This afternoon (Tuesday, March 27th) I came across a very special vlog posted by “Jason” entitled: “Residential Advisors”. In this vlog, Jason expressively highlights the significance of the role of a Residential School Advisor or “RA”. The RA’s are staff who work in the dorms to supervise (a loaded word) the students who live at the deaf residential schools across the country during the week, and sometimes on weekends depending on the school schedule and set up. Jason reports how, unfortunately, one of the most important roles in a deaf student’s life is often the least respected or understood.

In another vlog posted a day earlier, by Jay Krieger, entitled: “Surrogate Parents”, Jay draws public attention to the role an RA plays in helping to educate deaf residential school students by fostering a home-like environment conducive of learning.

As a former RA (or “Houseparent” as it was called back then in 1988), I had feelings of empathy for what Jason and Jay were describing. While I took the liberty of sharing my thoughts at length on the comment sections of both Jason and Jay’s posts, I’ve decided to repost and expand on those comments here on my blog as well.

My hands go up in waves to people like Jason, Jay Krieger and other vloggers and bloggers who are trying to effectively raise awareness of the role of an RA and place it in it’s rightful, respectable position. My comments to Jason, and then Jay, are below:

Jason,

I appreciate how much time and careful thought and emotion you put into this vlog about the importance of RA’s as deaf residential schools.

Before I became a School Counselor (mental health), I had some time when I was employed as an RA myself (called “Houseparent” back then) in a residential school. I certainly felt the difference in attitudes toward me when I came back as a “School Counselor” than when I was an “RA”. It’s a sad scenario, but true. RA’s tend to be perceived on the lower rungs of the hierarchy ladder. Yet, I agree with you, whole-heartedly, that the importance of RA’s are equal to that of teachers, counselors, or other school professionals.

I also believe that the RA’s job qualifications should include higher education requirements and better pay, for they do a crucial job. Here’s why:

When I was an RA, I had to deal occasionally with some pretty stubborn behaviors in a few of the young students I supervised. While I believed I was quite good at what I did, I sometimes wished I had more training about how to deal with some of those tougher behaviors. I was often on my own trying to figure it out. Because of my interest in child behavior, I decided to go back to school and learn more.

When I went through a 2-year Master’s degree program in Counseling and came back to the same residential school in a new role, I looked at those stubborn student behaviors with new eyes. The education and training I had received changed my views dramatically. I kept saying to myself, “If I only knew then what I know now…”.

So I am very much in favor of higher education, ongoing professional development or even parenting skills opportunities for RA’s. Teachers, School Counselors and other professional support staff are required by their certificates or license to continue with professional development to keep up on the newest trends and ideas in education and support service. In my opinion, the same should be expected and required of RA’s.

I liked how you added near the end of your vlog that RA’s should work together with parents and teachers as a part of a team. Yes, parents do “entrust” their children to the residential school when they make that choice.

Photo by: Mel Harrison Hanson

However, making that choice is sometimes one of the hardest decisions for parents to make because they don’t want to feel like they are abandoning their child or feel they are passing on their parenting job to school staff. Parents still want to know they are the most important figures in their child’s life.

What might help parents make that decision a little easier would be to place less emphasis on the RA passing along “values and morals” to their students. Most parents feel this is their job. They may have certain beliefs, faith, and other personal values they want to pass on to their children.

Perhaps it is better to clarify that RA’s help develop healthy deaf-self-concepts in the children, and provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of deaf culture. The RA’s help guide the children in things like sportsmanship and character education without necessarily instilling personal values. They provide structure and discipline (meaning practice, not punishment) in being good citizens. This would help parents understand that the RA has a role in “educating” their child rather than “parenting” their child. See the difference?

Recognizing and honoring the parents as the primary role, even across the miles, even across the deaf/hearing language or cultural differences, and staying in close contact with them about their child’s daily living, asking their opinions and advice, etc., will make parents feel they are still parenting from a distance rather than just dropping the child off in the care of the residential school staff.

Even though the amount of time a deaf child spends at a residential school is much more than what they spend at home with their parents, the bottom line is that the child’s parent(s) needs to know they are still the most important person(s) in their child’s life.

The best RA’s, like you, understand this.

