I am one of the most blessed men that I have ever known.....seriously!! I have an absolutely amazing wife. I still can't believe she chose me out of all the guys in the world! She continuously teaches me new things and I have seen God do magnificent things through her. I want to brag on my wife a little :-) Recently, she became certified to teach students with visual impairments. I am so proud of her, she was a woman on a mission and she got it done. God worked in her life and led her to a certain purpose and she accepted it, embraced it and owns it! When she was first starting this endeavor she was applying to get into a program and wrote the following as part of the application process...I am using it with her permisson!
Nine years ago I was a fourth grade teacher. I loved my students….I had worked my way through school and LOVED my career. And then I found out I was expecting. Thrilled is probably an understatement to describe our long awaited babies coming! Our firstborn arrived in April and she was delightful. We were concerned about how her eyes bounced, but our pediatrician assured us that was “normal for some babies.” I would try to get her to track objects, lights, or even to convince myself she was looking at me as I fed her, but I wasn’t convinced. We had no reason to believe she couldn’t see, no family history to fear, but we were sure there was a problem. I finally convinced our Pediatrician to do a more thorough exam when Allison was 4 months old. She didn’t finish the exam and she left the room without a word. I worried that the doctor had gotten sick. Instead she was on the phone getting us worked in for an emergency appointment with an ophthalmologist. She never told us why we were going. The Ophthalmologist told us that afternoon that our daughter was cortically blind. He said that she was living in darkness, and that we needed to adjust our expectations accordingly.
That day changed our lives. We spent several months visiting different doctors searching for answers. We got in contact with ECI, and through them we met the Mansfield ISD Orientation & Mobility Specialist and the Teacher of the Visually Impaired. The support we received from our O & M was amazing. She was dependable, helpful and encouraging. There were weeks on end where she was the only person I spoke with that I thought had a clue about my life. They have worked with me to get my daughter where she is today- a third grader who was commended on her TAKS test.
I believe that as a VI Teacher I will be able to help my students and their families with the unique perspective I offer- of someone who has taught regular education as well as being a parent of a visually impaired student. I understand the classroom teacher’s perspective and I believe that this will benefit my students and their classroom teachers. I will be able to share the needs of my students to help them become independent learners as well. I also have a clearer idea than most of what the parents are thinking and need. I want to help other families by providing the kind of support and encouragement my family has received.
As a teacher I believe that all kids can learn and that it is my responsibility to see that learning takes place- even if I have to change my plans. Sometimes this meant delaying and re-teaching a concept. Some days this meant scrapping my plans and going back to basics that the students did not have, but needed to comprehend the concept. I played games, created songs, and used stickers instead of pencils. My goal was to help students love to learn and to create lifelong learners. With a blind child, I have learned that sometimes learning takes more conversation but the smile that occurs when they realize the solution is just as priceless.
Jill Smith
As I said earlier, I am soooo proud of my wife! Steve Jobs founder and CEO of Apple once said "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something..." My wife and I trust in God and it gives me great joy to know that through all of our experiences in having 2 blind children she has embraced the guidance and the purposes of God in her life! To God Be The Glory by Jesus Christ :-)
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