Their are five basic senses of the human brain; taste, smell, feeling, hearing, and sight. What if you lost one of those senses? What if you couldn’t hear? What if you couldnt see? How would your life change? For Mrs. Whiting, the intern for Mr. Lynn Nokes AP environmental class, that became all too real.
Mrs. Whiting wasn’t always visually impaired. She once had good eyesight. She enjoyed hobbies such as outdoor activities: hiking and canoeing. But this California girl really wanted to teach.
She served as a teacher’s assistant in graduate school and loved it. She wanted to continue and to be a full time teacher. That’s when tragedy struck.
Mrs. Whiting had a blood clot in the back of her brian, causing her sight to slowly slip away. Before they could find out what was wrong, her sight had nearly gone.
“I can see the shadow of my hand in front of my face sometimes. It’s like looking through a foggy, frosted shower door!” said Mrs. Whiting, as she waved her hand in front of her face.
Students are baffled knowing that Mrs. Whiting is legally blind. They wonder how she gets around and how she will grade students work.
“It’s the people’s perceptions of me and my limitations, that have caused more trouble than the actual limitations themselves,” she said.
Other students look at Mrs. Whiting diffrently. Most have faith, others a little sympathy. But they all show respect towards Mrs. Whiting.
“I have no worries at all on whether or not Mrs. Whiting will be a good intern and teacher,” said Sara Brown, a senior in Mr. Nokes’ 3rd period AP environmental class.
A few students are excited about her presence in th classroom.
“I think it’s intresting having a blind teachers aid, it’ll be a new experience,” said senior Haley Reynebeau.
With the loss of her sight. Mrs. Whiting has been forced to make sudden changes in her daily life. She can no longer drive, she has to carpool or get dropped off. She has had to sacrefice the ability to independently take herself places.
She often has to require assistance navigating new building and locations, and she has even marked certain intems with brail symbols such as her cook wear. That way she can locate them when she needs to. She no longer has a Facebook profile or Myspace page.
“Facebook is too difficult to access,” said Mrs. Whiting.
The loss of her sight even put stress on the relationships with her and her freinds, but not all is bad. She is more aware of her other senses because she has to rely on them more. She has also grown stronger and closer to her husband. Becoming a member of the “The National Federation of the Blind” has opened up opportunities for her.
Athough Mrs. Whiting has lost her sight, she hasn’t lost her value in life. She participates in outdoor hobbies with her husband, she makes jewelry, and she enjoys knitting.
She continues to pursue her passion for teaching even more, but now she wishes to teach education to the visually impaired.
“I may puzzle my students and the people around me, and they don’t think they could do it. But in times of crisis: you either step up or you fall,” she said.