[nobe-l] {Spam?} Re: Kayla's Career Questions

[nmpbrat at aol.com]

Kathy,
Very well said.  I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that much of what we are dealing with in education is as a result of lack of understanding and ignorance.  We not only have to teach the children but we must also teach those above us.  We are fortunate to have people like you out there speaking on behalf of the profession and knocking down barriers.  Despite the fact that it is out of your comfort zone, I'm sure you're making a difference!  
Interestingly, your description about how the issues we face with politicians and such in education are not out of malice but simply out of lack of understanding, kind of parallels the issues we face as people with disabilities, in that, I think many times the barriers that are placed before us and the issues we face with people are not out of malice but rather because of lack of understanding or ignorance.   
I certainly hope you are right Kathy when you say that you are beginning to see the pendulum swinging the other direction!
Nicole


-----Original Message-----
From: Kathy via NOBE-L <nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
To: blind teachers <nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Kathy <goldendolphin17 at hotmail.com>
Sent: Sun, Mar 20, 2016 10:12 am
Subject: Re: [nobe-l] Kayla's Career Questions

Kayla,
  It is a complex picture, the teaching world full of issues, but if you have the passion and determination, those things will weigh out the issues. The problem is that it is sometimes hard to protect and nourture that passion and determination when the issues get more complex and pressing. Part of my year of service this year has been making peace with the fact that I am in a position to communicate the frustrations and pressures to policy makers, which is way out of my comfort zone. I have learned when meeting with Senators and Representatives that it is often not malice toward the profession that makes them create such unfriendly hoops for teachers to jump through...it is lack of knowledge about what we are doing in the classroom. Therefore, teacher leadership movements have swelled to break down the barrier of ignorance that is behind much of the unpleasant buzz around education right now. I see signs of things swinging back our way, where the child is the focus and where trusting the teacher is rising again. It is not a dead or hopeless profession, and the joyful aspects are not gone. That is why I am sticking with the profession for the long haul, and that is why I believe discussions such as this one are important. We cannot sugarcoat the journey or the act of being a committed and successful teacher as it is hard, yet we cannot give up on the profession either because when it comes down to it, the children still need teachers who love what they do and who love kids.
Kathy and Nacho
 

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