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Did They Teach Me This In College? - Vicki Wagner
Did They Teach Me This In College?
Vicki Wagner
PublishAmerica
ISBN: 1424134552
Reviewed By Catherine Farris
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
Adult-sized teenagers who can't walk on their own and refuse to stand up, even with help. Fourteen and fifteen year-olds who need frequent diaper changes throughout the course of the day. Menstruating young women who wind up with yeast infections and fill the classroom with an, shall we say, "unavoidable" smell.
Such are the challenges presented to teachers of severe to profoundly handicapped (SPH) children, detailed in Did They Teach Me This In College?, the latest offering from Vicki Wagner. In the book, Wagner chronicles her years as an SPH teacher, instructing children with conditions ranging from cerebral palsy to epilepsy to severe deafness, as well as her experiences teaching deaf education to "normal" high school students in the foreign language program of American Sign Language. Over the course of her instruction, she herself receives quite an education in day-to-day living that years of classroom learning could never have prepared her for.
For example, in her years of teaching high school-aged children, she would never have imagined that she'd have to stop some of them from consistently "pleasuring themselves" during class. And when feuding between her teacher's aides culminates in a full-out war of curse words (in front of the students, no less), she even goes so far as to wish she had taken a class on "Dealing With The Paraprofessional." Despite all the unexpected drama, though, Wagner never loses sight of why she entered the profession in the first place, and her compassion and dedication for her students is best reflected in this moving entreaty:
"Learning comes in all different kinds of packages. Do not discount the special education students. They will teach you so much more than you ever thought they could. All you have to do is be a willing student in their life."
Wagner goes on to describe the various triumphs and defeats, the peaks and valleys of her years with her students. Some students die unexpectedly - some even committing suicide. Some, however, have incredible breakthroughs, surprising even those who work with them everyday. And, of course, sometimes the greatest treats come from those who also benefit greatly from the teachers' devotion and sacrifice: the parents of the children themselves. Witness this Mother's Day note written by the mother of one of the Wagner's students:
"Thank you for being such a special teacher - for caring about and loving my daughter."
Short sentence, but profound statement, and great inspiration that helps buoy Wagner throughout all the tough times.
In the end, for all her years of studying, testing, and training, Wagner ultimately realizes that the only thing that could have prepared her for her life in the teaching world is that life itself, and she conveys the essence of its most important aspect just so:
"It does not matter what subject you teach, life still happens and we have to help the students deal with it. Don't ever stop caring and never stop listening. You might miss something that could save a student's life."
Such an apropos statement applies to us all, regardless of our own particular conditions or stations in life. Wagner closes out Did They Teach Me This In College? with helpful suggestions for new teachers, including how to conduct themselves in the classroom and tips on communicating with both students and their parents. It is clear by the time you finish her book that Wagner truly cares about the students in her charge, and her story is required reading for anyone looking to take up the same mantle of responsibility. Often a forgotten segment of our population, the disabled can all too easily fall into the hands of those less caring than they should be - but with kind souls like Wagner around, we can all breathe a little easier in knowing that they're in the best hands in the business.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Vicki Wagner (Did They Teach Me This In College?)
AR: Thanks for joining us for this interview, Vicki, as well as for sharing your book with us. We truly appreciate this opportunity to learn more about you and your writings.
What compelled you to compile the stories and anecdotes of your years of teaching and present them in book format?
VW: I felt that it was of importance for any new teacher or even an 'old' teacher to be able to read what really goes on, or went on in my classroom. When you take on a class full of students in a setting such as this it can be overwhelming. I was lucky to have some great support staff for the most part but felt that it would be good information to share with education majors before they step into the 'real world' of teaching.
AR: In the book, you include useful images of some of the equipment used to assist in the mobility and therapy of the students. How difficult was it to learn to use those items effectively? And how did the students tend to respond to them?
VW: For the most part, the equipment was not difficult to learn to use. I am pretty mechanically inclined so that helped...smile. The students would normally enjoy their time using the mobility equipment. Sometimes the hardest part was getting them all hooked in so they could walk.
AR: In your years of teaching the students, were you ever a personal witness of someone abusing any of the students? To your knowledge, how common of an occurrence is this?
VW: I was never a personal witness but had a student who lived in a group home that would come to school with bruises that should not have been there. They always had excuses that seemed to keep CPS at bay. The excuses could be partly true but I feel that if the child it well supervised then these sorts of things should not happen on a regular basis.
AR: You mentioned how much of a problem menstruation can be with students who wear diapers. What did you find was the best approach to resolve that situation?
