[nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school

Fri Feb 10 03:01:49 UTC 2012

Hi Chris,
I had the same problem in middle and high school with kids teasing me
about cheating because I used a Braille Lite for homework and tests.
It is especially hard for blind students who get good grades, I think
because other students can be envious. However, I wouldn't worry about
it too much because in the end, it doesn't matter whether the kids
think you are cheating or not. It only matters what your teachers
think and they are probably not going to suspect you of cheating just
because of what other kids say. Your teachers are allowing you to use
your technology for tests and assignments so they must trust you. They
also know that you are being pulled out and not just skipping class.
If a teacher does worry about your integrity, there are things they
can do to ensure you aren't cheating, such as pop-quizzing you orally
on the material without letting you look at your Braille Note. The
false claims of students aren't going to affect your permanent record,
grades or anything else, so just relax and do your best to either
educate the kids or just ignore them.
Now, I assume when you say you are being pulled out for things like
O&M, you are still expected to make up the work in the classes you're
pulled out of, right? What classes are you being pulled out of? If the
classes are ones like drama or music, it's probably not a big deal,
but if you're regularly missing academic subjects like math or science
or social studies, I think that can be a problem. You don't want to
end up in a situation where you're missing lessons or where you're
expected to do less work than the rest of the class because of your
pull-outs. It doesn't sound like this is happening, but if it is, I
would suggest you talk with your IEP team about trying to schedule
your pull-outs before or after school so that you're not missing
class. This will be especially important in high school. However,
often high schools will allow students to take a free period so you
can try to have your pull-outs during that free period if possible
when you start high school. It might also be worth thinking about what
your pull-outs are and if you have several, whether all of them are
absolutely necessary. This is a decision you'll need to make in
collaboration with your parents and teachers on your IEP team, but you
are an important member of that team.
Best,
Arielle

