How They Did It

Middle School:
Social Studies Teacher

BACKGROUND: Teaching is all David ever wanted to do--and his supervisor at Ridgewood Middle School hates to think of losing him. He's clearly one of those rare educators who genuinely love what they do. And what's more, he seems to have a special affinity for teaching kids at that early stage of adolescence. But both David and his supervisor have been concerned since David was diagnosed a couple of years ago with a degenerative eye condition that may eventually result in total blindness. How can he continue to provide the quality of education his students deserve?

SOLUTION: David now has assigned seating in his classes, in order to tell more quickly who's absent and make it easier to identify who he's talking with. He also has purchased a set of bioptic glasses--glasses with tiny binoculars mounted in the top of the lens or frame--at a personal expense of $400, partially covered by his insurance. By slightly tilting his head downward, he is able to look through the binoculars and see who's raised their hand (or who's acting up in class).

The school district purchased a color closed-circuit TV ($2,500-$3,000) to help him check his students' work. However, since magnifying bad handwriting generally just results in really big bad handwriting, Mr. L shares his preparation period with a classroom aide who helps him read student papers.

The closed-circuit TV also allows him to read class textbooks, and has the added advantage of allowing him to add materials (like maps and timelines) and show an enlarged version to everyone in the class.

He uses the office copy machine to enlarge his plan books and grade books onto 11x14 paper, as well as keep enlarged copies of handouts he's assigned. (He stores his enlarged materials by folding them nearly in half, punching holes in the slightly longer edge, and putting them into three-ring binders.) The school provided a file cabinet ($100) so he can keep his binders organized and easily accessible.

Using his classroom computer and overhead projector, he types his notes neatly and projects them onto the front board for his students. When he needs to, he can add material by writing on the overhead sheets (.25 apiece) with a black marker. David uses pregummed mailing labels ($10) and a black marker to label his class materials and files.

David feels more confident about his ability to remain a classroom teacher. He had been considering applying for jobs in teacher education, but truthfully, he wasn't really all that interested in teaching other teachers. The kids are happy Mr. L's staying on, and his supervisor, who didn't want to have to let a talented, experienced teacher go, is very pleased that David will continue to teach at Ridgewood.