"Except the first class, where an interpreter comes to explain the syllabus and class rules, the students won't hear any voices in the classroom," says ASL instructor Sandra Amundsen, who was born deaf to deaf parents and learned ASL as her first language.

"Using only ASL in class is the best way to learn it, just like French teachers require their students to speak only French in class," Amundsen says.

ASL is a complex visual-spatial language used by deaf people in the United States and English-speaking parts of Canada. A native language to many deaf people and hearing children born into deaf families, it is the fourth most commonly used language in the United States.

Since De Anza started offering ASL classes in 1996, they have become some of the most popular offerings at the college. Students say they learn ASL for various reasons.

"I take American Sign Language to learn a foreign language," says Christine Winck, who is working to get her California teaching credential. "I tried Spanish and gave up. I thought American Sign Language would be easier, but I found it as hard as Spanish."

Other students learn ASL because they have deaf friends or family members.

Daniel Morgan, whose wife, Christine, became deaf when she was 4, says he wants to be able to interpret for her. "When we are with my friends, she can only watch us talk and gets bored easily. I want to include her in the situation and vice versa. I also want to know what her friends are talking about."

Katie Allen is learning ASL because of hearing loss.

"I am hard of hearing," says Allen, who is taking the class with her daughter, Erica. "I want to learn it before I become deaf."

Allen says that when she started learning ASL last September, she was scared to have a deaf instructor.

"I was worried I might not understand what she was talking about, but Sandra shows us a lot of pictures and makes signs at the same time," Allen says. "Not having any noise in the classroom also allows us to think more like a deaf person."

Teaching ASL can be just as challenging as learning the language.

David Rawson, who used to be an actor before teaching at De Anza this quarter, says it's hard to make sure every student makes the correct signs.

Rawson, who became deaf when he was one, says another challenge of teaching ASL is making his students understand that ASL is a language of its own.

"ASL is not a gestural version of English," Rawson says. "ASL has its own morphology, phonetics and grammar. It is a totally different language. For example, in English, 'run' can mean the action of running or a running nose. But in ASL, running and a running nose are two different signs."

Amundsen, who has taught ASL at De Anza and local high schools for five years, say she finds it difficult to accustom her hearing student to using facial expressions.

"ASL is a very expressive language," Amundsen says. "You have to use your hands, your face and your body. You raise your eyebrows when you ask 'yes-no' questions. You lower them when you ask 'when-where' questions. Different facial expressions are like different intonations."

Amundsen is never afraid to act silly to help her students overcome shyness. She slaps herself on the hip, waves her hands in the air, squats on the floor. She is often more like a mime than a teacher.

Actually, some students take the class for theater training.

"Sign languages get the point across directly," says Monica Hill, who aspires to be a performer. "It helps train my movements."

In addition to facial expressions, lip movements are a crucial part of the ASL grammatical system. ASL makes use of the space surrounding the signer to describe places and persons that are not present.

Students learn not only the language of the deaf but also the culture.

"Many people don't understand there is a deaf culture," Amundsen says. "The deaf culture tends to be more blunt. For example, if a deaf person notices his friend has gained weight, he will say that directly. But hearing people will consider such a statement insulting. There is no vagueness in deaf culture."

It is also not considered rude if a person walks between two deaf people who are speaking to each other.

Students also get to know the concerns of the deaf community. In one class assignment, students are asked to examine an issue in deaf education—whether deaf children should learn how to speak, lip-read and write English, or if they should receive education through ASL.

To educate their students more about deaf culture, Amundsen and Rawson also require them to attend two events for the deaf.

Valerie Garcia, who has taken Amundsen's ASL classes for two quarters, says she finds the deaf community is like another world.

"I went to a deaf church in San Jose," Garcia says. "They made a series of loud bass notes. It was so loud that even the windows shook. It was not really a song, but you could definitely feel it."

ASL instructors say they hope the classes can improve understanding between hearing and deaf people.

"My goal is to raise my students' cultural sensitivity," Rawson says. "Many hearing people think deaf people are rude or weird because they don't understand American Sign Language or deaf culture. But my students won't think so."

Interviews with Sandra Amundsen and David Rawson are interpreted through Donna Bradshaw, a deaf services coordinator at De Anza College. For more information about
De Anza's American Sign Language classes, call 408.864.8755.