VW: As far as menstruation goes when coupled with diapers there is no real solution. It is just part of life. Diapers have to be changed and teen girls menstruate so it just goes hand in hand. If the parents take care of regular hygiene then there is no problems.
AR: What was you say was your greatest triumph during your years of teaching?
VW: Hummmm........ That's a hard question. I would have to say that would be when I piloted the American Sign Language as a language other than English program. It exploded and was, however, my eventual downfall. Downfall...What I mean is that I was so overloaded and my classes were so full that I could not, alone, take care of the numbers of High School students wanting to take my class and it was a complete stressor by the third year. I loved the students though. They really enjoyed the class and learned about the Deaf and their language, history and culture. I am proud of that.
AR: Any regrets?
VW: I have no regrets about my choice to become a teacher. If I was offered the opportunity to do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing. Well, I'd start the book sooner...smile
AR: Would you ever consider going back and teaching again?
VW: I have actually attempted to go back into teaching but since I moved away from the district where I spent ten years I am over qualified. When you teach for that long and then try to move to another town their district is required to pay you at the level of your years experience. They can always afford a new, fresh out of college, teacher easier than a seasons vet like me. This is why I am now working on getting my nursing degree. So I'm back in college. Maybe a book will be coming around about what I learned in the 'real world' of nursing after college......LOL
AR: What has your experience been with PublishAmerica in getting the book published?
VW: PublishAmerica has been wonderful. They have been honest in their opinion of my books. When I submitted my first poetry book they wanted it but needed more poems to fill it. I got that done for them and they accepted it. The thing I like best about PA is that they never charge you to publish your book. The book stands on its own merit so to speak. I may, in the future, try other publishers but for now I like PA.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
VW: I would like to encourage anyone who is considering the field of teaching to take the time to volunteer in a classroom. Test the waters and see if this is really what you want to do. If you just want in so you can be off in the summer then find something else to do. Don't ruin this country's children just to have the summer off. If you can't smile even on a bad day then find another career also. Love the kids for who they are and not for what other teachers tell you they are. Each of them is worth your 100% and if you can't give that then don't be a teacher.
AR: Thanks again, Vicki, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
VW: I'd also like to thank you for the wonderful review of my book. It surpassed my desires for a review. You were great!
Vicki Wagner
PublishAmerica
ISBN: 1424134552
Reviewed By Catherine Farris
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
Adult-sized teenagers who can't walk on their own and refuse to stand up, even with help. Fourteen and fifteen year-olds who need frequent diaper changes throughout the course of the day. Menstruating young women who wind up with yeast infections and fill the classroom with an, shall we say, "unavoidable" smell.
Such are the challenges presented to teachers of severe to profoundly handicapped (SPH) children, detailed in Did They Teach Me This In College?, the latest offering from Vicki Wagner. In the book, Wagner chronicles her years as an SPH teacher, instructing children with conditions ranging from cerebral palsy to epilepsy to severe deafness, as well as her experiences teaching deaf education to "normal" high school students in the foreign language program of American Sign Language. Over the course of her instruction, she herself receives quite an education in day-to-day living that years of classroom learning could never have prepared her for.
For example, in her years of teaching high school-aged children, she would never have imagined that she'd have to stop some of them from consistently "pleasuring themselves" during class. And when feuding between her teacher's aides culminates in a full-out war of curse words (in front of the students, no less), she even goes so far as to wish she had taken a class on "Dealing With The Paraprofessional." Despite all the unexpected drama, though, Wagner never loses sight of why she entered the profession in the first place, and her compassion and dedication for her students is best reflected in this moving entreaty:
"Learning comes in all different kinds of packages. Do not discount the special education students. They will teach you so much more than you ever thought they could. All you have to do is be a willing student in their life."
Wagner goes on to describe the various triumphs and defeats, the peaks and valleys of her years with her students. Some students die unexpectedly - some even committing suicide. Some, however, have incredible breakthroughs, surprising even those who work with them everyday. And, of course, sometimes the greatest treats come from those who also benefit greatly from the teachers' devotion and sacrifice: the parents of the children themselves. Witness this Mother's Day note written by the mother of one of the Wagner's students:
"Thank you for being such a special teacher - for caring about and loving my daughter."
Short sentence, but profound statement, and great inspiration that helps buoy Wagner throughout all the tough times.
