POKER FACE

I have always been a very expressional person.  My face is very much a window into what I am thinking.  If I try to tell a lie... You will know it.  If I do not approve of something, oh you so can tell by my expression.

Working with Deaf people I am becoming aware of the need for a Poker Face.  When I am talking to my "kids"... sometimes they can play me and read me too well.  If only I could put a Poker Face on... 

Had a little confrontation the other day.  What started as a chat between two of my teens that were not getting along turned into a tense situation...  They saw FEAR in my Face. If only I could have showed "no fear" perhaps I could have gotten a handle on things better.  {BTW~ It wasn't that bad, just the first time I saw such negativity between a couple of Dears.  I was a bit afraid one of them was going to get physical, which they did not.}

So anyway... I am trying to learn how to control my facial expressions.  It is so important in conversation.
My Deaf friends can read me like a well known book.  They can tell when I am not feeling well, when I am sensitive,  when I am confused, and when I am pissed.  My Deaf friends are way more in-tune with my emotions than my Hearing friends.
Another thing... I notice little things that we do so differently that are rather crucial.  They can be taken the wrong way if not understood that we have these differences.  Such as, looking away... the next time you are talking to someone that is hearing, pay attention to how often you or the person you are speaking to looks away..  we do it all the time, and think nothing of it.
I will be talking & explaining something, and I am not looking at the person I am talking to but rather the space just beyond them. 
When speaking to someone that is Deaf, it is proper to look them directly in the face. I use to watch their hands, to see what they are saying.  But I have been corrected and now know that looking at them directly into their face, you still see what they are saying with their hands .
My immerse into the Deaf Culture has been so wonderful.  I am learning so much, not only about this Culture, but about myself.

So excited to start my ASL classes (thanks to our partnership with Vincennes University).  They will begin in January.  I do believe that this will help me not just with my signing but with expressions, my understanding and maybe, just maybe, I will learn to use a Poker Face!