[Ccb-alumni] Favorite instructor story.
Darian Smith
dsmithnfb at gmail.com
Thu Nov 12 10:15:10 UTC 2009
Eva,
Eddie was my
Travel instructor twards the end of my time in colorado. and what I
remember was that he would just take me out on travel, teach me, but
at the same time we'd be on the light rail and talking about life and
what kind of was going on with me. I guess that stemmed from my very
first summer as a student when he directed the program. I was not
very happy about being out in denver that summer, but what he did was
rounded up the boys in the program and we went out across the
apartment complex(then cherry creek) armed with water bottles and
ambushed the female counsoler who opened the door to their
apartment. While it was not so much blindness related, it did help
me belong. My first convention was that year and eddie was great at
kind of showing me the ropes in philly and encouraging me to talk
to the leaders of the movement at the time.
Brent was an ITP student that year,but did not become a travel
instructor till a couple of months after I had graduated in 04.
Julie Mullen was a person that i enjoyed. She pushed me to learn
how to make a cheesecake once I mastered making the no-bake cheese
cake that was found in the mc duffie reader.
Eric was a person I got to know very briefly but never really
worked witgh him. But I've laways heard good things
On 11/11/09, Eva Adams <eadams15 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Val,
> That was awesome what you did for us counselors. I was really proud of all
> of you when I heard what you guys had done by yourselves.
>
> I have been pondering this question trying to figure out who my favorite
> teacher was. I can't decide, so will just tell about the few I can't decide
> between.
>
> Eddie Culp was my first travel instructor when I got to the center. Before I
> got to Colorado I absolutely despised the cane, and was embarrassed by my
> blindness. I wanted nothing to do with it unless I absolutely had to. Eddie
> taught me that it was ok to be blind and to use a cane. He helped me build
> my confidence in myself as a blind person. He also was someone I could
> always talk to about things. He wouldn't sugar code stuff just to make me
> feel better. Instead, he would ask the right questions to make me think on
> my own to figure stuff out. That fact about him annoyed a lot, but for me it
> was an encouragement for me to take responsibility for my own feelings and
> actions.
>
> Brent Batron taught me about the NFB. He always seemed ok with the fact that
> I questioned the way things were done at times. I came to the center set
> against the NFB, thinking they were just an annoying group of blind people
> that really didn't do anything. Brent taught me about what the NFB really
> was, and all the good they do for the blind population. He was an encourager
> rather than a pusher. I have always found Brent to be real, and not give off
> the impression he is better than others like some of the higher up NFBers
> do. He is a great guy, and went out of his way to check in with you if he
> had heard things weren't going well for you.
>
> Eric Woods gave me my first real job. I worked for him for two summers as a
> counselor. Those two summers taught me a lot, and strengthened my want to
> teach blind children. I will always be thankful to Eric for those
> opportunities, and the lessons and knowledge I walked away with. I always
> loved how Eric was a straight forward guy who told you how it was. I have
> and never will see a better travel instructor than that man. He was a great
> teacher, and anyone who was taught by him should feel privledged.
>
> Of course I have other favorites such as Tom who was another you could talk
> to if you had any problems. Jason Fayre was a good friend, and could tell
> you about almost a good place to eat for any type of cuisine. Julee Mullen
> was always down to earth, and a lot of fun to have as a teacher and co
> worker.
>
> Eva
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Valerie Gibson" <valandkayla at gmail.com>
> To: "Colorado Center for the Blind mailing list" <ccb-alumni at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 9:50 PM
> Subject: Re: [Ccb-alumni] Favorite instructor story.
>
>
>> EWoods!!!
>>
>> Eric was the director of the summer program in 04 when i was on that
>> program, and i always thought of him as the "sherlock holmes" of
>> travel because he seemed to pick up on the smallest things. I
>> remember being on the light rail and he pointed out, and asked us if
>> we could fel the train going down a hill or something. he paid
>> attention to thinks that may seem trivial to any other person, in
>> general, but he taught me to be more observant. Once, after the
>> program, when i was transitioning into ITP, i stayd at his house, and
>> we stayed up until two in the morning playing interactive fiction
>> games. i love, absolutely love, rpgs, so to me, it was just good fun,
>> but what i understood later was that when i was in that dark cave with
>> exits and passages to the north and east, i was actually embarking on
>> a virtual travel lesson. Bet you never thought of doing it that way.
>> ^^
>>
>> A very close tie would be Lindsey Palumbo, who was my councellor in
>> summer 05, and later a travel instructor in the ITP. LLindsey helped
>> me get over some personal traumatic issues that i'd been going
>> through, and i could never thank her enough. She stayed up in the
>> early hours of the morning, talking to me, so that icould get over the
>> past and focus on my future.
>>
>> I remember one time in sumer of 05 when we were at the national
>> convention, and a couple of friends and I were hungry. it was around
>> eleven AM, and we weren't really much for exploring the area as most
>> people were, but we asked another fellow summer student where some
>> good places to eat were. After we recieved the information, we set
>> out. When we came to the restaurant in question, we found that it was
>> closed. The group wanted to just go back and order a pizza. It was
>> hot and i was hungry, so i told them we could either walk a few more
>> blocks, where surely a restaurant would be found, or we could walk the
>> four blocks back to the hotel; which sounded better?
>>
>> Point taken, my group and I set out to find an alternative. We used
>> every travel technique we were taught by our mentors, and i was
>> surprised that they actually worked. For the first time, i was
>> traveling, not to bring back a business card, but to actually get some
>> food for myself and my gang.
