[nobe-l] [Bulk] Re: More questions for Kathy was: RE: QuietlyIintroducemyself
Brandy W
branlw at sbcglobal.net
Tue Feb 16 02:36:01 UTC 2010
Hi, When I did what in Texas they call our total teach in our student
teaching semester I took much more of the class earlier on than I had to to
be able to try things out before I was the one who had to have the answers.
My principal told me if he had a job I wanted he would higher me. He said he
was worried in the beginning, but after dropping by the room while I taught
calmed his fears. My teacher asked what she could do and I said will if you
would do it for a sighted teacher let me know. If not I don't wan't you to
do it. I learned a lot that semester. Transparencies labeled in Braille were
great. I found it took about 10 hours of readers a week. I used a few
different options. I had a high school student who needed NHS hours, a UT
volunteer, and a paid reader. They didn't need to know anything because I
had them tell me everything and I told them what I wanted done. I managed
behavor acording to my evaluation above average for a student at this time
in her teaching. I share these things because while it is tough to get a
teaching job when one is blind it is definitly achievable. It will probably
take many more interviews, and as one person said a person who is willing to
try new things. I found that sometimes I had to fake it till I figured it
out, but people didn't know. I would just say I'm going to do it this way,
and if it didn't work I'd say I learned... and try again. The only reason
I'm not teaching now is because my health can't withstand a full time
teaching job. I got way too sick during that last semester. So I tutor 1 on
1 and in small group settings. I think the only thing I would maybe need
some extra assistance with would be unexpected paperwork on a child or
something that couldn't be electronic. I made sure to learn to write, and I
can not express the value of this skill. People say my writing is equivalent
to a second grader, but other teachers and staff can read it and so can the
kids and that worked to write on the bord, it worked for nurse notes and
requests that wwere sent to the office etc. So much is on the computer that
it was very achievable. I think it is important for all of us to share our
tricks and concerns to help one another. I know many of you teach older
students, but younger grades can be achieved.
I would love to see this list more active.
Bran
Brandy Wojcik
Discovery Toys Educational Leader
www.playtoachieve.com
(512) 231-8697
----- Original Message -----
From: "Anita Adkins" <aadkins7 at verizon.net>
To: "National Organization of Blind Educators Mailing List"
<nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 7:05 PM
Subject: [Bulk] Re: [nobe-l] More questions for Kathy was: RE:
QuietlyIintroducemyself
> Hello,
>
> I just want to say I agree with the statement that the fewer accomodations
> needed, the more likely it is for one to get hired. If we think of this
> from a business standpoint, employers are more willing to hire us if we
> can be efficient and productive. Yes, maybe they are supposed to make
> accomodations for us, but if we can make them ourselves, we are much more
> likely to land the job. This does not mean that we should not ask for
> needed accomodations. It just means that we need to see if we can
> discover our own way to make it work and ask for assistance when we are
> not able to accomplish the job on our own. For example, hiring your own
> reader and providing your own transportation is something that you can
> most likely do for yourself. Grading papers as an English teacher, as
> another example, may be accomplished by requiring students to hand them in
> an electronic format that is accessible. A reader may be needed when it
> is necessary to grade students' handwriting, for instance. Due to
> confidentiality, it may be necessary to have a reader provided by the
> school, but it is important to explore to see if your own reader can do
> this job. For one of my education classes, I worked with at-risk kids in
> an after school program. I brought a raised line drawing kit to the
> sessions with me, and the 6-year-old I was working with wrote letters on
> the board for me. She thought it was neat drawing on the board, and I,
> myself, was able to examine her handwriting to see how she was doing. I
> have made it my mission to learn print letters. I know capital letters,
> but currently, I am tackling lower case letters. To get back on topic, n
> a nutshell, find a way to do the job on your own; ask for accomodations
> when you can't do it on your own. When an employer asks you how you can
> do something, don't say "I will need you to provide..." Rather say, "I can
> accomplish this task by using this or that alternative technique."
>
> Also, I believe it is most helpful when trying to get a job to make a
> contact or contacts in the field. This can be done through volunteering.
> (If a job is available, of course, take it in place of volunteer work).
> By volunteering, you are showing a possible employer that you do possess
> the skills and that you do have the abilities to do the job. I was hired
> at a position because I first volunteered doing it. While volunteering, I
> not only demonstrated my ability to teach, but I also made contacts. Now,
> when I do go into teaching, I will have someone to provide me with a good
> word.
>
> Just for those who don't know me, I am a nontraditional student, as I am
> 32 years old. I have worked as a Braille proofreader, a web
> accessibility/usability analyst, a sewer, and a rehabilitation teacher. I
> am now interested in working in the field of blindness, and I decided to
> return to school to get a degree that will allow me to do this. I do not
> know all of the answers, and I do look forward to learning from everyone
> on this list. Thanks in advance for all of your help and encouragement.
> Anita
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Marianne" <mdenning at cinci.rr.com>
> To: "National Organization of Blind Educators Mailing List"
> <nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 7:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [nobe-l] More questions for Kathy was: RE: Quietly
> Iintroducemyself
>
>
>> Hope, the fewer accomodations you need the more likely a school district
>> is to consider you for a position. Have you thought about working with
>> students who are ESL learners?
>>
>> I am in my first year of teaching and I do not have any accomodations. I
>> have all of my own equipment. You could probably get the Spanish book in
>> a text format and download it onto your Braillenote or other notetaker.
