A Tiffy Taffy Highlight Story: Sometimes there are tales that are just too good, too beautiful, or too unbelievable to keep locked away. That’s why we scour the archives and bring some of them back to enjoy again. They may make you smile or shed a tear, but they’re always meant to add a little positivity to your day. Enjoy!
Christmas carols are meant to be enjoyed by everyone. They are especially special for the parents when their young children sing them at their school Christmas performance. But, it can be a setback for parents who are deaf. For them, 5-year-old Claire’s performance should still be heart-warming.
This story is almost a decade old now. Back in 2013, Claire Koch was performing some Christmas carols along with the rest of her class. It was a holiday concert for the kindergarteners at Plumb Elementary School. But Claire’s mother and father were both deaf. The child made sure that her parents did not miss out because of that.
A Christmas Concert That Warms The Heart
Claire’s mother Lori Putney Koch was a business analyst working for ZVRS, a company that specialized in video relay services. Claire’s father Tom was the owner of a SCUBA business. Both of them were deaf. However, their daughters Claire, and younger sister Charlotte, did not have any hearing troubles.
Nevertheless, the two had grown up with American Sign Language. In a statement to TODAY, Lori had explained that sign language was their household’s first language.
During the Christmas concert, Claire made good use of that. In a video captured by her proud mother, you can see her singing along with the rest of her classmates. However, at the same time, Claire (the blonde-haired child in the center) used sign language to describe the song’s lyrics as she looked towards her parents. Take a look at the video:
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The child’s facial expressions are very animated. Her mother says that Claire “is full of personality and spunk, that’s the Claire we know.” The cute Christmas video was so popular that deaf actress Marlee Matlin had also retweeted it.
Koch explained that Claire signed towards them as a show of consideration for her parents. She believed that Claire wanted them to enjoy the Christmas lyrics just as much as everyone else. Koch said:
“She was signing to her parents, looking right into my iPhone as she knew I was recording her. We don’t use our daughter as an interpreter, but if there is something we missed, she would likely relay it to us.”
Claire’s energetic performance had been lauded by a lot of people of the CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) community.
Truly, a daughter to be proud of! We hope that in the past 9 years, Claire has had an enjoyable life, and has remained just as energetic and considerate.
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Sources:
1. “S-A-N-T-A: Adorable girl signs kindergarten holiday concert for deaf parents” TODAY. December 12, 2013.
