Update, September 2026: I am writing again as Professor Jeff, Deaf Educator. My newer classroom post explains the listening challenges and accessibility strategies behind this short reflection.
When I first started teaching, I found few resources written from the perspective of a deaf teacher. I often felt alone in figuring out what it meant to teach in a hearing environment.
Over the years, I have learned a great deal about myself, deafness, and education. I know that deaf educators and deaf students can achieve ambitious goals when communication and access are taken seriously.
Cochlear implants are valuable tools for me, but they are not a cure for deafness and they do not create perfect hearing. I still use visual information, repetition, context, sign language, and other communication strategies—especially when several sounds compete in a busy classroom.
I am grateful for the access my implants provide and for the opportunities to teach, learn from my students, and communicate with family and friends. Deafness is still part of my life and identity, and I would not reduce that life to a simple story of technology “fixing” me.
That is why I am happy to be teaching—and why I am writing again.
