[nobe-l] Questions from a beginning teacher

[Brian J. Quintana]

Dear Craig,

You ask some great questions.

1. Does your school have computers, or tablets for each student to use 
during class? If yes, you simply have them save them on Google Docx, or have 
them e-mail them to you to read. Where I live in CA, the district provides 
some money to allow me to hire a reader for this exact purpose, not many 
hours a week, but still something for which I am thankful.
2. I use a laptop connected to an LCD projector in my room. Originally, I 
brought my own, but then the entire school got wired for ceiling-mounted 
projectors. There is also a smart board, but the software is not very 
accessible, so I have my reader create the slide shows. Then, the eager 
students jump at the opportunity to run the show on the board.
3. While I do not have as many students as you, I have had nearly 90 at one 
time, and it took me a good month to recognize all of them by their voices. 
I always start the year with seating charts from the first day of school. 
Perhaps with high schoolers it is different, but in my experience, letting 
my sixth graders choose their own seats on the first day communicates that 
they are in charge, not you. Naturally, they will sit with their friends, so 
there is a higher level of disruptions right away, and until you know them, 
it will be more difficult to get under control when you do not know who may 
be the cause. Second, if you make the seating chart, and if you have some 
sort of Braille copy, or digital copy, you are more likely to start learning 
names more quickly, but also lets you know who you just happened to place 
near each other, but who should not sit near each other.

It is important to not get too frustrated with not learning names, or voices 
right away. Just like with a sighted teacher, it will take a while. One 
thing I tell my students to do, at least in the first month is that when 
they approach me in class, or outside is to say, "Mr. Q," it is Jose, may I 
borrow a pencil." If they forget, I may say, "Remind me your name again."

Brian




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Craig Cooper via nobe-l" <nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
To: "nobe-l" <nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "Craig Cooper" <craigcooper2013 at gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2015 7:09 PM
Subject: [nobe-l] Questions from a beginning teacher


> Greetings,
> In about three weeks, I will begin my first year of teaching.  I will
> be teaching Language Arts and U.S. History to juniors, in a nearby
> public high school.
> I have a few questions, as I think about setting up my classroom.
> 1.  As I understand it, there is no technology that will read
> handwritten assignments.  So, if students submit work, in this format,
> I will need sighted assistance to read these.  Am I correct?
> 2.  Does anybody have experience in working with document cameras,
> projectors, and interactive whiteboards?  Do you prefer one device
> over another?  I will be working with sighted students, so I want the
> best experience for them, while allowing me to use the device
> effectively.
> 3.  Finally, I will be teaching six classes, ranging from 25-30
> students per class.  Do you have any tips, suggestions, and
> recommendations for helping me quickly learn 150 voices and names?
> Thank you in advance.
> Sincerely,
> Craig Cooper
>
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