Blind Educator of the Year

MARK RICCOBONO: Here to give a presentation on behalf of our Blind Educator of the Year award, from the committee, from the State of Missouri, Robin House.

ROBIN HOUSE: Thank you, President Riccobono. Good morning to each and every one of you. I'm proud to announce the recipient of the Blind Educator Award. I wanted to let you know that this award is a significant award and has been for many years. It began in the Blind Educators Division, and it recognizes blind educators for their hard work, dedication, and commitment in the difficult and challenging field of education.

I want to thank the Committee for the Blind Educator of the Year Award and those who served on it. This year's committee included Melissa Riccobono, Dr. Edward Bell, Cayte Mendez, Adelmo Vigil, and Vernon Humphreys. Thank you for serving on the Committee.

I want to share a quote with you from Albert Einstein. He said that "The supreme art of the teacher is to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." This award is given annually if a suitable candidate is recognized and selected by the Committee, and this year we do have a person who has gone above and beyond in the field of education.

I want to share a little bit about his background. It is said about him that the students that he works with lighten up when they see him and talk to him, and he is always available to put the students' needs first and let them share who they are and become all that they can be. He encourages them to do that by listening, by sharing his experiences, and by teaching them. He's always there to go above and beyond to meet their needs. He has compassion and love for his students, which I think he shares with many of the previous recipients of this award.

I want to share his credentials. He holds a bachelor's degree in history and social studies. He also holds a graduate degree in orientation and mobility and teacher of the visually impaired. He currently is the associate director of Transition and Residential Programs at the Washington State School for the Blind. [cheering] They have some wonderful educators there, right? [crowd agreeing] So please congratulate Corey Grandstaff. [cheering and applause] Corey also is very active in the state of Washington. He serves on their state scholarship committee as the chairperson. He also is the chapter president of the Clark County Chapter in Washington State. I am presenting him with a plaque and a check for $1,000. Let me read the inscription on the plaque.

It says:

Congratulations, Corey. [cheering and applause] Corey will now say a few words.
COREY GRANDSTAFF: I wasn't even this nervous when I went skydiving... [laughter]. But here we go.

I'd first like to say that it's an honor to receive this award. I'd be remiss if I did not thank a few individuals in my life that have made it possible for me to sit here with you all today. First, I'd like to thank my state president, Marci Carpenter, who nominated me for this award. [applause] I'm honored to call Marci a friend and a mentor in my life. So thank you, Marci. [applause]

As was stated, I currently work at the Washington State School for the Blind. It sounds like a really fancy title, but the way I like to describe it is that I'm the vice principal during the evening time. I thank my wife, Arabia, and there's many nights when I'm supposed to be home for dinner or we're supposed to go on dates or we're sitting down to watch our favorite TV show, and I get that call that says I need to come back to work, or I need to stay later to handle situations. She handles that all in stride: supporting me to the end, listening when I come home and share those stories about the struggles my students are having or the successes they've had. She even volunteers for my students. They love when she comes and does their hair and nails for prom. [crowd awwwing and applause] Without Arabia, I would not be standing here today.

I want to share some stories about some important individuals who have made me the educator I am. I grew up on a horse-breeding farm in central Ohio and let me tell you—the conversations we had around the dinner table were interesting and honestly embarrassing if you had friends over, especially when you invited your first girlfriend over for dinner. [laughter]

What I learned and have to thank both my brothers, my sister, and my parents for is "can't" was not a word in our home. I was never told I could not do something. In fact, when I said I couldn't do something, the response I got was "You can. You just have to find a way to do it."

So I say the same thing to my students on a daily basis. "Can't" cannot be a word that is part of their vocabulary, because the world already expects that, as blind people, we can't do things. [crowd agreeing and applauding]

I'm a proud alumnus of the Ohio State School for the Blind, and I want to talk about some teachers that influenced me as an educator. Dan was one of my blind teachers, and he taught me that blind people can do anything we want to do. There was nothing we couldn't do, nothing that could hold us back. Another teacher I had, Jeff, was one of my sighted teachers, and he taught me to take it to the limit and always give it 110 percent.

In my tenth grade in high school, I had the opportunity to attend public school part-time. During my junior year, I decided to take AP English. I honestly can't even tell you the teacher's name, but I remember the conversation we had. We sat down one day because I was getting an F in her class, the first F of my life. She told me, "You can go back to regular English, and you can get an A, or you can sit in my class, and you're going to have to work very hard, and you may get a C, but probably not.” What I took away from her was that she held me to the same high expectations as my peers. [applause] It was the first time in my life I had a sighted teacher in a public school hold me to those same high expectations. Although I can't tell you her name, I'll never forget that. [applause]

I have one more story; it's kind of a negative one, but I want to share.  In my undergrad school, I had a teacher; we'll call him Dennis. He taught me a valuable lesson. Right before I took his class, we had a meeting. We sat down and he said these exact words to me: “Corey, no matter how you do in my class, no matter what grade you get or how great a teacher you demonstrate to be, I am the one who approves student teaching, and I will never approve you to student teach.”
What he didn't know is that when you tell us we can't do something, me and the other Grandstaff's in my family—you have just triple motivated us! We're very stubborn individuals. [applause]

So, while this was a negative experience, it taught me to encourage my students in whatever they want to do. I believe that blind people can do anything. I hope when I get on my plane tomorrow, my pilot walks into the cockpit with their white cane tapping. [laughter and applause].

So, again, this is an honor. What even makes it more of an honor is that I have some of my coworkers and some of my former and current students in the audience today. I've even had the honor of hiring some of those former students to work for me; that was a goal of mine when I took this job. Blind people need to be employed, and I have the ability to do that in the privileged position that I'm in. So educators, do not allow your students to say they can't. Encourage them in whatever their future goal is. Hold your students to those high expectations no matter what. Push them to that limit to give 110 percent, and don't hold them back. I'd like to thank you, National Federation of the Blind, for this great honor and for the ability to continue the life that I want to live. [applause]

Thank you.

MARK RICCOBONO: Congratulations and thank you to Robin and the committee for great work. It's so inspiring to observe recognition of these great educators.

I think there are other ones outside of Washington, though! So this is a challenge to other affiliates, these awards will come around again next year! [laughter]