>> You would need help grading papers unless you had the students use the
>> computer and either email them to you or print them out.
>>
>> There are ways to work many things out but you need to have a lot of the
>> answers because the school system will not have them. I think OSEP which
>> stands for Office of Special Education Programs is pushing school
>> districts to hire more people with disabilities. I wouldn't use this as
>> a weapon against a school district but it is good information to have.
>>
>> Marianne
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Hope Paulos" <hope.paulos at maine.edu>
>> To: "National Organization of Blind Educators Mailing List"
>> <nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, February 13, 2010 6:20 PM
>> Subject: [nobe-l] More questions for Kathy was: RE: Quietly I
>> introducemyself
>>
>>
>>> Hi Kathy. I have obtained my secondary education Bachelor's degree with
>>> a focus on Spanish. I read in your message that it is highly unlikely
>>> that a totally blind person would be hired at a public school. I agree
>>> with that statement-- have spoken to many principals when taking
>>> education classes. My question, though, is what accommodations did you
>>> require from the school when they hired you? Did you do anything
>>> different that made you stand out so they *would* hire you, rather than
>>> look at other qualified applicants? The reason I ask, is because I'm
>>> looking for a teaching job. At the moment, I don't have a masters in
>>> teaching of the blind/visually impaired. I'd like to get a teaching job
>>> while I work on obtaining my masters.
>>> Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Kathy Nimmer" <goldendolphin17 at hotmail.com>
>>> To: "blind teachers" <nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Friday, February 12, 2010 3:40 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [nobe-l] Quietly I introduce myself
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hello everyone,
>>>>
>>>> Well, I've sure enjoyed seeing the discussions from so many to-be
>>>> teachers. It is hopeful to me that people are entering the training
>>>> process with an eye on this field, even though the odds are against
>>>> them for hiring in a normal public school classroom. I am someone who
>>>> was fortunate to go against those odds. I am in my eighteenth year of
>>>> teaching English and creative writing in a normal high school classroom
>>>> in a large public school in Indiana. Never would I claim to have all
>>>> the answers to what must be many questions, but I am willing to give
>>>> some of them a shot. I know I might be in a position to help those of
>>>> you in college and looking toward a teaching job, so I invite you to
>>>> ask away. I even had one list member come out to my neck of the woods
>>>> to observe for three days this past August, a wonderful experience for
>>>> both of us. She is student teaching right now. Again, nothing I do is
>>>> the ideal or perfect answer for everyone else, but I do do it and have
>>>> for seve!
>>>> ral years, not with success early on but with success far more often
>>>> than not now. Should we change the subject line if we're going to do
>>>> an open back and forth q/a? In between scanning and grading fifty
>>>> historical short stories his weekend, I'll gladly offer my limited
>>>> wisdom and will probably end up learning more from you than you do from
>>>> me! Hear from you soon.
>>>>
>>>> Kathy Nimmer: Teacher, Author, Motivational Speaker
>>>> http://www.servicedogstories.com
>>>> http://guidedogjourney.livejournal.com
>>>> Even if the shadows of the valley hide your view,
>>>> You still must believe in the mountains.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> From: iamantonio at cox.net
>>>>> To: nobe-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>> Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:07:49 -0500
>>>>> Subject: [nobe-l] Quietly I introduce myself
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>
>>>>> I hope we are all busy at teaching, or learning how to teach, since I
>>>>> have gotten no mail from this list in the past couple of weeks since
>>>>> subscribing.
>>>>>
>>>>> I am a member of the National Federation of the Blind of Rhode Island,
>>>>> and subscribed here because I am at school to become a social studies
>>>>> teacher.
>>>>>
>>>>> Some of you may know me from the NABS list, or the NFB of Florida, or
>>>>> the NFB of Massachusetts, and some of you will come to know me as a
>>>>> student at Western Governors University.
>>>>>
>>>>> This online university is where I currently attend, and it is where I
>>>>> will obtain a bachelors in social studies teaching 5/12.
>>>>>
>>>>> I am optimistic about getting a job after graduation, and I expect my
>>>>> hopes of employment to become realized. In other words, I want to, and
>>>>> expect to land a job.
>>>>>
>>>>> Right now all I can do is to work hard at school, and hope for a
>>>>> bright, if hectic teaching career.
>>>>>
>>>>> I have no specific questions at the moment, but hope to see some list
>>>>> traffic.
>>>>>
>>>>> Are there blind teachers here? what do you teach, and are you listed
>>>>> in Where the Blind Work?
>>>>>
>>>>> Sincerely,
>>>>>
>>>>> Antonio Guimaraes
>>>>>
>>>>> If an infinite number of rednecks riding in an infinite number of
>>>>> pickup trucks fire an infinite number of shotgun rounds at an infinite
>>>>> number of highway signs, they will eventually produce all the world's
>>>>> great literary works in Braille.
>>>>>
>>>>> Shop online and support the NFB of RI at no additional cost to you.
>>>>> http://www.givebackamerica.com/charity.php?b=169
>>>>> Givebackamerica.org, America's Online Charity Shopping Mall
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nobe-l mailing list
>>>>> nobe-l at nfbnet.org
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>>>>> nobe-l:
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nobe-l_nfbnet.org/goldendolphin17%40hotmail.com
>>>>
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>>
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>
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