Interview With a Sophomore

Interview With a Sophomore

Future Reflections
Winter/Spring
2005
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Interview With a Sophomore

by Judi Ross
Reprinted from the D.V.I.
Quarterly, Spring 2003, Volume 48, Number 3.
Editor's Note: This
is, for reasons that will soon be obvious, a companion article to the preceding
one about Kerri Regan's debut on Jeopardy. In this interview conducted two years
ago, Judi Ross, a teacher of the visually impaired (TVI) from Long Island, New
York, sheds more light on the background that helped Kerri develop the skills
and confidence to make a successful bid to get on the Jeopardy! show.
Here is what Ms. Ross says:
The following interview
took place between Kerri R and me. I have been Kerri's itinerant teacher for
several years. Kerri is a young lady who is totally blind. She has been integrated
in mainstream classes since preschool and is now a sophomore in high school
enrolled in college preparatory classes. I would like to share Kerri's thoughts
with other teacher's of the visually impaired (TVIs) or with those preparing
to be TVIs, in the hope that knowing her views will help us all to better serve
our students:
TVI: What is the toughest
part of school for you?
Kerri: It's hard to get
to know many people in a big school. Trying to keep up with all the work and
different subjects is hard. Content is difficult if it involves graphing or
diagrams to read or create. It's also hard to remember so much.
TVI: What is the easiest
part of school for you?
Kerri: Lunch, because there
is no work to do!
TVI: What is your most
difficult subject?
Kerri: Math, because there
is so much to memorize. Teachers have so many different approaches. It's hard
to figure out what they mean. There are so many diagrams and things are arranged
in different ways. They do so much work on the board and they don't explain
how things are supposed to be written and lined up.
TVI: What is your easiest
subject?
Kerri: Anything that has
just reading, like English or history. It is much easier to follow along.
TVI: How has the role of
the itinerant teacher changed since you started school?
Kerri: When I started school
my TVI had to teach me how to read and write and learn practically everything.
Now she does more transcribing so I can have my materials ready for me when
my classroom teachers use them.
TVI: What problems do you
identify that teachers may overlook?
Kerri: Some TVIs focus
too much on adaptive skills and not enough on academic skills. As a student,
I am trying to keep up with my classmates and getting my work done. In high
school, I get homework in every subject and I really want to understand what
my teachers are going to test me on. Classroom teachers don't realize how important
it is to get work [teacher prepared materials] in on time [to the TVI] so it
can be Brailled. When teachers give notes or oral quizzes they move very fast.
Sometimes it takes longer to Braille answers and I have trouble keeping pace.
They often fail to describe what they are writing on the board. It could help
if they gave a copy of their notes to my TVI so she could have diagrams ready
for me and then I could refer to them in class. Classroom teachers should explain
their routines, like how they inform students of homework assignments.
TVI: How does the TVI help
you?
Kerri: When I was younger
my TVI taught me how to read and write Braille, keyboarding and computer skills,
and how to use a calculator. Now she helps me understand difficult subjects
and solve problems in school. She is a liaison between me and the staff in my
high school including teachers and administrators.
TVI: How does the TVI hinder
you?
Kerri: A student can become
too dependent on the support. It is easy to get lazy. It is important for me
to learn to advocate for myself.
TVI: Do you prefer having
the same TVI or would you prefer frequent changes?
Kerri: It is hard for a
kid to get bounced around from teacher to teacher. They have different styles
and methods. Lots of time is wasted getting to know what each other knows. When
your TVI knows what you can do, she can help you explain it to the classroom
teachers. Otherwise it takes a while to get them to understand that a blind
kid can do the work they assign.
TVI: In your opinion, what
are the three most important qualities of a good TVI?
Kerri: First they should
be very creative. They need to come up with solutions to solving problems, making
manipulatives, and describing unusual material. Second, they should be flexible.
They need to be open to different styles of learning and different styles of
teaching. Third, they need to be patient. It can take awhile for students to
pick things up. Sometimes they must do things over and over.
TVI: What kind of work
environment do you prefer?
Kerri: Both push-in and
pull-out have advantages and disadvantages. Pull-out is hard because you are
always concerned about what you are missing. Push-in may help teachers and other
students learn about alternative methods. However, it may be hard to concentrate
on work when two teachers are teaching. The ideal is to pull students out during
minor subjects or free time, but it isn't good to extend the school day because
then students miss out on extra-curricular or social opportunities.
TVI: List the three most
important skills you learned.
Kerri: Reading, writing,
and computer skills. I'm glad I had the basics of reading and writing Braille
as early as kindergarten, when my classmates were also learning the same things.
You must know how to read. It opens so many doors. I started keyboarding as
early as my little fingers would reach on the keyboard. That was in first grade.
Knowing all these things early helped me focus on subjects and content.
TVI: What specific skills
does your TVI need?
Kerri: She needs proficient
Braille skills. I now read literary, math, music, foreign language, and chemistry
Braille. She also has to be up-to-date in technology. This makes it possible
for her to teach her student as well as transcribe Braille more quickly and
accurately. It also is important for her to have knowledge of the subjects.
She should at least know the basics of the subjects I am studying to be able
to explain things. She needs to be resourceful so she will know where to get
information.
TVI: What are some qualities
of your present TVI that you like?
Kerri: I like that we have
been together for a long time. We know each other well and she makes me do things
for myself. She is very patient and persistent. We go over things again and
again until I learn them. She tries to get everything for me in Braille so I
can participate in class just like everyone else. She is very well prepared.
TVI: What are some qualities
of your present TVI that you dislike?
Kerri: It gets boring when
we do things over and over. She gives me so much individual attention that she
won't let me goof off or give up. Sometimes I just don't feel like doing my
best but she keeps at me.
TVI: How important is it
for your TVI to have knowledge of the subjects you are studying?
Kerri: Very! Teachers don't
always know how to explain things to a blind person. It can be especially helpful
in my weakest or special areas including math, science, music, and foreign language.
TVI: What are some of the
biggest problems you encounter?
Kerri: Teachers getting
their work [hand-out materials] in on time so it can be Brailled for me, and
teachers who have no idea how to work with a blind student. They can't just
write on the board.
TVI: What frustrates you
the most?
Kerri: Not having my books
and therefore not being able to follow along. People think it's okay to just
read things to me but then I don't get to see the spelling or grammar and I
have to remember so much.
TVI: What do you want TVIs
to know about working with a blind child in a mainstream classroom?
Kerri: They should try
to be as invisible as possible to the other kids. It is hard to be labeled as
one who needs special help. Don't pull students out of class or especially lunch.
Kids must socialize and we need time to relax during the day. Make sure to tell
teachers to plan ahead so they can get the work [their hand-out materials] in
on time so I can get it in Braille when the other kids get their copies in print.
PLEASE!
TVI: What gives you the
greatest satisfaction?
Kerri: Doing the same things
everyone else does. I have achieved honor roll and plan to go to college to
pursue a career that involves writing.
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