[Pibe-division] TVI Training

Tue Feb 18 03:25:00 UTC 2014

Hi Mikayla,
Good for you to be so forward thinking in pursuing a career. I wanted to add a couple of factors worth considering when you are looking at a program. 

First, I would not recommend doing a long distance or online program for a teaching degree. I started as a TVI a year and a half ago and since then have observed  friends and colleagues earning their TVI from a number of online programs. The main reason I do not recommend it is that you are mostly responsible for setting up your own practicum experiences with other teachers in your area. Your program will support you but they usually don’t have any kind of pre-existing relationship with your local district. This is difficult for anyone, blind or sighted. If you attend a program where you attend classes and live near campus, they are far more likely to have established relationships with nearby school districts and TVIs. That is a major plus to me. 

Second, if you do attend a program where you are local, consider the town the program is placed in. Is there a large school district with lots of blind students for practicum experiences or will you be competing with your classmates to spend time with the same 4 or 5 students in the small university town? 

As I look back on my teacher prep experience and compare it to several of my peers, I found these two factors to be important. 

I graduated from the TVI program at Vanderbilt in 2012. While attending a teacher prep program that embraces the NFB philosophy is a wonderful idea, I think what is most important is attending a program in which the professors believe that a blind person can be a competent teacher of blind students. Vanderbilt is perhaps infamous for not embracing the federation philosophy, but the professors there expressed their support for me and belief that I would make an excellent teacher from day one. They often did not know how I might accomplish something non visually, but expressed their confidence that it could be done and helped connect me to other blind professionals. Even though my professors didn’t embrace the federation philosophy, I was active in my local NFB chapter and found mentors like James Brown and Heather Field while I was in Nashville who helped provide a different perspective than what I received from my professors. 

I echo those who express the desire to see more teacher prep programs embrace a federation philosophy. I just wanted to point out that until we have more that do, it is still possible to find other programs that take a positive view of blind teachers of blind students. 

Best,
Greg

On Feb 17, 2014, at 9:22 PM, Mikayla Gephart <mikgephart at icloud.com> wrote:

> Was the coordinator of your program Paula Connery
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
> On Feb 17, 2014, at 8:06 PM, melissa R green <graduate56 at juno.com> wrote:
> 
>> Allison.
>> thank you for giving your opinion and your insight.
>> I have always heard the good things, and one of them is that the program had 
>> the NFB philosopy.
>> I went through the University of northern colorado program for teaching 
>> blind students.
>> I would just say that it isn't perfect, and that there are many other 
>> university programs that aren't perfect either.
>> Even if you do get the degree and complete the program.
>> There is still lots of obstacles that face bind teachers of blind students.
>> We are told about the shortage.  But noone considers the things that blind 
>> teachers have to go through and the idea that a blind teacher still has a 
>> hard time to land and keep their jobs.
>> those who are successful don't or won't help others.
>> I am being honest as well.
>> JMO!
>> Best,
>> Melissa R Green
>> Hold fast to dreams,
>> For if dreams die
>> Life is a broken-winged bird,
>> That cannot fly.
>> Langston Hughes
>> 
>> 
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Allison Hilliker" <AllisonH at benetech.org>
>> To: "Professionals in Blindness Education Division List" 
>> <pibe-division at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, February 17, 2014 8:04 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] TVI Training
>> 
>> 
>> Hi All,
>> 
>> I went to Louisiana Tech for the TBS program for about 6 months in 2007. It 
>> absolutely has the best blindness philosophy and beliefs in the capability 
>> of blind people around. You'll definitely get the best teacher education 
>> there.
>> 
>> That said, Jewel is right, it is located in the middle of nowhere. I didn't 
>> care for Ruston at all and that's why I left the program. I loved my 
>> instructors and my classes, but they only lasted for about 12 hours a week 
>> and the rest of the week I was still stuck living in the small town south. 
>> And the lack of transportation is a huge problem when trying to do your 
>> field work as most blind students do not live in Ruston and you'll need to 
>> hire drivers to get to neighboring towns. I was able to get rides with 
>> friends sometimes, but when a quarter's worth of classes require more than 
>> 30 hours of field work then depending on friends is not necessarily 
>> practical. I was spending a lot of money on drivers to do field work. Also, 
>> I was the only blind student in the program, and most of my instructors were 
>> also sighted, so  I didn't necessarily feel like I was getting many 
>> alternative technique suggestions for how to be an effective blind teacher. 
>> While The Louisiana Center does have many blind instructors, Louisiana Tech 
>> did not and those were the people I was working with in my grad program. And 
>> most of all, I just did not like the small town culture. Many people may 
>> love it, but I'm not one of them.
>> 
>> Sorry fellow NFB members. I realize this post won't be popular, but I felt 
>> moved to be honest. I've been in the NFB for years, consider myself a 
>> philosophical purest, and am  a Louisiana Center graduate. Even so, I have 
>> to be honest about Ruston. It's not the greatest place to spend two years of 
>> one's life. We desperately need more than one NFB-focused graduate program 
>> in this country because Ruston is not an option for everyone. It has many 
>> limitations that I feel we need to be real about.
>> 
>> JMO,
>> Allison
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Pibe-division [mailto:pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of 
>> Jewel
>> Sent: Sunday, February 16, 2014 6:22 PM
>> To: Professionals in Blindness Education Division List
>> Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] TVI Training
>> 
>> I looked into Louisiana Tech, too. I really liked the program description, 
>> and I really like their director, who took the time to speak to me. However, 
>> this school is in the middle of nowhere. There is no bus system. The only 
>> way to get to any good shopping is by Greyhound bus. And getting around town 
>> unless you're walking is difficult. You would have to bum rides from fellow 
>> students. That is the bad side of Louisiana Tech, but their program looks 
>> really good.
>> Jewel who went to Louisiana Tech last June to visit
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Feb 16, 2014, at 8:07 PM, Mikayla Gephart <mikgephart at icloud.com> 
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi,
>>>  As I have said, I want to be a TVI. I am looking at training programs, 
>>> and am leaning towards the College of New Jersey and Louisiana Tech, as I 
>>> live in New Jersey. What are your experiences with these and other 
>>> programs.
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Pibe-division mailing list
>>> Pibe-division at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/pibe-division_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>>> Pibe-division:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/pibe-division_nfbnet.org/herekittykat2%40gmail.com
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Pibe-division mailing list
>> Pibe-division at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/pibe-division_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> Pibe-division:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/pibe-division_nfbnet.org/allisonh%40benetech.org
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Pibe-division mailing list
>> Pibe-division at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/pibe-division_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> Pibe-division:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/pibe-division_nfbnet.org/graduate56%40juno.com
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Pibe-division mailing list
>> Pibe-division at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/pibe-division_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Pibe-division:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/pibe-division_nfbnet.org/mikgephart%40icloud.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Pibe-division mailing list
> Pibe-division at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/pibe-division_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Pibe-division:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/pibe-division_nfbnet.org/gpaikens%40gmail.com