 |
Local News |
|
|
| Caring educator receives award for work with blind |
|
| By Penny Riordan, Times Staff Writer |
Friday, November 10, 2006 |
|
|
 |
Kyle Nosal/Staff Photo
Ray Peloquin helps Matt Swan, 3, eat his peaches during class Thursday morning at Hampstead Elementary. Peloquin was recently awarded the Distinguished Educator of the Blind Children Award by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland.
|
|
HAMPSTEAD — Ray Peloquin put the neon green shoe in front of 3-year-old Matt Swan.
"Now Matt, find the other green shoe," Peloquin said as Matt traced his fingers over the one Peloquin held. Matt then reached his fingers out in front of him to touch another green shoe and a blue plastic spoon. Peloquin, a teacher for the visually impaired at Hampstead Elementary School, sat behind Matt and watched the boy’s eyes in a mirror to see if he was studying the objects.
Matt touched the two objects and then picked up the green shoe.
"Yay, you found it," Peloquin said, as he tickled Matt to congratulate him.
A year ago, Matt struggled to recognize any color, but with repeated exposure to color, Peloquin found that Matt was able to follow objects and color with his eyes more than anyone previously thought.
Peloquin, one of four teachers of the visually impaired in the county, recently won the Distinguished Educator of the Blind Children Award from the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland.
Matt worked in front of a black-colored felt board. Peloquin wore a black smock over his shirt and tie to allow the other colors to show up. With fewer colors in front of him, it was easier for Matt to pick up on the brightly colored objects his teacher held. On Thursday, he correctly picked four out of the six choices the first time, which is better than the average of three.
"We try to sneak a lot of skills in here," Peloquin said as he continued to challenge Matt.
Matt was the second student of the day Peloquin worked with. After teaching Matt, he worked with an older student on reading Braille. On Wednesday, Peloquin went to one student's house to work on improving mobility around the neighborhood.
|
In all, he is responsible for teaching 10 visually impaired students in the northern part of the county. His job takes him from Hampstead all the way to Runnymede and back in a given day.
It was Peloquin's devotion to his students that earned him the award. Parents who nominated him said he goes above and beyond what is required of a teacher.
In addition to working with students at school and at their homes, Peloquin also attends ophthalmologists’ appointments with the family.
"There's nothing like being there and asking questions," he said.
Peloquin started his career as an elementary schoolteacher in Massachusetts but was laid off. He came to Maryland and started working for a temporary employment agency that put him in a job at the National Federation of the Blind headquarters in Baltimore.
"I knew nothing about blindness," he said. But that didn't matter to the staff. Members were willing to train him.
While working there, Peloquin worked to become a certified teacher and an orientation and mobility specialist. After working for three years in Baltimore, he applied for a job in Carroll County, where he has stayed since.
Peloquin follows most of his students from year to year through the school system, which makes it particularly rewarding to track their progress, he said. While many of the teaching tools and methods he has used remain the same in his 14 years teaching in Carroll County, the technology available for the blind has continually developed.
"The only thing that's a real challenge is all these things are changing, so I'm learning every day," he said.
Advancements in technology also make it an exciting time to be a teacher, Peloquin said, because he feels he is preparing students to be a part of the seeing world.
"I like to be able to make changes in a person's life and change the quality of their life," he said.
Reach staff writer Penny Riordan at 410-857-7898 or riordanp@lcniofmd.com.
|
Add Your Own Comment:
Please review the legal policies posted here before posting a comment. To report abuse click here.
|
|
|
| Online Poll |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
