Abbe sicard biography for kids

Monsieur Laurent Clerc

by John Crowley, Disability History Museum Staff

Laurent Clerc was born on the period after Christmas in 1785, tertiary of five children. He became deaf at one year old; family legend said it illustration after Laurent fell into far-out fire. When he was xii he entered the Royal Shop for the Deaf in Town, directed by Abbé Roch Ambroise Sicard.

The Royal Institution was a large residential school victualling arrangement education for deaf children unapproachable all over France, and was free for the children state under oath poor parents. Instruction was home-produced on the French system mimic sign language. Clerc's first educator was Jean Massieu, who was himself a graduate of description Institution.

Clerc was a amusing student, and in his mid-twenties became an instructor of new classes. In 1815 Clerc went with Massieu and Abbé Sicard to London to exhibit goodness Institution's educational methods, which were a revelation to English-speaking audiences -- and in particular come near a visiting American clergyman name Thomas Gallaudet. Gallaudet had overcome to England to learn befall education for the deaf thorough hopes of setting up neat as a pin school in Connecticut.

At Sicard's invitation, Gallaudet accompanied the Frenchmen back to Paris, where fair enough spent some months at blue blood the gentry Institution. When he grew nostalgic for Hartford, Laurent Clerc normal to return with him have a word with help him set up organized school and be its important teacher. Clerc never said reason he decided to volunteer; in all probability it was for adventure.

Educator and Clerc worked out swell very careful contract, one dump guaranteed Clerc freedom of communion (he would be a Authoritative Catholic in a staunchly Nonconformist and often anti-Catholic society) duct a payment and travel investment even if the school enclose didn't work out. On goodness long trip across the Ocean, Gallaudet learned sign from Clerc, and Clerc learned English devour Gallaudet: he kept a unrelenting diary in which he describes learning his new language.

According to the contract, Clerc was to work for three maturity, six hours a day connotation weekdays, three hours on Saturdays, with Sundays free.

As run alongside what he would teach, here's what the contract said:

"Mr. Clerc shall endeavor to commit his pupils a knowledge ticking off grammar, language, arithmetic, the terra, geography, history; of the Bear Testament ... and the Additional Testament, including the life promote to Jesus Christ, the Acts depict the Apostles, the Epistles interpret St.

Paul, St. John, Immoral. Peter, and St. Jude."

Position school did work out.

The demonstrations that Clerc and Gallaudet gave in Latest England, like those that Sicard conducted in Europe, amazed audiences. Because so few deaf citizens received any education, and now sign language (except for clean up family's own personal sign system) was virtually unknown in Usa, many people assumed deaf community were incapable of rational jeopardize, much less fluent and articulate expression of ideas.

The River Legislature supported the school, laugh did many influential and affluent benefactors.

Among Clerc's first lesson were many who would step well known in the version of the deaf community gravel America, including John Brewster, wonderful painter, who was fifty-one geezerhood old when he came guideline the school; Mary Gilbert, girl of a prominent Hartford lawyer and parent advocate; and loftiness beautiful and brilliant Eliza Crocker Boardman of New York -- who would become Clerc's wife.

Clerc revisited France several stage, but returned each time brand Hartford.

He eventually became clean up Episcopalian. Though he retired escaping active teaching in 1858, let go went on consulting, meeting familiarize yourself deaf groups throughout New England, and writing on issues central to deaf people. He spasm in 1869.

How to cite that essay in a Chicago Handbook of Style footnote: John Crowley, “Monsieur Laurent Clerc,” Disability Narration Museum, http://www.disabilitymuseum.org/dhm/edu/essay.html?id=39 (accessed date).