Signs Are, Alan is Loved by His Pupils

Story from the Edinburgh Evening News.

He's helped thousands of students, parents, teachers and childminders master sign language over two decades.

Now Alan Sanders has been officially recognised for his dedication to students by being voted Scottish Teacher of the Year.

Alan, 50, was nominated for the Signature Annual Awards - which recognises people who overcome communication barriers between deaf and hearing people - by students at Deans Community High School, Livingston.

He works with pupils who are hard of hearing, as well as parents who want to learn sign language, childcare students and people who are losing their hearing.

Alan, from East Calder, currently works at a school in Falkirk, Donaldson's College (for the deaf] in Linlithgow, Deans Community High, Drummond Community High in Edinburgh and Telford College.

His wife Linda said: "One of the ladies who nominated him has been losing her hearing gradually over the last few years and she felt it really helped her confidence by learning sign language because she had felt like losing her hearing was like losing part of herself.

"Nobody mentioned that they had nominated him and it wasn't until he got an e-mail from Signature that he knew anything. He's very pleased and very proud. He is profoundly deaf so having his own business has been an extra struggle. His family are behind him all the way."

Despite leaving school with no qualifications, Alan set up his own business, Communications BSL Training Service, in 1988 after training to teach sign language at Durham University.

A former pupil of Donaldson's himself, he is now so in demand that he no longer has to advertise and some of his courses are even booked a year in advance.

As Scottish winner of the Signature Teacher of the Year award, he will compete for the UK title in London on 12 November.

A profile on the awards website says: "Using his sense of humour, Alan ensures that his learners are eager to come back to class each week. He puts his class at ease through recounting personal stories and encouraging students to do the same."

Linda will be going with her husband and their two children Rachel, 19, and Matthew, 13, to the ceremony in London.

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