Thanks for a great vlog.

~ LaRonda

___________________________________________

Jay, nice vlog.

I wanted to toss out a comment. When I was working as a School Counselor (mental health) at a deaf residential school, I often had to work with residential staff who supervised the students there.

I know what you are describing of the tremendous job they have with the students they care for during the week. Sadly, many lack training in child development, reflective listening, and positive parenting skills that would make the lives of many students much better. Don’t get me wrong, there are many outstanding and qualified individuals working with the children in the dorms. But I did encounter some who definitely would have benefited from some additional support and training.

Photo by: “Frank”

The problem I occasionally encountered though, when I offered workshops and training in those areas, was resistance or defensiveness from the RA’s. There was a perception that because I, as a School Counselor, was offering them training, that they were being perceived as “broken.” (i.e.: “It’s not my problem, it’s the student who is out of control! Don’t try to fix me, focus on the student!”) There were some who had a hard time viewing this as enhancing skills or professional development. Sigh…

I also occasionally had difficulty making suggestions to residential staff about how to deal with certain behaviors in specific students. This was not always because of personal resistance, but rather a challenge and glitch in the system. Simply put, the dorms had their own level system in which all students were treated the same. Unfortunately, as some of the RA’s agreed, but had little power to change, this level system did not always work for all children.

In a family with more than 1 child, a parent learns that even though they try to be fair, they sometimes have to modify rules to meet the individual child’s need. Kids don’t always like this, but when their siblings behave better, they tend to back up a little and give some slack.

In my opinion, I believe that residential staff are as important to the deaf students as their teachers are. I believe they should also work closely with the student’s parents in areas of guidance and positive discipline. This can be a challenge when the dorms have one standard of rules for all students.

~ LaRonda

Now before anyone jumps to conclusions, let me say one thing: I completely respect the role of a deaf residential school RA, and I understand personally the huge and important job they have in a deaf child’s life. In fact, I think they have one of the most challenging jobs on campus! I continue to be dumbfounded when I view America’s lack of significant monetary support, value and recognition of job positions like RA’s, or childcare workers in day care centers for that matter. Some would support that they undoubtedly do the Lion’s share of the work and yet are often underpaid and under-appreciated for their value and contribution towards shaping the youth of the today.

When I bring up things like enhancing skills or professional development for RA’s, it is not because I view all RA’s as necessarily “needing more training,” but rather, “deserving professional development” so that they can do their jobs with confidence and competence that will directly benefit the lives of the children they supervise, as well as reassure the parents who entrust and send their kids to these schools. When RA’s are viewed as worthy of professional development days and opportunities that equal the professional, educational and support service staff, the whole village that helps raise the deaf child will be equally effective and wise, and the deaf students will thrive in their midst!

In sum, I believe that:

• Administrators of deaf residential schools and parent/staff organizations should take a creative look at how they might provide further skill development or ongoing training for those RA’s they currently employ, such as, but not limited to: child and teen development, behavior and anger management, positive discipline, and reflective listening.
• Administrators of deaf residential schools should increase the standards of education or training required for RA’s they hire in the future and adjust their pay scales accordingly.
• RA’s should ask for and remain open to professional development opportunities when offered to them by their employers or outside of the school to boost their professional competence, increase their value, and enhance their own personal growth.
• RA’s need to reassure parents that while they are there to take care of their children during the week, they are not trying to replace the parent. The RA who continues to remain in close contact with the child’s parent(s) and who continues to reinforce to the deaf child that his or her parent(s) are and will always be the most important person in that child’s life (even if their parents are hearing and do not sign well – this is still hugely important!), will be doing the greatest job on earth — helping the child maintain his or her roots while giving them wings to fly!

After her brief job as an RA (Houseparent), LaRonda furthered her education and became a School Counselor working with children K-12 in a deaf residential school in the Pacific Northwest for nearly a decade. For the past 7 years, LaRonda has been a Family Life Coordinator / Certified Parent Educator for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Late-Deaf and Deaf-Blind parents in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is currently employed at St, Joseph’s Center for the Deaf in Hayward, CA.

Posted by LaRonda on Tuesday, March 27th, 2007 at 4:59 pm.