Blind Indiana teacher 1 of 4 finalists for National Teacher of the Year award
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Kathy Nimmer sees the best in her students, even if she actually can’t see them.
Nimmer is blind but that hasn’t stopped her from doing what she cares about, which is teaching English at Harrison High School in West Lafayette, Indiana.
And her love for her students and profession is what got her nominated for the National Teacher of the Year award.
“It’s not about vision. It’s about connecting with students at the heart level, that’s what it is. Because they won’t learn anything more from a sighted teacher if that sighted teacher doesn’t care about them as people,” said Nimmer to CBS.
Nimmer has been teaching for over 20 years but not all of those school years were easy to get through.
“I’m remembering the day that a student threw a book bag across the room and it shattered a window and felt like it was shattering my heart,” she said to CBS.
But Nimmer never gave up.
“Students volunteer with their names, instead of raising their hands. I have my classroom laid out so I’m never further than three desks away from the most distant student,” Nimmer said.
She also has a guide dog to help her through the school building, and uses a Braille printer and talking computer to make grading papers easier. Nimmer even admits there are now some advantages to not being able to see as a teacher.
“The best one is I can’t see them, which sounds ridiculous but it’s because I can’t judge [the students].”
Nimmer is one of four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year award.
