[Pibe-division] Any suggestions?

[EricGuillory at aol.com]

Greetings  Cindi et al, 
This  will serve as a multifaceted email. Firstly, I would like to address 
Cindi’s  inquiry, and then, on to other Federation business. 
My  wife and her colleagues in northern Louisiana have become fans of BOP. 
that is  to say, it far out-distances the original Patterns series in 
several  respects—particularly in the speed at which the code is introduced, as 
well as  in the method of doing the same. Whereas Patterns is widely thought 
to be  ponderous and far too slow in introducing new signs and symbols, BOP 
is markedly  faster, giving cognitive kids the credit they deserve in code 
acquisition and  setting reasonable expectations, not lowering the bar. 
The  homework debate is one that will rage no matter the content area. I 
personally  do not believe that a “magic bullet” answer for that question 
exists. Rather,  you have to use professional judgment when taking this into 
account. I realize  that family pressures (especially not to send homework 
home) do exist in some  instances. However, I also know that my sighted 
5-year-old son has homework  every night save for Friday, and he is in 
kindergarten. As teachers of the blind  and VI we have to ask ourselves if we truly 
believe our kids can compete in  terms of equality. As someone who is blind and 
has been both personally and  professionally successful (even if I didn’t 
become a stand-up comedian lol), I  hope that your answer to this question is 
yes. If yes, then what are we doing to  prepare them for future successes? 
If their peers get homework (complete with  all of the time management, 
problem-solving, character-building lessons that  entails), shouldn’t our kids? 
Again, good judgment is crucial. But, I believe  that never sending homework 
home is ultimately  detrimental. 
Now,  for those of you who care to continue reading, I would like to 
discuss PIBE as  an organization. 
In  July of this year, the National Organization of Professionals in 
Blindness  Education (PIBE) was officially recognized as a division of the 
National  Federation of the Blind. Yours truly was elected president thereof, along 
with  other officers and boardmembers. For those of you who wrote checks to 
PIBE for  your annual $25 dues and wonder why those have not been cashed, 
there is a  simple answer—namely, the bank with which I am dealing is putting 
up more  roadblocks to establishing a division account than one might 
expect of the  police as they try to stop a high-speed motorist. That is, 
establishment of a  bank account has proved extremely frustrating. I won’t bore you 
with any more  details, but suffice it to say that we are redoubling our 
efforts. I have also  been in preliminary talks with NOPBC President Laura 
Weber about a couple of  things, as well as with the Jernigan Institute about 
upcoming collaborative  opportunities. I am very excited about the 
possibilities for our division and  look forward to working with all members to 
strengthen and further enrich our  efforts to serve those in the field of working 
with blind and visually impaired  students in k-12 programs.  
For  those on the PIBE list who would be formally interested in joining our 
 organization, we would be happy for you to do so. I am hoping to have our 
bank  account established within a couple of weeks and will let you know 
once that is  done. I truly hope you will consider doing so, as $25 is far less 
than the fees  asked by other professional organizations. Granted, we have 
yet to accomplish a  great deal. However, that will change going forward—
with your guidance and  support. 
Please  do not hesitate to contact me off-list if I can be of assistance to 
you with  regard to follow-up or more specific PIBE inquiries. I also look 
forward to  continued on-list discussions and questions of the type raised 
by Cindi, Dr. V,  and others. I learn so much through these dialogs. Wishing 
everyone a good  weekend, 
Eric  Guillory, PIBE President 
Director  of Youth Services 
Louisiana  Center for the Blind 
101  South Trenton Street 
Ruston,  LA 71270 
Phone:  800-234-4166 
Fax:  318-251-0109
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