Crystal Squires’ Sign Language Classes were recently featured in The Woodstock Independent.

Below is the full text of the story.

 

For kids, some hands-on learning

Local woman shares her passion for sign language through classes for children.

Seated on the floor with her toddler on her lap, Crystal Squires’ face lit up with expression as she demonstrated the sign for “cat” while leading a sign language for children class at Mixin Mingle on the Square. She glanced around at the students, smiling and nodding in approval as they caught on.

Like many first-time moms, Squires began reading everything she could about infant and child development as soon as she discovered she was pregnant. All the advice she came across said that teaching a child a second language was beneficial, especially for enhancing cognitive abilities.

 

“I don’t know a second language,” Squires said. “I can’t teach my son Italian if I don’t know it, but I thought I could do signing with him.”

And that’s what she did. When her son, Karter, was 3 months old, Squires started signing with him. At 9 months, he started signing back to her. Sold on sign language, she sought a class where she could take him to learn in a social setting with other children, but classes were not available in the Montana community she was living in.

Undaunted, she took several online classes and completed an interview to become a certified instructor. Starting out by leading volunteer classes at the local library, she soon began receiving requests from area preschools and kids clubs to conduct paid classes.

“It was always so much fun, my son loved it; all the kids loved it,” Squires said. “It became a passion for me to teach sign language.”

In October, Squires moved to Woodstock, bringing her son and her enthusiasm for sign language to town. In two months, she taught several introductory children’s classes, introducing her infant and toddler signing classes. She also coordinated an eight-week series of free classes to be held at 9:30 a.m. Fridays at the Woodstock Public Library.

The classes are designed to teach the parents and children together, making signing a family experience. When children see their parents involved and having fun, it reinforces their comprehension. The social aspect of learning in a group also is important, and the interactive format of the class keeps the children interested.

“The benefits [of sign language] are astronomical. They’ve shown that kids that sign have a higher IQ,” Squires said. “It uses all the senses.”

Her early impression of Woodstock is that it is very similar to the Montana community where she last lived and taught. She said, “They’re really focused on their children, parenting and giving their kids the best leg up, like the bilingual program [that D-200 offers.]”

Currently offering classes for infants and toddlers, Squires teaches American Sign Language, the universal language that is taught to the deaf. “I love watching the students learn it, watching their eyes light up, especially the young ones that aren’t verbal yet,” she said. “When they get it, it’s like they’ve unlocked a whole new possibility of being able to communicate what they want.”