Superintendent's MessageFrom a cup of Starbuck’s coffee, a quote from Bill Milliken: “It’s relationships, not programs that change children. A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children. Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community.” As we welcome the beginning of a new school year, we must ask ourselves, what do we want for the children who attend the California School for the Blind? From the perspective of the staff at CSB, we want to provide our students with the opportunity to achieve their highest level of independence based on their potential. And we do this by not only providing the best in terms of curriculum, instructional strategies, materials and technology, but by having high expectations for their achievement. We arrive at these expectations because we believe in the abilities of persons who are blind and visually impaired, and so we push our students to reach within themselves to give the best they have. Some of our students have learning challenges in addition to, or beyond, their visual impairment. For these students, it is often these additional challenges which delay their development. However, our staff is expert at assessing and teaching these students to rise to their highest level of competence as well. Ultimately, we know that the “real world” after CSB will be highly competitive and expect much from our students – and we want them to be ready. At CSB, we are in the preparation business, preparing young people for the world of work, independent living, and participation in their family and community life. And that’s what we want for the children who attend the California School for the Blind. Stuart Wittenstein, Ed.D.
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