#16 Jessi's Secret Language

Jessi starts her book by stating she’s good at languages.  I really wish this would have been brought up in her traits in following books instead of the standard black, ballet, loves horses line.  Apparently she’s so good at them, she almost became bilingual during the week her family spent in Mexico.  Again, if she’s that good, I think this warrants more mentioning.

Jessi gets up early, goes downstairs to her barre and thinks about the recent move, and how her family being black has been tough for them here.  Then she starts thinking about the tryouts for a ballet in the area called Coppelia that she is trying out for.  I’m imagining something like the end of White Christmas when they’re all singing and the kids start dancing in front of them.  Anyway, everyone else wakes up and they start their day.

Jessi dashes in late to the BSC meeting and doesn’t get eaten alive.  Instead we get the chapter 2 summary of everyone.  And why is it that every Jessi book always has a vocabulary lesson?  Introspective is our word of the book here.  There is a call from a new family in the area named the Braddocks, who have a deaf child. They need a regular sitter and would really like for the sitter to know sign language.  Jessi gets the job and she’s really excited.

We meet Jessi’s ballet class and get a little background knowledge about how things work there.  It’s interesting to find out that not everyone in the class likes Jessi, which turns out to be important 30 books later.  Jessi lands the lead role in the ballet and some of the other dancers, Katie Beth and Hillary, are pretty nasty about it, insinuating she got the role because she’s the newest dancer in the class.  Jessi kind of lets it get under her skin, but she and her mother have a talk about the school and its qualifications and she moves on from it and focuses on her new sitting charges,

She has her first training with the Braddock family and meets Haley first.  What strikes me is that Haley is described as having a rattail. I hate rattails.  Moving on.  Mrs. B and Haley start teaching Jessi “Ameslan”, the outdated term used in this book for American Sign Language.  I shall refer to it as ASL hereafter.  (Too much Downton Abby!)  Matt arrives home in the middle of the session and he and Haley disappear while Mrs. B teaches Jessi the basic signs she would need to know to sit.  Jessi goes to get to know the kids, but Matt wants to read.  Haley gets a little upset that Jessi seems more interested in Matt than her….hmm….

The next chapter MA is sitting for Jenny P.  Most of the time Jenny’s not being all that bratty, but this chapter’s pretty bad.  She makes fun of Matt when they’re out on a walk. I have no time for children who pick on other kids, or their parents. Haley gets upset and storms off – Jessi realizes that Haley’s having a hard time adjusting to her new neighborhood and Matt’s deafness isn’t making it any easier.

Finally the big day comes: Jessi’s sitting alone for the first time.  Mrs. B is (rightfully) a little nervous, but she manages to pull herself away.  After snack, Jessi takes the Braddocks over to the Pike house.  Vanessa and Nicky close in age to Haley and Matt, so Jessi thinks it might be a good match.  The Barretts are there as well and the introductions begin…along with the staring.  So Jessi introduces ASL as a secret language and instantly the kids are intrigued, so much so that Haley stays there teaching signs after Matt and Jessi head back to the Braddocks’ house.

The next chapter is a sitting chapter.  Mallory and Dawn are sitting for Mal’s siblings and they are quite wild, until they send the kids off to play and the house gets quiet.  Turns out they are practicing sign language and making up signs of their own.

Jessi’s part in Coppelia is a lot of work but she’s been putting in extra time and everyone notices in her dancing.  Her naysayers are even being…civil to her.  She’s waiting for her dad after practice and sees Katie Beth with her sister, Adele.  Turns out Katie Beth’s sister is deaf, but her family doesn’t much know ASL.  Jessi spends a little time showing her signs and Katie Beth seems to be interested.

Another sitting chapter!  Claudia sits for DM, Karen and Andrew.  Karen starts scaring Andrew, so Claudia distracts them with ASL.  She ends up calling Jessi a few times and Karen tries to tell a ghost story using ASL.

Jessi continues to her busy schedule, sitting and dancing.  As she spends more time with Haley, she finds out that Haley feels responsible for Matt, helping him make friends and defending him.  She resents all she has to do for him sometimes, because it makes her feel like an outsider too.  Haley mentions at one point that Matt’s never been to the theater and that sparks an idea in Jessi’s mind.

At the next BSC meeting, Jessi works on teaching the other sitters more about ASL and finger spelling.  During the meeting Mrs. B calls to tell Jessi “everything is arranged.”  Oooo….a secret.  Then she surprises everyone by telling them they’re invited to her performance of Coppelia. 

The next day Mrs. B picks Jessi up from school and takes her to Matt’s school.  Jessi makes a little signed speech inviting the students in Matt’s class to the ballet as well.  The students are very excited.

A sitting chapter!  Kristy sits for Jessi’s sister and brother and discovers that there’s a secret a-brewin’…Kristy doesn’t like to be left out of secrets.

Jessi finally tells everyone what she arranged for Matt’s class…and I wonder to myself why she kept it a secret.  It’s not as though it made a big difference.  I’m still puzzling over it myself. Anyway, it’s opening night and Jessi’s a little nervous, hoping everything goes well.  Mrs. B is signing and Haley is narrating before each act so that the deaf students can enjoy and understand the ballet better.  The ballet goes beautifully, Jessi does a wonderful job and the students really enjoy the ballet.  It turns out Katie Beth’s sister is in the audience and Katie Beth has been taking sign language lessons to communicate with her.  Yay her.

After the ballet, Jessi and her friends get together and surprise!  Jessi’s cousin Keisha is there as well.  This was the other secret Becca didn’t share with Kristy.  After everyone gets settled and has hugged, kissed, and cried, they all go out for dessert.  What better way to end a book than with dessert?

Mommy Moments:

• If I were the parent of a deaf child, I would expect my sitter to know sign language.  I know that would be a high qualification, but that would be up there on my “must haves” list.
• Just a thought:  Jessi mentions how expensive her toe shoes are, but that her parents are more than willing to buy them, even though she doesn’t plan to be a professional.  How much money would you put into something you know may not have a specific future for your child?  Just curious.
• Go Mama Ramsey!  She a)notices something bothering her child and b)addresses it with her daughter.
• Boo to the family of Katie Beth and Adele.  She’s your child, for Pete’s sake.  Learn ASL so you can communicate with her, even if she is in a special school most of the time.  I can’t imagine not making every effort to communicate with my child.