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Victoria

Victoria is writing to us now and then to tell us about her school. She just started at a residential school for the deaf this year. Contact us if you want us to respond to Victoria or ask her questions.

October 13, 2002

Enjoying School and Living in a Dorm

painting of a flower

About the artwork

I am 15 years old. I’m a freshman from Model Secondary School for the Deaf. I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I love MSSD. It’s a lot opportunity to do in there. If you’re a MSSD’s new student, you’d learn about a lot stuff 24/7 like everybody. I learned a lot from my friends about other states, their different personals, their different experiences, their different cultures and many things including education too. I met friends and they are from Hawaii, California, Alaska, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Vermont and many more states than you can imagine. I think there are students from other countries. I am not sure if they are still MSSD’s students, but isn’t it cool? MSSD for teaching kids how to be independence like college kids. There are a lot challenges with intelligent kids sit next to you in classes if u are MSSD’s student.

It’s difficult to be independence for a while or longer than that. When I didn’t live in dorm, my mom used to clean my clothes and uniforms. My mom used cook best foods I ever have. I see my family and my pets everyday. When I live in dorm, I have to pay and clearn my uniforms and clothes everynight. My school’s foods are not good enough and I order a lot. I can’t see my family and my pets for a while. I miss my bed. But I love MSSD because I learned a lot stuff and I am still learning.

Making Friends and Having Many Opportunities
It’s big school and many, many kids. There is no popular, no geek and no jocks. They are all mixed up but it’s depend on how intelligent they are. There are some negative about MSSD but it’s happens in all schools too anyway. MSSD is very strict school, they are not accept hazing kids. They are like watchful like eagle’s eyes and make sure everybody are OK and do their schoolwork and homework.

MSSD keep in touch with parents a lot. MSSD send all parents and (Gallaudet University I think) “MSSD’s newspaper from students” every week. Students write letters, poet, jokes, news an danything they want to say and it’s on “MSSD’s newspaper.” I think it’s pretty cool and it’d make parents proud of their kids if kids wrote but students don’t have to do that. A lot kids wrote so far. MSSD students have to join after school programs like sports, art class and clubs and keep students busy. Students have to control their times so they’d do homework and they’d not sleep late.

My middle school name is Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. MSSD and PSD are very different! MSSD is very big school. PSD is small school. I know all students and I know their last names too. PSD is more flexible than MSSD. PSD taught me a lot but not like MSSD because PSD didn’t teach me that lot like MSSD for 24/7. MSSD have more opportunity to social and more experiences.

This is my first time going away. At first day of dorm for new students only, I was so nervous because I know nobody only old students like sophomore and returning freshman. It’d easier if u have a friend from MSSD. I have a best friend from MSSD, he is sophomore and he know about MSSD more than I did but not now anymore. I know MSSD enough as my best friend now. It’s hard for my families let me go and live away. But not now anymore because they know I am fine now. They sent e-mail in my mobile pager everyday and told them I am OK and how’s my school something like that parent want to know.

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National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders