Why You SHOULDN’T Become a TVI

I’ve said it before: Being a teacher isn’t for the faint of heart. I’m learning too that being a mama to a puppy also isn’t for the faint of heart. I think I’ve made it through the Daily-Bissell-The-Carpet stage, and now upon me is the Constant-Chewing stage.

NOT THE HIGH-HEELS!!! Yes, it’s already happened. One pair of cute shoes. Gone. Forever.

She needs to go to puppy school I’m told. But don’t think I’m fooled for a dog second. The school is for the peeps, not the puppy. I digress.

When the moment hit me and I realized my classy, silvery, strappy pair of heels lost a battle with sharp, puppy, milk-teeth, the following article “coincidentally” appeared in a newsfeed:  17 Ways Your Dog Will Improve Your Quality Of Life. (http://barkpost.com/17-reasons-why-a-dog-would-make-your-life-more-awesome/) You can call it what you like, but I’m perfectly content accepting the fact that I needed to be divinely redirected to the big picture.

It’s the end of the school year. Perhaps it was a very long school year. Were there days that seemed to pass by in dog years? Has some of your spark fizzled? Maybe you could benefit from some redirection…

Ten Reasons You SHOULDN’T Become a Teacher of the Visually Impaired

1. Playing I Spy games on the playground and pretending to be a pirate while teaching students how to use monoculars sounds boring.
2. You prefer to drive a Smart Car, which prevents you from schlepping around a mobile office in the trunk of your car. (Besides, you never liked the familiar melody that could be sung to the words, “I like big trunks and I cannot lie.”)
3. You like to stay put in the same classroom all day.
4. Spending FREE quota fund money from the American Printing House for the Blind on students stresses you out. (Who likes shopping sprees anyway?)
5. Teaching a cooking lesson in the middle of an academic school day doesn’t sound like fun.
6. You drive a car that isn’t equipped for SiriusXM radio. (Who needs all those music channels anyway when driving between school sites?)
7. Defying the odds of disproving a “no visual response“ medical report statement, with data-rich Functional Vision Assessment results that indicate a child shows visual functioning seems like too much work.
8. You are tactually defensive to touching fresh, crispy braille.
9. You prefer to pay for your own degree rather than taking advantage of federal and state grant opportunities.
10. Teaching students how to take a test feels more rewarding than teaching independence.