In the end, for all her years of studying, testing, and training, Wagner ultimately realizes that the only thing that could have prepared her for her life in the teaching world is that life itself, and she conveys the essence of its most important aspect just so:
"It does not matter what subject you teach, life still happens and we have to help the students deal with it. Don't ever stop caring and never stop listening. You might miss something that could save a student's life."
Such an apropos statement applies to us all, regardless of our own particular conditions or stations in life. Wagner closes out Did They Teach Me This In College? with helpful suggestions for new teachers, including how to conduct themselves in the classroom and tips on communicating with both students and their parents. It is clear by the time you finish her book that Wagner truly cares about the students in her charge, and her story is required reading for anyone looking to take up the same mantle of responsibility. Often a forgotten segment of our population, the disabled can all too easily fall into the hands of those less caring than they should be - but with kind souls like Wagner around, we can all breathe a little easier in knowing that they're in the best hands in the business.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Vicki Wagner (Did They Teach Me This In College?)
AR: Thanks for joining us for this interview, Vicki, as well as for sharing your book with us. We truly appreciate this opportunity to learn more about you and your writings.
What compelled you to compile the stories and anecdotes of your years of teaching and present them in book format?
VW: I felt that it was of importance for any new teacher or even an 'old' teacher to be able to read what really goes on, or went on in my classroom. When you take on a class full of students in a setting such as this it can be overwhelming. I was lucky to have some great support staff for the most part but felt that it would be good information to share with education majors before they step into the 'real world' of teaching.
AR: In the book, you include useful images of some of the equipment used to assist in the mobility and therapy of the students. How difficult was it to learn to use those items effectively? And how did the students tend to respond to them?
VW: For the most part, the equipment was not difficult to learn to use. I am pretty mechanically inclined so that helped...smile. The students would normally enjoy their time using the mobility equipment. Sometimes the hardest part was getting them all hooked in so they could walk.
AR: In your years of teaching the students, were you ever a personal witness of someone abusing any of the students? To your knowledge, how common of an occurrence is this?
VW: I was never a personal witness but had a student who lived in a group home that would come to school with bruises that should not have been there. They always had excuses that seemed to keep CPS at bay. The excuses could be partly true but I feel that if the child it well supervised then these sorts of things should not happen on a regular basis.
AR: You mentioned how much of a problem menstruation can be with students who wear diapers. What did you find was the best approach to resolve that situation?
VW: As far as menstruation goes when coupled with diapers there is no real solution. It is just part of life. Diapers have to be changed and teen girls menstruate so it just goes hand in hand. If the parents take care of regular hygiene then there is no problems.
AR: What was you say was your greatest triumph during your years of teaching?
VW: Hummmm........ That's a hard question. I would have to say that would be when I piloted the American Sign Language as a language other than English program. It exploded and was, however, my eventual downfall. Downfall...What I mean is that I was so overloaded and my classes were so full that I could not, alone, take care of the numbers of High School students wanting to take my class and it was a complete stressor by the third year. I loved the students though. They really enjoyed the class and learned about the Deaf and their language, history and culture. I am proud of that.
AR: Any regrets?
VW: I have no regrets about my choice to become a teacher. If I was offered the opportunity to do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing. Well, I'd start the book sooner...smile
AR: Would you ever consider going back and teaching again?
VW: I have actually attempted to go back into teaching but since I moved away from the district where I spent ten years I am over qualified. When you teach for that long and then try to move to another town their district is required to pay you at the level of your years experience. They can always afford a new, fresh out of college, teacher easier than a seasons vet like me. This is why I am now working on getting my nursing degree. So I'm back in college. Maybe a book will be coming around about what I learned in the 'real world' of nursing after college......LOL
AR: What has your experience been with PublishAmerica in getting the book published?
VW: PublishAmerica has been wonderful. They have been honest in their opinion of my books. When I submitted my first poetry book they wanted it but needed more poems to fill it. I got that done for them and they accepted it. The thing I like best about PA is that they never charge you to publish your book. The book stands on its own merit so to speak. I may, in the future, try other publishers but for now I like PA.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
VW: I would like to encourage anyone who is considering the field of teaching to take the time to volunteer in a classroom. Test the waters and see if this is really what you want to do. If you just want in so you can be off in the summer then find something else to do. Don't ruin this country's children just to have the summer off. If you can't smile even on a bad day then find another career also. Love the kids for who they are and not for what other teachers tell you they are. Each of them is worth your 100% and if you can't give that then don't be a teacher.
AR: Thanks again, Vicki, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
VW: I'd also like to thank you for the wonderful review of my book. It surpassed my desires for a review. You were great!