>> To make a long story short, we found a place to eat which turned out
>> to be a breakfast bufet. After using our nonvisual techniques to get
>> food and seat ourselves, it dawnd on us that this was the first time
>> that we'd really done something independantly. And that's when the
>> idea struck me.
>>
>> After getting back to the hotel, we talked to eric, and told him what
>> we'd done, but we wanted something. we wanted a way to take the
>> instructors there, under sleepshades. Eric said he'd work it out, and
>> all we had to do was be ready with sleepshades after sed meeting at
>> sed time.
>>
>> Turns out he yelled at the instructors, telling them that he'd gotten
>> word that they were using sighted guide at convention and that he
>> expecte better of them. he said that they had failed him, and that
>> some students, who were obviously better than they, were going to take
>> them out on a travel lesson under sleepshades.
>>
>> We were waiting in the lobby with our sleepshades, and when the
>> councellors came down, they were not happy. they idignantly put on
>> their sleepshades, and followed us. Some of them started to joke
>> with us, asking if/when they could take their sleepshades off, as if
>> they were really students. When we got to the doors of the
>> restaurant, i told them that we, as students, didn't like being told
>> what to do; we didn't like slaving away over a hot stove everyday,
>> then being made to go out on travel in the scorching heat. Some of us
>> already knew braille,so we didn't like having to learn something we
>> already knew, but for everything that they did, whether we liked it or
>> not, we'd like to say ... then everyone at once, as if we'd planned
>> it, said, "thank you". and then we explained what we did and we all
>> enjoyed a lunch on Eric. lol
>>
>> The ITP did a lot for me as well, but nothing beats that momentous day
>> for me, at the national convention, when we gave back to the
>> counsellors for helping us achieve independence.
>>
>> On 11/11/09, Darian Smith <dsmithnfb at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> wow! I've always heard great things about Diane. She's always come
>>> off as a very caring individual. I remember one conversation during
>>> philosiphy class when I asked her if she agreed with everything as it
>>> related to NFB Philosophy ( something that i think everyone asks any
>>> leader in the federation that they respect enough to do so) and what
>>> she told me made me forever respect her. She basically said that
>>> she believes in much of what the federationholds true. but there
>>> were things that she did not believe in as much. I found that it was
>>> ok to not believe in everything that is said all of the time, and
>>> from that point, I've began to shape my views and understanding and
>>> growth here with the understanding that I'll not always agree with
>>> everything and that's okay.
>>> As for a person that I thought was my favorite on staff... It was
>>> and is still indeed tough. I still hold dear to me many people.
>>> Julie deeden and Carol and Kimberly as well as Chip and Tom to name a
>>> few.
>>> one of the special people that I remember would be Samara. samara
>>> taught me travel and showed me that traveling as a blind person was
>>> not so bad and that using a cane is not limiting.
>>> That said everybody taught me something that I'll take with me and
>>> I'll forever be proud of the accomplishments and the journey. It
>>> still stands as the single best decision I've made so far.
>>> Darian Smith
>>> ccb04
>>>
>>> On 11/11/09, Jeremiah B. Beasley <jbeasley at jb11.net> wrote:
>>>> This is a hard question to answer as all of my instructors helped to
>>>> change
>>>> my life! I would have to say the Diane McGeorge has probably had the
>>>> biggest impact on my life and success. She has and continues to be a
>>>> very
>>>> positive mentor for me. She is always direct with me and tells me how
>>>> it
>>>> is. She has never said things in a way that made me feel inferior or
>>>> said
>>>> them in a hurtful way. I don't always like to hear what she is saying
>>>> but
>>>> I
>>>> have learned that she is much wiser then I and she is normally right! I
>>>> may
>>>> not like to hear some things she has the courage to say to me but I love
>>>> her
>>>> for caring enough to say them to me. She has often said that I am one
>>>> of
>>>> hers and I cannot think of any higher complement. I was once told that
>>>> I
>>>> was a little Diane because I took the same side of an issue as she did.
>>>> I
>>>> turned to this person and said THANK YOU! Diane and Ray are part of my
>>>> family and I love them both very much. I owe my success to them. They
>>>> got
>>>> me involved in the NFB and taught me many things. One of the most
>>>> important
>>>> lessons that I learned from Diane is that we must care about all blind
>>>> people if we are going to be successful in changing the live of blind
>>>> people. I try to live this in my life. Diane has believed in me when I
>>>> have not been able to believe in myself. For this I will always be
>>>> grateful.
>>>>
>>>> Diane if you are reading this Thanks you and I love you!
>>>>
>>>> Jeremiah Beasley - Graduated CCB June of 1994
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Darian Smith [mailto:dsmithnfb at gmail.com]
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 9:34 PM
>>>> To: Colorado Center for the Blind mailing list
>>>> Subject: [Ccb-alumni] Favorite instructor story.
>>>>
>>>> Hello all,
>>>>
>>>> I know we don't always get a strong showing of topics on this list.
>>>> So I wanted to throw out a topic..
>>>> Who is your favorite instructor/staff member at the CCB when you
>>>> were a student and why?
>>>> thanks,
>>>> Darian CCB 04
>>>>
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>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> "And if you will join me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny
>>> calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching
>>> before us;
>>> if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our
>>> slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe
>>> past and future generations,
>>> then I'm ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with
>>> you. Together, starting today, let us finish the work that needs to be
>>> done, and
>>> usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth."- Baraq Obama
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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>
>
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--
"And if you will join me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny
calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching
before us;
if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our
slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe
past and future generations,
then I'm ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with
you. Together, starting today, let us finish the work that needs to be
done, and
usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth."- Baraq Obama
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