Is What’s Past Prologue?

Is What’s Past Prologue? Peter V. Paul, Editor the phrase “What’s past is prologue” appears in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. I have also learned that it is engraved on a statue outside the National Archives in Washington, DC. After composing three editorials commemorating the 175th anniversary of the publication of the Annals (Paul, 2022a, 2022b, 2022c), I still wonder if that Shakespearean phrase actually portends or, at least, provides a context for some of present situations of the education of d/Deaf and hard of hearing students. The short answer is “yes.” However, this requires a nuanced treatment of a few relevant articles and forgiveness of the archaic language and shortsighted insights associated with past epochs. For this editorial, I revisited a few selected articles published between 1847 and 1900, the time frame for the first celebration editorial (Paul, 2022a). The focus is on that ubiquitous term, language, which was discussed frequently. Are there any timeless insights? Are there still lessons to be learned (or relearned)? Has anything really changed or evolved? I will highlight a few points and provide brief passages to exemplify some concepts. Although much of the context has been stripped from the articles in the selection of the passages, there should be enough information for readers to obtain the gist of the author’s points and my interpretations. Let’s consider a few of the comments of Ashley (1890), who was listed as an instructor at the Ontario Institution (Canada). This author, like several others in the Annals, asserted the importance of teaching the English language—and that teaching this language to d/Dhh children and adolescents requires a substantial amount of time, patience, and perseverance. I suspect that this is not a surprise, but I wonder if the following passage is still applicable or even true today: The most successful teachers of the deaf make all other subjects taught in the school-room subservient to that of language. This can easily be accomplished without interfering with the direct object of the particular study, or lessening the efficiency of the instruction. History, geography, and even arithmetic can be profitably utilized in this way. (p. 251) Based on my interpretation of the above passage in the context of the article, the author did not mean that the other subjects should be downplayed or neglected. Nevertheless, with the focus on using academic texts and other written materials, an understanding or the teaching of information is bound to be limited if students do not have a good command of the language of the materials as well as the language of instruction. Ashley was aware of the challenges, and I surmise that every [End Page 577] teacher (and professor!) can feel the emotion in the following statement: Perhaps those engaged in the instruction of the deaf are disposed to feel disappointed with the results obtained. They expect too much, forgetting that every step forward has cost the pupil much time and study. (p. 252) In another interesting article, Putnam (1899) also lamented that the teaching of the English language is the most difficult and may produce the least satisfactory outcomes (see also the discussion in Gillet, 1870). Putnam, an instructor at the Kansas School for the Deaf, argued that educators are too dependent on academic texts such as those on history and science—and need to adopt a different instructional approach. This approach, according to Putnam, should be systematic, intensive, and practical. Putnam was not against the use of “objects, actions, and pictures; the journal; letter-writing, questions and answers and reproduction” (p. 262). In fact, the use of journals and letter writing was not new; these avenues have been promoted as effective means of language instruction in an earlier article (Elwell, 1895). However, according to Putnam, there needs to be a plan to ensure that language is mastered in 5 or 6 years! In addition to the common forms (i.e., grammar, idioms, etc.), Putnam proposed that teaching and enlarging vocabulary should produce the following outcome: The student should be able to read books, newspapers, and other materials, preferably on grade level. Putnam’s plan involved the practical use of Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words...

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