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Having cataracts in my eyes since my birth has always been determining my life in some way. While others were able to acquire a driver's license, I still have to walk or use buses, when I want to reach a certain destination. As most people are able to read tiny signs in far distances, I sometimes can't read a giant sign, even though it's right in front of me. Even seeing faces of people, who are standing right in front of me, can be pretty hard sometimes. (especially when the sun is shining, but we'll talk about the sun later...)
But let's explain the meaning of a cataract first:
A cataract is a clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope (lens capsule), varying in degree from slight to complete opacity and obstructing the passage of light. Early in the development of age-related cataract, the power of the lens may be increased, causing near-sightedness (myopia), and the gradual yellowing and opacification of the lens may reduce the perception of blue colors. Cataracts typically progress slowly to cause vision loss, and are potentially blinding if untreated. The condition usually affects both eyes, but almost always one eye is affected earlier than the other.
I'm born with caratacts in both of my eyes. My right eye is almost completely blind (I can "see" schemes, but nothing really noticeable.) On my left eye, my visual strength varies between 20 and 60 percent (depending on the light situation, the amount of sleep I had and other variables.) Doctors were trying to fix my bad eye in my childhood, but it didn't work, because the brain parts, which are needed to decode visual input were not able to adjust to the post-operational status. So I'm basically stuck at about 25% (or less) visual strength in total.
Right now, I'm trying to become a teacher and so far everything has gone pretty well for me. Passing exams at university isn't too much of a deal, even though I'm mostly restricted to listening during the lessons, because I can't see what the profs are writing on the board or what the powerpoint presentation is showing. But I'm used to that, I've always been a good listener.  During my college education I have to take several internships at schools, and as you might imagine, you're confronted with some issues there, when you're somewhat handicapped.
First of all, my eyes are really sensible when it comes to light. The cataract causes the light to split up, just think of seeing a source of light through a window of milk glass. Basically, it's like "the darker the room, the better". I'm normally wearing sunglasses in bright environments, but if there's too much light, even the darkest sunglasses can't really help. (this is why the sun is my natural enemy. and this is also why winter is my favourite season.)
So how are you teaching a class, when you're not seeing the children? Well, you need to approach your job from a different angle.
Using your voice becomes even more important than it is anyway. As I can't really see the kids' faces (especially of those, who are sitting in the back of the classroom), I have to be "present" by speaking very clearly. I'm also constantly walking through the classroom to get a better survey of what my pupils are doing.
But using the ears is even more important. Before I remember faces, I always remember voices.
Reading small things in books sometimes really sucks, but there are some neat tricks I've developed. I have to memorize a lot of things to circumnavigate that issue. Working with overhead projectors is almost impossible, because these fucking monsters are constructed of pure laser beams. I'm mostly using the board to write down things. (old school, baby)
I don't know yet how I will adress some other problems in the future, but I'm pretty confident to be successful. Having bad eyesight sometimes really makes me angry, but I can't change it. Surgery of my better eye is possible, but success isn't really guaranteed. (and there's that minor risk to become completely blind, too.)
I don't want to work in a special institution for handicapped people, I want to show the "normal" kids that it's possible to reach even the most difficult goals. Most people I've met on my way have been really nice and they were trying to help me as much as they could. It's nice to know, that you're not surrounded by assholes. The kids are also pretty cool, especially the little ones are asking lots of questions. ("how blind are u?", "can you see this?" (throws pencil at his neighbour)) I'm always trying to explain everything, but I don't need people's pity. (I hope this is the correct word^^)
Well, I think that's enough for now. Feel free to ask questions.
Cheers!
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United States45481 Posts
That's one hell of a profession to be taking on with near-blindness! Best of luck 
Classroom management is gonna be a bitch. I had a physics teacher in high school who had minor cataracts, and the students tore him apart... because the teacher didn't know how to control the classroom, and because a lot of kids are jerks at that age.
What subject do you want to teach, and at what grade level?
