[NOBE-L] seeking advice around student teaching issues

Thu Sep 2 22:38:23 UTC 2021

Hi all,

I want to echo what was just expressed in the previous email on this thread. Also, I have actually never heard of a situation where an assistant is even part of a student teaching placement. I had three placements, and I was never assigned anyone. I was also a substitute at one point without an assistant. If anything, I would think it would be advantageous to be able to request this as part of student teaching if the teacher wishes in order to get experience working with somebody who may possibly be in that role. Precious, while I don’t have super specific things that may be helpful for your situation here is what I think:

1. I do think it is strange and hindering to force you to use an assistant during student teaching if you don’t want one. You shouldn’t be forced to utilize an accommodation that you have not requested yourself. However, if your program is indicating that this is something they feel is necessary for you to complete your program, they need to provide this in a timely fashion. I would put this in writing immediately. This way, it goes on the record that you are expressing you didn’t request the assistant yourself and that you can’t actually be forced to do this. This is super important because institutions don’t always realize that they are out of compliance with the ADA, so if you point this out to them they may back off. 

2.  it is up to you whether or not you want to fight the program on this. If you really don’t want an assistant, voice that. However, if you are told it is this or nothing, my advice to you personally is to get your degree and get out of there. Once you have your own classroom, you can set up your own systems and routines however you wish. Don’t let people stand between you and the finish line. I understand that others may disagree with this, and there is no reason that you can’t go on the record indicating how accommodations actually work, but I have seen other teachers get held up by stupid bureaucracy. It is up to you whether or not you want to fight this though. You can always consult someone who has legal expertise. One thing I would ask or point out during your next meeting with your team is that not only is the chain of command forcing an accommodation on you that you don’t seem to want, but they are not actually complying in a timely fashion and holding you up. This is unfair as it’s not actually equal treatment since everyone else has already started their placement. You are a student in the same situation just like everyone else.

3. When you meet with your team, I would have your questions organized in a list. This might be a good opportunity for you to express your concerns as well as provide strategies for how you plan to complete your placement as a blind teacher. It might not be a bad idea to address questions even if they seem unfair. For example, if assessing student work seems to be what the concern is, outline a number of strategies where you would do this yourself efficiently and independently to eliminate or minimize the need for cited assistance. 

4. If you choose to address these questions, remember that there is a difference between someone asking you questions versus someone questioning you. Stand your ground. When I first started teaching I felt the responsibility to constantly educate when certain questions and actions were just inappropriate and I wish I had called some of that behavior out now. It’s scary when we are establishing ourselves professionally but it’s important sometimes.

Feel free to reach out to me off list  if you would like to. I wish you the very best! Keep us posted.
V

—
Valeria

> On Sep 2, 2021, at 5:19 PM, Chase Crispin via NOBE-L <nobe-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> I'm so sorry to hear of your issues here. I completely disagree that you need an assistant, especially in this situation. Student teaching is a time to figure out how to get information in a non-visual way, and it is a time to problem solve strategies. But, this should be done with your cooperating teacher and possibly university supervisor and not with a specific assistant. I realize each state has different requirements, but I am not understanding why they think an assistant is necessary for the licensure process. I student taught in the fall of 2019 (half with elementary, half with high school). I did not have an assistant and also received my substitute teaching license during that semester. When my cooperating teacher was gone, I was able to be the substitute for the day and was the only adult in the room with the students at both the elementary and secondary level. I realize that doesn't give you any direct advice about your situation, but I do want you to know that you can do this. There is no reason you cannot student teach without an assistant. And, since there is a very specific number of hours required in the student teaching process, their delays are going to hinder you. I would think a reasonable accommodation would be for them to find someone to sit in the room with you temporarily until you resolve this. Ultimately, you need to get started ASAP.  Are you at least able to visit the school you'll be in and start to get oriented in the space and meeting the faculty? Even if you can't work with students right away, this would be a huge help for you. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there's anything I can do to help you. I'm currently teaching middle school vocal music in Nebraska and am happy to help in any way I can. Good luck!
> 
> 
> Chase Crispin
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NOBE-L <nobe-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Precious Perez via NOBE-L
> Sent: Thursday, September 2, 2021 1:41 PM
> To: nobe-l at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Precious Perez <pulyperez1 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [NOBE-L] seeking advice around student teaching issues
> 
> Hello,
> I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to seek  advice around student teaching issues that I am having currently. I am in my final semester at Berkeley College of music, and my final requirement is my student teaching practicum. I started meeting with everyone involved on the team in May to finalize my accommodations, and I was told that I would need an assistant in order to be able to complete some of the visual requirements for assessment as far as practicum goes in order to get my licensure via the state department and their guidelines. when I asked why I needed another person with me in the classroom, they said that there were some things that needed to be assessed visually, and that’s why I would need it. Since then, there have been threads of emails back-and-forth, and I’ve helped vet  some candidates. At the end of July, we vetted a candidate that was promising, and I assumed all was well. At the beginning of August, this month, my second placement could no longer support me, so they needed to find another. When I asked about how to proceed, they said that they were doing their best to ensure that I was covered and that I would have more information soon. It is now almost the end of the first week for the school district that my elementary placement is in, and the week before the Berklee semester starts. I still have no information after sending a follow-up email requesting that I get information about my placements, my schedule, and the assistant. I found out today that the assistant I had helped  vet last month took another job, and the accessibility department thought that this had been communicated in earlier threads of emails. I was asked to conduct another interview tomorrow afternoon, still with no knowledge of a schedule or any information despite the assurance that this is their priority and they are doing everything they can. At this point, I feel that if they were doing everything they could, this wouldn’t be happening right now. I’m worried that the longer I wait And allow myself to keep getting the runaround when  I ask for information, the longer it’s going to take for them to solidify somebody, thus, delaying my timeline for everything. I don’t think that I need an assistant to be able to complete all of this, and I don’t think it should be required, but I get the sense that they will tell me that I cannot start anything without my assistant if I try to rescind the accommodation. I can’t do anything on my own without their go ahead Given the chain of command and the process for completing requirements, so I’m stuck. I wanted to reach out to this list in the hopes that other blind educators might have some wisdom to offer. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to hear back soon.
> 
> All best,
> 
> Precious
> Sent from my iPhone
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