My Introduction To Cochlear Implants.

I was first introduced to Cochlear Implant technology when I was student teaching in a Kindergarten classroom six years ago.  Early on, I noticed that the teacher wore a headset microphone, lovingly called the "Britney Spears" mic.  I quickly was taught the routine to turn on the amp and speakers so that the mic could be amplified throughout the classroom.  I also made sure to wear lots of glitter and hair gel.  OK, maybe I didn’t wear glitter, but I was always sure to wear the mic when I taught.  This was neccesary because one of the students had a Cochlear Implant.  We'll call her Olympia.  Olympia was a smiling, happy girl who was always quick to offer questions or answers during lessons.  She loved to sing the silly songs I made up about the class rules and the calendar.  She enjoyed hearing me play my electric guitar for the class and eventually took up guitar lessons for herself.  She was just like all the other young girls in the class except that she heard sounds differently.  The headset mic system gave her a better chance of hearing and deciphering what the teacher was saying to the students.  I'm pretty sure that all the students benefited from having the mic on the teacher.  At least they couldn’t say that they didn't hear us.  I hope this blog can provide useful information to students and parents who are researching Cochlear Implants.