Teacher Feature...
The Rewards and Benefits of Having a Sight Impaired Student in Your Class
by Dave Melanson
Hello everyone thanks for taking the time to read this article. I want to talk about the rewards and benefits of teaching a sight impaired student. Often the sight impaired student will work twice as hard as the other students to keep up with the curriculum, in many cases family support is very strong from parents who want to see their child succeed and grow. It is very important especially in the early years of the child's school life that the child be given as much encouragement and assistance as possible as the early years are the tender years and often determine if the student will be successful in the future.
There are many support services available to the classroom teacher in terms of itinerant support as well as large print, braille, or taped texts available to the sight impaired student. With the modern technical adaptive aids available as well often a sight impaired student is able to function within the regular classroom environment. Keep in mind that you as their teacher will be a very important influence on the student, if you are welcoming and show a sign of caring and compassion as well as understanding the student will look to you as a role model and will often never forget you. In return for being there and caring you will feel a strong sense of achievement and also a good positive feeling that you have helped this student to succeed and overcome his or her psychical challenge.
My former 4th and 6th grade teachers were very supportive to me and to this day I keep in touch with them and let them know that their influence touched me a great deal. When a sight impaired student is motivated and strives to become what they desire often they must fight very hard and overcome numerous obstacles this inevitably makes them appreciate their successes and achievements as they have had to overcome much and know what it is like to struggle, often however the struggle turns into determination and the will to strive even further for success.
In closing with this being the christmas season I would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday and I look forward to seeing many of you in Teachers.Net. I want to take this opportunity to personally thank Teachers.Net. Kathleen thank you for being there and helping me as much as you have, Bob thank you for creating and overseeing the chatrooms and ensuring that Teachers.Net is a safe place for everyone to enjoy. Season's Greetings and all the best for the New Year.
I have developed several audio tapes from previous seminars I have given on the topic of mainstreaming and integrating sight impaired children. I am willing to sell these tapes for $10 U.S. each. If there is any school district that is interested in purchasing a tape, please contact me:
Email: melanson@teachers.net
Postal Address:
Dave Melanson
702 Riverview Ave
Verdun Quebec Canada H4H 2C1
About Dave Melanson...
Dave Melanson is located in Montreal Canada. He has four years experience presenting seminars and sensitization training to elementary schoolteachers on mainstreaming and integrating visually impaired and blind children into the regular classroom. During the past 2 years he has begun to branch outside of the Montreal area and is now covering other Canadian Provinces as well as the U.S. When giving seminars Dave brings with him a briefcase of 10 pairs of simulator glasses, each allowing the wearer to experience a different type of visual impairment.
Dave will provide a tape of a previous seminar to any school district interested in booking a presentation in order to demonstrate the topics he covers with regard to integration and mainstreaming a sight impaired or blind child.
You may contact Dave for more information by e-mail at melanson@teachers.net or by telephone: 514 7683264. Dave can also be found in the Teachers.Net chatroom many evenings during the week, logged on as Dave/Montreal.
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