[Ccb-alumni] Favorite instructor story.
Mary Ellen Sanchez
sanchez.maryellen at gmail.com
Thu Nov 12 12:11:28 UTC 2009
hello i had eddie when i went to the center as well.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eva Adams" <eadams15 at gmail.com>
To: "Colorado Center for the Blind mailing list" <ccb-alumni at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 12:53 AM
Subject: Re: [Ccb-alumni] Favorite instructor story.
> 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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