The Logic Of Action
Young Deaf Children At Work
Frances Pockman Hawkins
Everyone tried his hand at the water pool this morning. Phillip, unaware of anyone's scrutiny, would fill his large plastic syringe with water by pulling out the plunger while the tip was submerged, and then shoot the water to the opposite side of the pool. He was expert at controlling the force and speed on his plunger as he aimed the small stream.
Janie kept watching Phillip's actions. Quite obviously she wanted to do the same thing with her syringe, but she was unable to fill it with water. Finally, she turned again to watch and she thought about it. This time, with syringe out of the pool she pushed down the plunger, then put the tip in the pool and slowly pulled up the water into the transparent syringe. The final part of the sequence, shooting water across the pond, proceeded, but Janie's success in using eyes, hands, and mind to fill the syringe was for her, I submit, an achievement of equal merit. To write about it is in some degree to share her pleasure.
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