Learning Despite Distance

Talking is encouraged during class at Tri-Valley Middle School as long as it’s with your hands.

While most teachers are physically in their classrooms working with students, Laurie Cruciotti, stands in front of a camera in St. Clairsville, teaching students at Tri-Valley Middle School American Sign Language or ASL.

"We’re seeing more and more interest in this," said Laurie Cruciotti an intervention specialist with numerous "It is a means to bring another course. There are numerously classes available in this format but it is a way to bring a course to a school without the need to hire a full time teacher,"

ASL is considered a foreign language in 38 states and the students in Cruciotti’s class can count this towards that requirement.

"We are learning to hear through our eyes and some of us our more visual learners," explained the teacher.

The system does have glitches such as frozen video screens or lost signals once in a while. But the biggest challenge has been the distance.

"It’s okay. She can’t correct our signs if we’re wrong and we have to do it over and over again," said students Lexi Adams and Becky Wheeler.

"I felt the distance between us and I felt it was difficult to develop a rapport but that quickly faded within the first month as I got to know the students through their personalities in class," said Cruciotti.

The classroom does have a teacher’s aide, Greg Meadows, who helps put up power points and get the kids connected. Cruciotti is even coming to visit on Monday. The students said this experience has been amazing.

"Just learning the language in general is like it’s a cool language," said one student. "You can talk back to anyone. You can talk to your friends."

"Once you get to know a language you want to keep going, so you don’t know half the language you know the full language," said Kelsi Williams.

Some of the current ASL students plant to take the second course offered at the high school. Besides sign language the school also offers Mandarin Chinese through their Interactive Video Distance Learning.