Paraprofessional Maureen Sullivan - one of his "biggest fans" - plans to be by Jimmy's side until he graduates from high school.
Jimmy Rivera, a second-grader at the Edward P. Boland Elementary School in Springfield, is blind and loves to play chess. Here, he enjoys the competition with a classmate. By AZELL CAVAAN
SPRINGFIELD - The advice Jimmy Ramirez has for other children, even if they are like him, is pretty straight-forward: “Pay attention and listen to your teachers.”
The simple words of wisdom are quite revealing of this second-grader, who manages his blindness with a grace that would make most of us ashamed of our reaction to a slightly bothersome sinus infection.
Jimmy’s world may be sightless, but he has a vision for the future. And, even though he hasn’t quite figured out what career path he wants to pursue, Jimmy is sure that being a good student now will only help him when he gets older.
“I try hard because I want to get better at things,” Jimmy said, while taking a short break from his classroom work at Edward P. Boland Elementary School a few weeks ago.
His efforts show in his grades, especially reading. Yes, you read that correctly, reading.
Azell Cavaan is chief communications officer for the Springfield Public Schools; she can be reached by email to cavaana@sps. springfield.ma.us It’s a complicated effort that requires in enormous amount of collaboration between Jimmy, his teacher Susan Crisostomo and his one-on-one assistant Maureen Sullivan, a paraprofessional. Sullivan’s previous work with visually impaired students made her the perfect fit to help Jimmy, though he is her first student who is totally blind.
In class, Sullivan perches herself on a stool next to Jimmy’s desk. On one recent spring morning, Jimmy sat punching away on a braille machine that looks much like an old-fashioned typewriter but with fewer keys. As the others wrote their essay assignments, Jimmy braille-typed his, pausing only long enough to ask Sullivan to pass him a new sheet of paper, exclaiming proudly, “This is my third one.”
With precision timing, Jimmy finished that essay just as the teacher called for the class to gather on the rug. He shot up from his seat and using his hands as a guide quickly made his way to the colorful carpet. He found an open spot and sat down, legs crossed, hands folded.
As Crisostomo talked with the class, Sullivan sat at a small table in the back of the class translating Jimmy’s essay from braille to written English so the teacher could grade his work. It’s a process Sullivan has completed hundreds of times this year for every subject from English and social studies to science and math. “Oh, that math can be tricky, with all the re-grouping and number columns. I have to be careful to make sure I translate his work exactly as he has done it,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan works exclusively with Ramirez in the classroom, though she does pitch in to help others when Jimmy doesn’t require her services, which can be quite often. “He likes to be independent,” said Sullivan, who has worked with 8-year-old Jimmy since kindergarten. “He wants to fly.”
And Sullivan is intent on providing all the resources she can to help make that happen. At the end of every school day, Sullivan goes over the next day’s lesson plan with Crisostomo, making sure that all of the readings, assignments and other curriculum are translated into a format that is appropriate for Jimmy. They must work months ahead of time to make sure books are available in braille in time.
“We work together to make sure he’s never operating from a deficit,” said Crisostomo. “It takes a lot of preparation, but Jimmy is an inspiration. He learns so much that you want him to have everything.”
And sometimes that requires ingenuity.
Jimmy Rivera, a blind second-grader at Edward P. Boland Elementary School in Springfield, plays chess against classmate Natasha Ortiz. Take the school’s First Move Chess Program, for example. When Boland began teaching the game of chess to help strengthen students’ math and reasoning skills, Jimmy and Sullivan quickly learned that traditional chess is a game that is impossible for blind players.
“I thought to myself, there was absolutely no way Jimmy would miss out on this opportunity. I had to figure something out,” said Sullivan.
So the paraprofessional fashioned a chess set that Jimmy could play with his sighted classmates. She used a leather game board (donated by the First Move company) and had stitching added to every square, making it possible for her student to “feel” his way around the board.
Next, she outfitted all of the black pawns with a black velvet tip, so Jimmy can always distinguish his pawns on the board from his challenger’s. Lastly, Sullivan labeled each row and column with braille letters and numbers.
Once the custom-made board was ready, Jimmy learned the game quite quickly and eagerly participated in the culminating class chess tournament last month. “He had so much fun,” Sullivan said.
But even as Jimmy celebrates his second-grade accomplishments, Sullivan is already looking ahead to the new ones he will conquer next year. She plans to be by his side until high school graduation.
“I’m not his teacher and I never will be, his teachers are his teachers,” said Sullivan. “But it’s safe to say I am one of his biggest fans.”
True to form, Jimmy describes his work with Sullivan efficiently and practically.
“She’s great because she helps me and she’s nice.”