[nobe-l] Introduction and Advice for Student Teaching

[Ashley Bramlett]

Kayla,
You should focus on whatever major you picked in community college or just 
get a general associates degree.
It really does not matter what it is now if you plan to transfer to a 
university setting. Focus on general courses and get good grades so you can 
be accepted into a good university.
Also decide your future by volunteering with the populations you want to 
potentially work with and do some job shadowing if possible.

I was going to be a teacher and still may try pursuing this in grad school.
Right now, I really just want an entry level job preferabily helping kids 
directly or indirectly meaning I would be happy in an office as a program or 
communications staff person in a program which supports kids or youth.
Like you as a student I had lots of interests.
But in undergrad at marymount university, I tried pursuing elementary ed and 
then was planning to get a masters in teaching vision impaired students.
I could not handel the requirements of the elementary ed degree for many 
reasons and had trouble in observation hours where you are placed in a 
school and supposed to observe teaching techniques. For me the field 
placement was difficult to follow what the kids were doing and a lot of it 
was visual activities at their desks coloring or doing crafts.
Anyways, I changed my major to liberal arts with focus on social sciences 
and communication basically creating my own indiseplanary degree.

I had and still have many of the same concerns about rejection and being 
hired in any work with children as you  voiced here. Still, study what you 
want to and the rest will follow. You cannot base your major and college 
studies on potential fears. Even if you totally change your mind or cannot 
get hired in your chosen profession, you still have a degree, still have 
transferable skills, and have many secondary skills for working  in any 
field you gained in college like critical thinking, research, and analysis.

And, I've already felt discriminated against as I looked into a camp 
counselor position at the local rec center for the summer
since upon hearing that I could not run around after kids unassisted due to 
my vision impairment, she sounded totally uninterested. It came about when 
she named the camps and one was about sports, and I said I wanted to do one 
of the other camps focussing on more arts and crafts rather than sports and 
then said something about running around  with kids.
So, she then won't even consider me because she claims that all camps need 
staff to run around and literally watch kids.
I think she may be exaggerating as  kids do not do running all day except 
for sports camp.

So, go after what you want and where you feel you would fit best.

True, there is many teachers here of sighted students, but
from what you have shared I think being a special educator would be a better 
fit for you.
You want to work in small groups or on one to one basis.
Good luck with your decission.

Ashley
-----Original Message----- 
From: Kayla James via NOBE-L
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2016 6:19 PM
To: National Organization of Blind Educators Mailing List
Cc: Kayla James
Subject: Re: [nobe-l] Introduction and Advice for Student Teaching

Well, I suppose I'll just have to decide what to teach now since I am
finding a lot of blind people who teach sighted people. Or whether to
become a counselor instead.

On 4/3/16, Jasmine via NOBE-L <nobe-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hello,
> I went to junior college as well. It was better for me that way. I then
> transferred into another school, a university, and am going to graduate in
> December. I found that this worked better for me, and I have been in 
> school
> for eight years. I started at age 19, and am now 27
>
>> On Mar 22, 2016, at 9:15 PM, Kayla James via NOBE-L <nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Thank you for telling me all that, Tara. It does help. I suppose now
>> another dilemma to figure out is whether to go for four years in
>> education or two years in child development/early childhood education.
>> I'm wondering because I am 23 and still a college freshman. I still
>> live at home.
>> If I go four years, that would mean transferring to another school and
>> getting a bachelor's. If I go, I'll be a teacher in any grade I want,
>> higher pay, more paperwork and around age 27, probably.
>> If I get my associate's here at my junior college, I'll be at work
>> faster, an assistant teacher, daycare worker, or nanny (I can't help
>> it, you guys. I'm still holding out on that dream), but with less pay.
>> So that is my pros and cons delemma list.
>> If anyone has done either, please send advice on or off list.
>>
>> Kayla
>>
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