Things my students have taught me

I have always considered myself to be an intelligent person but some of my greatest lessons have come from not a book or high priced college education but from my students at the Maryland School for the Blind (MSB)...

I have learned that you do not need eyesight to see but you only need your heart to truly see.

I have learned that there is nothing more beautiful than to see the smile of a child with severe disabilities when they accomplish something like wiping their own mouth with a napkin(something we do so easily and take for granted we can) for the first time to cheer and praise and the pride behind that smile.

I have learned the value of sticking to learning something no matter how long it may take.

I have learned not to take anything for granted and to see the beauty in even the smallest things.

I am learning to see with my heart and not just my eyes.

I love the students at MSB and I love how working with them and seeing them make progress makes me feel. They haven't taught me all they know yet and I am still learning. Just remember when you are feeling down and like things are the worst they can be that they can always be worse. You could be blind, blind and deaf, blind and autistic, blind and in a wheelchair or any combination of the above at the same time like so many of my students. These students have huge obstacles that they never asked for to overcome and yet they smile more than most "normal" people that I have met. They don't take anything for granted and take pride in things that they accomplish that we would consider simple tasks but to them take a little more time and a little more effort and makes them a little more independent.