Hearing Aids and sitting toward the front of the classroom

I have must have dozens of special needs students this year. They seem to be deaf. They don't seem to hear directions given by me, their teacher. Or, from what I am hearing, their other teachers. These students do not seem to be able to follow the simplest instruction. Note, not instructions, it is singular; INSTRUCTION. Such as "Get out a clean sheet of notebook paper," followed about 20 seconds by "write your FIRST and LAST NAME, class period, and today's date in the UPPER RIGHT HAND corner of your PAPER." And we have been in school for five weeks. These are seventh graders who are acting like THIS type of request is completely new and foreign to them. AAArrrrrrgggggh. Are any of you having similar problems like this?

Do any of you have the problem of not having enough student desks in the front of your classroom for the hoard of current students who:

a.) cannot pay attention from the back of the classroom, or,

b.) cannot see because they either need glasses or refuse to wear their glasses, OR,

c.) need to be closer to where their teacher is located more often to keep them out of mischief and direct their attention to the current class activities?

I welcome your stories and suggestions for these classroom areas of concern.

Thanks for reading my blog! I welcome your comments!