. Watching Signing Time was just about the only thing I had the strength do to with her. Family members did everything for both of us and we needed a lot of help because I was so sick.

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By Lynnette Stevens,  Coordinator III, Vegas PBS

The Educational Media Services Department at Vegas PBS in Las Vegas, Nevada is utilizing Signing Time in many interesting and innovative ways which includes broadcast, video streaming, curriculum integration and community outreach events.  As a licensee of the Clark County School District, Vegas PBS provides Educational Media Services to the fifth largest school district in the nation. Signing Time is broadcast to over 350 schools on a 6 channel closed-circuit broadcast system throughout the year.  The program is aired during and after school hours to accommodate classroom teachers as well as after school programs.

A CCSD speech therapist writes, “One hard-of-hearing student with autism really enjoys the program. His only means of communication is ASL. Signing Time helped to enable the staff to learn to communicate with him.” A first grade teacher shares, “Signing Time provides another means by which my students learn new vocabulary words, teaching them how to communicate with others in the community.  The broadcast of the program provides an activity that the students engage in with enthusiasm.”

Vegas PBS also provides all teachers and students access to a computer-based Video Streaming Service which houses over 60,000 educational media clips. With over 1.7 million downloads in the past 6 years, video streaming has fast become their most popular service. Signing Time will soon be made available via this medium, offering teachers more convenient access to the program.

The Ready to Learn Department of Vegas PBS incorporates Signing Time into its literacy-based workshops designed to foster parent/child interaction. Over 400 workshops are conducted annually in Title I Tot and Pre-K classrooms. Additionally, the Ready to Learn Department has hosted local Signing Time events over the past three years in partnership with the Las Vegas Clark County Library District. The event represents a perfect collaboration of children’s programming that promotes interactive tv-viewing , outreach and innovative ways to reach a greater viewing/doing audience.

Signing Time Valentines Day Card

Each year in February my girls ask for Signing Time Valentine Cards to pass out to their friends. I am excited to announce that this year they will actually have them. Keep your eyes out for our February Newsletter where we will have a free printable Valentines Day Cards available for download. You can print them on card stock or take them to your local copy shop and have them do the work.

Each sheet includes 6 cards with Rachel, Alex, Leah and/or Hopkins. My favorite features Hopkins as Cupid. I hope you will have fun sharing Signing Time Valentines with your friends and family.

If you don’t receive the Signing Time monthly Newsletter, be sure to sign up now so you don’t miss the free download of our Signing Time Valentine Cards.

Rachel on the cover of Wasatch Woman Magazine

Rachel Coleman wins Wasatch Woman of the Year, thanks to a nomination by Tammy T. of South Jordan, UT. Thank you, Tammy for spreading the word about Signing Time. Visit our forums to share with us what you are doing to spread the word about Signing Time!

Tammy has been a part of the Signing Time Community since 2002 when her husband first heard about learning sign language through Signing Time on KSL Radio. They purchased Signing Time on VHS for their niece and their own children. She was one of the original members of the yahoo group which later became the Signing Time forums. Tammy has done several things to share Signing Time with her community including donating copies to Primary Children’s Hospital and local families. She has also nominated Rachel Coleman, Emilie Brown, and Signing Time for many awards and recognitions.

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