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United States24768 Posts
It's awesome/inspiring hearing stories of people overcoming conditions such as these. It seems like there are always more options for the person than others originally thought.
This makes me sounds more ridiculous when I say I'm not sure if being a classroom teacher can work out long term without less limiting vision. I can't speak for Germany, but here, teachers are becoming required to do things that you said yourself you can't do like "use a projector," or other activities that are hard to work around.
Good luck.
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On September 26 2012 23:23 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:That's one hell of a profession to be taking on with near-blindness! Best of luck Classroom management is gonna be a bitch. I had a physics teacher in high school who had minor cataracts, and the students tore him apart... because the teacher didn't know how to control the classroom, and because a lot of kids are jerks at that age. What subject do you want to teach, and at what grade level?
Out of my own experience, controlling the classroom isn't that hard. You have to be strict and fair. The most important thing is to be "on top" of your class from day one. If they see that they can't do whatever they want, you'll definitely have a chance to "control" them. (I feel like an infestor right now.) But yeah, especially thirteen to fourteen year old kids can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.
I'm going to to teach German, History and IT, the kids' age will be between 10 and 17.
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I wish you the best luck :D. Very admirable.
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(this is why the sun is my natural enemy. and this is also why winter is my favourite season.)
Aha! a fellow moon child. I'm the same but only because i burn in the sun.
Like the others said, you're inspiring. Lately I realize that i have always been somewhat mentally challenged (not a synomym for stupid).
Me, I have learning "disability" but I've come to regard it not as a disability but just a difference from the norm. I take a long time to learn "simple skills". I am very emotional about thoughts, so I am sometimes overrun by negative thoughts and distractions. I like knowing that i can grow beyond this somehow.
I relate to you. I know what it is like to rely on memory, to struggle for things most people find easy. My problem is not as conspicuous as yours so I need to learn to tell people that i might need more assistance. I think it would be a bitch if you lost your career opportunity over something small like an overhead projector.
Do you think you will struggle to keep discipline among bullies? I remember from kindergarten to grade 3 or 4, the kids could physically harrass eachother and a visually aware teacher was important for reducing this with negative reinforcement. Do you know a way around this?
Good luck, enjoy the challenge
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On September 27 2012 00:13 meteorskunk wrote:
Do you think you will struggle to keep discipline among bullies? I remember from kindergarten to grade 3 or 4, the kids could physically harrass eachother and a visually aware teacher was important for reducing this with negative reinforcement. Do you know a way around this?
I'm working as a tutor atm, so I'm fairly used to manage small groups of children. Forcing discipline was hard in the beginning, because I felt pretty insecure and didn't have enough experience with kids. But as the time passed, it got a lot easier.
Even though I might not see every detail in the distance, I can see movements and shapes. And the most important thing is: I can hear the kids. They can't harass each other without making noises. And one of my standard introductory sentences goes like "in this class, nobody is allowed to should execpt me. and I don't shout." (this is a quote from a german journalist)
basically, it's all about being strict from the very beginning. if you're too "nice" in your first week, you will have a terrible year.
In my tutor job, I've made this mistake once, and it took me a lot of energy to handle my pupils there.
I don't know yet, if I'm able to manage a really hard class. I guess, I'll see that soon enough. And when it doesn't work...well, there are other jobs. :D
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You are very inspiring, the part where you said you wanted to show kids its possible to reach even the most difficult goals, that just hit me. Ive had a few admirable teachers but not as much as that , I wish you the best of luck!
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I think you'll do great,
Kids just want a great teacher who knows how to interact with them.
Of course, it's always a challenge if they empty their personal life frustration in the classroom but from your text, its clear that you understand very well what you getting into.
Best of luck and enjoy creating a better future!
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I had a high school teacher who had the same issue as you. He was (and still is) brilliant at maths - he wrote a textbook that gets used in year 12 maths. Seriously he's smart enough to go and lecture at universities about the stuff. More to the point he was still an awesome teacher despite his handicap. Goes to show you what you can achieve despite pit falls and draw backs.
Good luck to you virpi!
