Teaching Hearing Awareness and Empowerment Through Shayla Boo and You

I recently had the opportunity to present a workshop with The Online Itinerant for Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The session focused on my book Shayla Boo and You: All About My Hearing and the practical lessons that support hearing awareness, vocabulary growth, and self-advocacy in DHH classrooms and itinerant services. It was an inspiring experience to share resources that strengthen confidence and build understanding for our students.

During the workshop, I walked through activities from the Shayla Boo companion workbook that help students learn vocabulary, understand their hearing devices, and begin using audiogram terms with confidence. These lessons take technical information and make it easy for young children to understand. Teachers appreciated how the book connects hearing science, literacy, and identity in a child-friendly way.

What Teachers Shared

Feedback from the DHH teachers was powerful and encouraged me to keep building more resources like these. Here are a few of their reactions:

• The audiogram visuals are kid-friendly and help students understand a concept that is often difficult to explain.

• Many teachers shared that Shayla Boo is their favorite book for teaching audiology to young children.

• Teachers were excited to introduce audiograms using this book because the format makes the information easier for students.

• Several said we need more books like this because it supports representation and clear discussion.

• One teacher shared a moment when her five year old student returned from the audiologist able to talk about her audiogram using vocabulary from the book. The teacher was amazed by this level of understanding at such a young age.

  
  

Workshop Highlights

Here is a short overview of what we covered, based directly on the workshop guide and slide deck Workshop with Online Itinerant …:

• How to teach vocabulary about hearing aids and their parts

• How to introduce the three parts of the ear and types of hearing loss

• How to build audiogram awareness using visuals and examples

• How to use the companion workbook for identity work, confidence, and advocacy

• How the activities support common DHH IEP goals in language, advocacy, and listening skills

• How bilingual access through ASL supports comprehension and inclusion for Deaf and hearing students

  
  

Watch the Full Workshop

You can watch the full presentation on YouTube here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbCJACAudNA&t=9s

The video includes lesson demonstrations, teacher reflection prompts, and ideas you can use right away.

Download Free Resources

If you would like to try the companion worksheets, audiogram pages, vocabulary activities, or ASL storytime links, visit Quitaislove.com and download the free materials.

Closing Message

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about this workshop. My hope is that these tools help you continue to educate, empower, and advocate for your Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. If you found value in this post, please subscribe for updates, download the free worksheets, and take a look at the books that support these lessons.