On 2/9/12, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi Chris,
> Well, I hope he stops bullying; like you said, let it go. don't give him
> attention and hopefully it will pass.
> Sorry to hear about the student's behavior. That is immature.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Nusbaum
> Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2012 8:18 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school
>
> Hi Ashley,
>
> I agree.  I don't think this is something which is effecting my
> right to a "free and appropriate education," and therefore
> wouldn't be appropriate for an IEP or to even be brought up at
> the IEP meeting; that is, unless it happens again and again.  As
> I reported here last week, I have talked with my principal about
> this, and she has promised to take care of this.  I trust that
> she will, so I'm letting it go for now.
>
> Also, after more recent events have happened, the pretzel
> incident seems like a pretty small matter.  I won't go through
> all the details, but basically other students at my school have
> been falsely accusing me of cheating on tests (that is, looking
> at notes I take in my notetaker during tests) and being "let off
> the hook" on classwork when I'm really in a pullout class.  These
> kids really need to be educated!
>
> Chris
>
> Chris Nusbaum
> Email and Google Talk/Keychat (on the BrailleNote) ID:
> dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
> Skype: christpher.nusbaum3 or search for Chris Nusbaum
>
> "The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The
> real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
> exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and
> opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical
> nuisance."
> -- Kenneth Jernigan
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 23:30:25 -0500
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school
>
> Chris,
> If it happens again and again, then bring it to the IEP team.
> But if not,
> I'd let it go.  I mean you let the top official-- the principal
> know.  So I
> think that is enough.  Its not as if the Iep team will do
> anything more; and
> besides most of them such as your parents and TVI already know
> about the
> issues.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Nusbaum
> Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2012 10:07 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school
>
> You're right; it wouldn't be something to put in my IEP.  But do
> you think it would hurt to bring it up to the team?
>
> Chris
>
> "The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The
> real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
> exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and
> opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical
> nuisance."
> -- Kenneth Jernigan
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Nicole B.  Torcolini at Home" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 15:09:51 -0800
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school
>
> This is not the kind of thing that you put in an IEP.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Hope Paulos" <hope.paulos at gmail.com
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2012 4:48 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school
>
>
>     Hi Chris.  I'm assuming you're in high school..  I'd go to
> both your
> principal and your guidance counselor.  I wouldn't talk to him
> directly-- I
> think he'd get more dicipline if you had the principal talk to
> him.  I'd
> also bring it up during your IEP/PET.
> HTH
> Hope and Beignet
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Beth" <thebluesisloose at gmail.com
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2012 6:54 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school
>
>
> I knew this kid, speaking of criminals who were playground and
> school
> bullies, who was always harassing me, got mein trouble at lunch
> one day in
> elementary school, and later went on to rape somebody and go to
> jail for
> it.
> Beth
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Desiree Oudinot <turtlepower17 at gmail.com
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 18:41:07 -0500
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school
>
> When I was in elementary school, I had kids stealing books from
> me,
> throwing erasers in my hair, pulling chairs out from under me,
> you
> name it, they did it.  The worst part was that most times, my
> teachers
> were right there, and refused to do anything about it, because
> they
> too were uncomfortable with my blindness, so why should they
> intervene? I say this because it wasn't so long ago that this
> happened
> to me.  I grew up in the 90's, before bullying was the huge deal
> it is
> now, but still close enough to the events of Columbine that it
> wasn't
> completely unheard of either.  And it was as "unacceptable" then
> as it
> is now.  Yes, I put unacceptable in quotes, because guess what,
> it
> happens every day and so little of it is actually dealt with.
> Meanwhile, things that are no real problem at all are resulting
> in
> criminal records, such as a case I heard about recently where a
> boy
> gave his friend a hug in school and was charged with sexual
> harassment.  I forget their exact ages, but they were young,
> elementary
> school age.  And yet, kids are driven to suicide, depression,
> drugs,
> and every other dysfunction in the book, because they're bullied
> mercilessly every day and no one will do anything about it.
> Why do I say all this? I say it because I hope your school isn't
> like
> mine was.  I hope that someone in authority actually cares.  I
> hope that
> it doesn't escalate, because most kids have a cruel streak.  I
> think
> it's true what they say about the impulsiveness of
> adolescents--it's
> human nature to be cruel, and at that age, most of us haven't
> learned
> how to control those impulses or aggressions, making them the
> most
> prone not only to selfishness and thoughtlessness, but to almost
> animal rage, not to mention an inability to see beyond their own
> actions to how they might be affecting others.  My point is,
> people
> like this have to be stopped.  Perhaps if something can get
> through to
> them while they're still young and impressionable, they might
> not grow
> up to be tomorrow's criminals.  Or maybe they will, who knows.
> But I've
> seen enough to know what usually happens in these situations,
> even if
> it was 15 years ago; and, in saying that, I hope things have
> evolved
> at least a little bit since then.  It makes me sick to read
> messages
> like this.  I hope for your sake that these small actions do not
> go
> untouched.  Right now this kid is probably testing the waters,
> seeing
> just how much he can get away with.  If he can steal a pack of
> gum, so
> to speak, he may try to steal a candy bar next, then a bag of
> chips,
> and on and on it goes, you get the picture.
>
> On 2/1/12, Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu> wrote:
> Chris, I know what you're going through.
> I had a girl, put a dead frog in my shirt, as we were playing
> outside,
> (I was in elementary school, when that happened.)
> Go to your principal, and he/she should do something.
> This stuff has got to stop!
> If they don't do anything, go in front of the schoolboard!
> Blessings, Joshua
>
> On 2/1/12, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> I had a problem at school today that I'd like to get your
> thoughts on as to what I should do next.  Today during lunch,
> another kid at my table dumped his bag of pretzels into my water
> bottle without my knowing; he must have thought it was some kind
> of funny prank.  Fortunately, I was sitting next to a good
> friend
> of mine, who told me about this.  Even after multiple people
> commented negatively about what he did, he said nothing.
>
> Variations on this have happened before with this same kid as
> the
> perpetrater; only once before today this school year and 3 times
> last year.  The one time something like this happened this year,
> he put his dirty napkin in my Yogurt cup (after I had finished
> eating the Yogurt) without saying anything.  The first time
> (with
> the napkin,) I realized that this had happened as I was getting
> my trash together to throw it away.  Knowing who did it, since
> he'd done this kind of thing before last year, I said, "(Insert
> name,) why is your napkin in my Yogurt?" Knowing that he had
> been
> caught, he replied, "Oh...  sorry." I then talked to the lunch
> lady who is in charge of supervising all of us in the lunchroom.
> She said she would talk to him.  I wasn't there when she did,
> but
> apparently she had, as the problem (for about a month and a
> half)
> had been resolved...  that is, until today.
>
> I feel that this is a person taking advantage of my blindness
> and
> playing a "prank" on me knowing that I won't catch him.  So,
> what
> do you think I should do next? Should I go to our principal?
> Should I talk to him directly? Any suggestions would be greatly
> appreciated!
> Thanks,
>
> Chris
>
> "The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The
> real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
> exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and
> opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical
> nuisance."
> -- Kenneth Jernigan
>
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