Administrators as Scholars

Noah Buchholz outside in the green grass in front of a white building

I always look forward to the great intellectual stimulations and dialogue in these seminars... It was eye opening to hear from administrators.

ADMINSTRATORS AS SCHOLARS 2022-23

 
Administrators as Scholars is dedicated to the intellectual growth of educators through a partnership between Princeton University’s Program in Teacher Preparation and the Teachers as Scholars member schools. It was formed with the objective of providing scholarly and intellectually engaging opportunities for administrators. The seminar is open to administrators from any grade level or content area, and it is intended to promote life-long learning. There is no fee for Administrators as Scholars as it is included as a benefit of being one of the member districts. Administrators as Scholars is made possible through the support of the Program in Teacher Preparation and area schools and districts.

Deaf Gain, not Hearing Loss: Exploring What Deaf Culture Can Teach Us about Equity in Education

Noah Buchholz, Ph.D.
Department of Humanities Council & Linguistics
November 4, 2022 from 9:30 - 11:30am

"The term “Deaf gain” is a word play on the label “hearing loss.” Many people view deafness as a loss—hence, the term “hearing loss.” In response, Deaf people develop the concept of “Deaf gain” in order to show that being Deaf has many benefits and Deaf people’s culture and language have a lot to offer to society. 

This concept is critical for the field of education because many people attempt to educate Deaf children at the expense of Deaf gains. One example is attempting to teach Deaf children without giving them full access to sign language. Many Deaf children fail to acquire substantial speech skills. Because they have not been given access to sign language at an early age, they develop what is called “language deprivation syndrome,” a set of intellectual disabilities found in children who have been deprived of language at an early age. As Steven Pinker points out, “the deaf are virtually the only neurologically normal people who make it to adulthood without having acquired a language.”

With the goal of demonstrating Deaf gains, this seminar introduces the basics of Deaf culture and American Deaf history. An emphasis will be made on the unique benefits of sign language. The discussion on various Deaf gains will then be applied to the topic of equity in the field of education. 

Preference will be given to administrators, supervisors, principals, and superintendents.

Noah Buchholz, Ph.D., is a Ph.D. student in Religion and Society at Princeton Theological Seminary, doing interdisciplinary research on the topics of liberation theology, postcolonial theory, and Deaf studies. He also is a Certified Deaf Interpreter and ASL-English translator. Previously, he served as Assistant Professor of American Sign Language and Deaf Studies at Bethel College.