Also just wondering - with poor eyesight, what's playing/ watching starcraft like for you? I'm assuming that you play/ have played some.
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On September 27 2012 00:56 ArcticMuse wrote:
Also just wondering - with poor eyesight, what's playing/ watching starcraft like for you? I'm assuming that you play/ have played some.
It's fun! The hardest part is spotting cloaked units (that blur), on certain maps it's almost impossible for me. And I hate bright maps, but as I'm playing zerg, I'm staring at creep most of the time. I'm not a very good player, but I think platinum is kinda ok. (I was c- in bw)
watching starcraft is fine, too. (unless im watching GOMTV, but that is not due to my eyes )
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Sounds great that you're working to overcome your handicap. I've never had any teachers that were impaired, but I assume it would probably be immensely difficult, especially in the situation that you are in. Not seeing the students would be a nightmare if I was a teacher because I wouldn't be able to tell who was acting up, if they were doing their work, etc.
Have you considered getting an assistant to help you teach/keep discipline? Or would you rather teach alone? Idk what kind of school you are planning to teach at so idk if you're even in a situation where having both a teacher and an assistant teach is normal.
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Really interesting to hear your perspective virpi. I sort of have a very very mild version of what you have, although I'm not sure if they're cataracts. During my second year at college, I was really messed up with personal problems, and so my schedule was flipped upside down. Basically, I stayed up all night, skipped a lot of classes, and slept during the daytime. And at night, I kept the light off. So I as in the dark for like a year.
Now, my eyes are really sensitive to light. I can see well in the dark, but during the daytime, things get blurry if there's sunshine. I usually wear sunglasses when I'm outside too, even if there's not a lot of sun, because it drastically improves my vision. My right eye is a bit worse, because I remember straining it to read things in class etc.
When I needed to get homework done or type up an essay, I used to have to turn down the screen brightness on my laptop down to 0, and then zoom in to maybe 110 or 120% in Word in order to be able to read. Later, I found out that I could invert the colors on my screen (black background, white text) using the accessibility options in Windows, and this makes a world of a difference. My eyesight is pretty much normal if it's white text on a black background (I can make the text really small and still read it from far away. When it's black text on white background though, I need to zoom in and turn down the brightness.
I managed to get my driver's license, since I got it before this happened to my eyes. I just BARELY passed the eye test when I went to renew it though, and it's mostly because I memorized the letters on the chart that you need to read. Next time, I'm sure I'll need to get glasses. Probably tinted glasses (it's fucking bright in the DMV).
Anyways, it's my own damn fault for being a dumbass, and I'm gonna have to accept the consequences. I'm learning from it, and learning how to deal with it. Better to live happily with no regrets and learn, rather than pity myself for being stupid. So I'm making the best of it I guess. And like you said, it makes one really hone their other senses when one of them is not up to par.
edit - I know exactly what you mean about the bright maps. I HATE snow/ice environment maps. Makes me eyes so sore from looking at the brightness, and small units are hard to differentiate.
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If you know what you want to convey to your pupils what kind of media you use doesnt't matter. Why would i care if a teacher uses power point or a blackboard? What i want from a teacher is a clear picture (metaphoricly speaking^^) of the subject and a structured plan to get it into my head. I take a teacher who knows what he is talking about a thousand times over one who doesn't but uses fancy visual media.
I also agree with you that a keen hearing is far more important to stay on top of your class than acute eyesight. In my experience a teacher does have authority or he doesn't anyways, from what you are writing it sound like you do.
It's great that you are going out there and chose a job like that, if you keep your passion you will be a great teacher.
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TLADT24920 Posts
Amazing blog and really inspiring. Just from what I read, I am confident that you will make a great teacher. Show them from day one that you are strict but fair and have a good class atmosphere. They'll keep wanting to coming back and you won't have problems maintaining control either. I wish you the best of luck and I hope that once you become a great eacher, you can write a kickass blog on here about how you have managed it for those who are unfortunate enough to have the same condition and who also need the inspiration. GL HF!
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