Interview with Kerri Peet Visual Itinerant Teacher

How did you choose your career? Growing up I always knew I wanted to help people and was undecided between becoming a teacher or a nurse. I had some really great teachers throughout my school years and this helped me make my decision about becoming a teacher.

How many years of post secondary? 8 years. I did my bachelor of education and special education degrees at MUN. I did my masters in education at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax.

How long have you known you wanted this career? Since I was in high school.

Did high school help you make your choice? To a certain degree it did. However I feel there should’ve been more of a focus on the realities related to choosing a career. For example choosing a career you’re interested in, but one you will also be able to obtain a job. I was really lucky I got permanent position after two years. But many people I graduated with were substituting for a very long time.

What other career options did you consider? Nursing, or becoming a police officer.

How would you describe your job? And how does it make you feel? I would describe my job as being extremely busy, but very rewarding. At the end of the day when I see the progress my students are making in becoming well adjusted and successful in school and life it reminds me that I’ve chosen the right career.

What do you enjoy about your job? I enjoy working with a variety of students as in the teacher of students who are visually impaired role we service children birth to twenty one. I enjoy working with different teachers and different school staff. I also enjoy teaching the expanded core curriculum and helping students become as independent as possible.

What kinds of situations does your job include? I work mostly one on one in the K-12 school setting, but I also go to daycares and do home visits as well. I also take my students on outings to work on orientation and mobility training as well as daily living skills.

What kind of people do you encounter while doing your job? Students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors, principals, Orientation and mobility specialists, occupational therapist, physiotherapist.

Did your parent's careers influence you? Not really.

Is there a part of your job you don’t enjoy and if so what is it and how do you deal with it? There are many challenges as itinerant teachers we face on a daily basis, however it’s all part of the job. Certain aspects of the job I enjoy more than others, but there’s nothing I can really say I dislike.

What stress comes with your job? Every September looking at my case load, and trying to schedule all of my students in the most effective and efficient manner can be very stressful. Coordinating thirty different schedules into one is a challenge. Other stresses include: Racing from school to school, trying to be on time, traveling in adverse weather conditions, working with many different teachers, some who are more cooperative than others in providing accommodations to students. Trying to stay on top of always changing technology.

What skills does your job require? Did you develop these skills over time or did they come naturally? Learning to become an effective teacher which has happened over time, and I’m still learning. Knowing how to use various tools and technology related to individuals who are visually impaired. Being familiar with the K-12 curriculum because we work with students of various ages. Being family with early childhood development to work with preschool children. Being an effective communicator with parents and teachers. There are many things I’ve yet to learn and I’m a work in progress.

What post secondary programs did you have to do? How were your experiences? The requirement for this job is an education degree and a master’s degree, working with students who are blind or visually impaired. My experience was great at the post secondary level

Do you ever wish you had chosen a different career? If so, why or why not? Sometimes when there are challenges I wonder what it would have been like in another career. But overall I’m happy with the choice I made to become a teacher and intend to stay in this career

What would you say is the best part of your job? The best part of my job by far is getting to work with the students and seeing them become successful.

Has this career changed your personality or impacted it? I think it has changed my personality in the sense that I’ve learned to become a lot more patient and have learned to celebrate students reaching goals no matter how big or small. I think it’s also made me a lot more aware of the challenges many families face in raising a child who is visually impaired and may have significant other challenges.

What is your salary and benefits to having this job? For example, health care, and vacation. My salary is around 90,000 and one of the benefits to having this job is you get your summers off.

How does your family feel about your career? Were they supportive of your career choice? My family was very supportive and happy with the career choice I made.

How did you first find out about this career option? When I was doing my special education degree at MUN, one of my professors’s talked to the class about the need for visual itinerant teachers. This peeked my interest I looked into the program and started a few years later.