Thursday, June 19, 2008

Clerc's School in Paris

This 8 minutes video is about my 1992 visit to Laurent Clerc's school in Paris, France. Please remember that that was how the school looked like in the summer of 1992. I was able to stay in the school for one week, sleeping in a small room way up on the top floor or in the attic, thanks to Alexis Karacostas, who arranged for my stay.

Because of my extended visit to the school, I was able to visualize many scenes in the 5th chapter of the Deaf Child mythology, titled Siepee's Monastery. To view the mythology, please click on this link.

My 1992 deaf history research trip to Europe was partially made possible by a grant by GUAA's Laurent Clerc Cultural Fund at Gallaudet University.

To see how the school (I.N.J.S.) looked like today, please click on this link to go to their website.

Click away and enjoy visiting the Paris school where Laurent Clerc was educated and where he taught for several years before he moved to America in 1816 with Thomas Gallaudet.

3 comments:

Domvera said...

Hi Charles,

Amazing to visit the historical experience where Laurent Clerc enrolled there. I would love to have a biographical figure of Laurent Clerc in the film someday if anybody produces. Cross the fingers! It will educate the public about him and how he accomplished our deaf education in America.

Also I have visited his birthplace in La Balmes, France in 10 years ago.

Nick Vera

Anonymous said...

Wow, CK! Thanks for posting this. Would love to go see it myself someday. This is definitely useful for us to see what it looked like. I'm going to use this in my Deaf History classes when I talk about Epee from now on!

--Don G.

Amy said...

Wow,

I have always wondered what this school looked like, and it is amazing that this school is over 200 years. I cannot imagine young Laurent was there as a student, and been groomed as a teacher before he moved to Connecticut with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet.

One question - the library at the school, is there any original writings from Laurent Clerc stored away?

I checked the website of this school, and I was fascinated. It appears to me that they provided three different methodologies (LSF, Signing in Exact French, and Oral), and they focus on current vocational skill training.

Soon in my lifetime, I'll definitely visit there!