Laura did not use the word miracle often, in fact her vocabulary was devoid of religious language. She didn’t view the world through a spiritual lens, nor did she throw around words like blessed, prayers, or faith. But while going through her papers I discovered a writing sample she composed in 1999 for an application for a speech and language position at a public school system. We didn’t have children at that time, and she’d never been a teacher outside of a college TA, and certainly no thoughts of homeschooling had yet entered her mind. More recently, I see her use of the word in 2022 when posting about her early work with Haskins. I don’t think for a second that this is a reflection of some hidden spirituality. No, more likely it’s indicative of a small failure of language, in that it lacks the words to truly express the marvel and wonder that she felt about language, the brain, and science in general.
2022 On Val Kilmer’s Role in Maverick:
Speech processing and speech synthesis tech are integral to daily life as we now know it. You should know that the fundamental scientific understanding of the speech signal and the early discoveries in speech perception, production and synthesis were accomplished in large part by scientists at Haskins Laboratories. I think the precision now possible with voice technology is nothing short of miraculous if you trace the history and understand even a little about the complexity of speech. Now this tech has given Val Kilmer back his voice.
1999 Application for Speech and language Specialist:
It is easy to identify which qualities are most important in a classroom teacher. We do not need calipers or litmus paper or a microscope. No, we need only look to the classroom and its residents to find the characteristics we seek. We want our children to become skilled problem solvers, adept at clear reasoning and information processing, and responsive to changing demands. Our children’s problem solving skills are encouraged by a teacher who is an inspired thinker. We want our children to become effective communicators, skilled at listening and expression, respectful of themselves and others. Our children become communicators when they are nurtured by a teacher who ventures all modes of expression. Finally, we want our children to become pioneers, receptive to the changes and discovery that accompany growth, empowered by the miracle of learning. Our children will be inspired to become pioneers by a teacher who is passionate about learning. Looking to our children, we easily uncover the qualities we seek in our teachers, and we also uncover the qualities we most desire in ourselves.