[NOBE-L] Questions about teaching

[nmpbrat at aol.com]

I think there are a variety of variables to take into consideration when determining where, what, and who you are going to teach.  Just as a side note, I'm licensed to teach K-12 and have taught various grade levels over my career.  I think each level brings its own sets of challenges, so I don't know that one is necessarily better than the other, just different.  First, I would ask "what do you want to teach?"  Based upon what you stated, you are likely looking at middle or high school level.  I think it is more important that you make your decision based upon what you want to teach rather than what may be perceived to be easier due to your visual impairment.  Secondly, do you have a preference of who you want to teach?  Interestingly enough, that may change as you begin teaching.  When I started teaching, I thought that I would always want to teach elementary.  However, I eventually was moved into the middle school level due to the district closing my elementary building I was working in.  I never thought I'd be teaching middle school but ended up falling in love with it.  Since you are mom and have likely had many life experiences with various age levels, you may have an idea of what your tolerance level will lend itself to.  For example, at the middle school level, you often deal with immaturity, while at the high school level it's more about them thinking they are little adults and they know it all.  Third, where you choose to teach may also impact a decision.  If you end up in an inner city, rough district, you may be more comfortable at the lower levels where there is less of a chance of safety issues arising due to gangs, fights, weapons, etc.  Bottom line, I guess my point is....don't make your decisions based upon your vision.  Regardless of what level you teach, you will need to develop a strong classroom management plan because kids can be sneaky and deceitful at any age.  You will want to develop classroom routines, procedures, etc. that help you manage the class and keep behavior problems to a minimum.  As to hiring, I personally didn't have this issue but have heard plenty of stories where people have had issues.  I think the key is going into the interview prepared to discuss and address any concerns they may have and how you will handle them.  Often for teachers with visual impairments, they want to know how you are going to manage student behavior, so you'll want to go into it knowing how you are going to deal with it and what type of plan you will put into place to minimize any issues arising.  These are just my initial thoughts.  Best of luck to you!Nicole


-----Original Message-----
From: Dawn via NOBE-L <nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
To: nobe-l <nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Dawn <illibrium at yahoo.com>
Sent: Sat, Dec 14, 2019 7:32 pm
Subject: [NOBE-L] Questions about teaching


    My name is Dawn Scott, from San Antonio, TX. I am a 43 year old, married, mother of 5.  I am almost done with my BA in family studies and human development, and am looking into obtaining my teaching certificate. I am low vision, but have a good amount of usable vision. I am looking into teaching consumer science, child development or health nutrition at the middle or high school level. I am also open to other suggestions. My reasoning is older kids can turn in their work electronically and they are self governing. A few visually impaired people disagree with me, but they aren’t teachers. Their general consensus is older students would be more likely to take advantage of a disability. Younger students are more helpful and honest. What has been your experiences with teaching different age groups? 
    Has hiring been a big problem for anyone? I am concerned if I do the work to become a teacher in Texas, I won’t get hired because of my disability. 
Thanks in advance for your input. I look forward to meeting you all at the NFB convention in Houston.
Dawn Scott
 
Sent from my iPad

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