Why My Hearing Child Attends Tucker-Maxon
by Barb Bryant, Tucker-Maxon parent

Although small class sizes allow an atmosphere that is both disciplined and kind, they don’t guarantee it. If there was only one thing about Tucker-Maxon that I could keep from changing, this would be it: the love that each of the staff has for the children and the respect that they insist that the children have for themselves and each other.

A child may make up for a lack in any academic subject in later life. I do not think that anything can replace a certain knowledge from childhood that you are competent, worthy of the kindness and interest of others, and capable of both empathy and self-control.

Nothing can replace the knowledge that you possess an inherent dignity that does not depend on either good behavior or the personal tastes of anyone else. I used to think it odd that all of the children at the school are referred to as each other’s “friends.” I no longer think so.

To a child, a friend is someone whose thoughts, feelings, and dignity matter. That describes every child at the school, whether or not anyone in particular happens to like them on any particular day.

This article is from the Fall 2006 issue of our newsletter, Now You're Talking. This issue focused on the role of children with typical hearing at Tucker-Maxon. Download a PDF copy>>

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