Becky Heck described her "hands-on" science class that she teaches at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

"My classes are learning as much as they can about all kinds of science, including current events. We also conduct labs. I adapt most of the labs so that a student who is visually impaired or totally blind can understand what is going on. Some of the lab adaptations are very interesting," she noted.

"We use talking thermometers, Braille meter sticks and perform dissections. Everyone works with a microscope. For students who are unable to see through a microscope, I create raised drawings that accompany the slides. The students can sense or feel the image," she explained. Displaying various drawings of an onion cell or a water plant (an elodea plant or better known by its scientific name of anacharis), she showed how the image in a raised drawing assists students in understanding what its looks and feels like. Ms. Heck makes many tactile diagrams to aid in explaining how something looks. She uses construction paper, string, sand paper, beads, fabric, foam board and pipe cleaners, just to name a few helpful materials.

"I use a lot of models, like enlarged insects (a bee, dragonfly and grasshopper), to try and give a concept of its anatomy and appearance to students. The students also build anatomically correct insect models," she explained. These can be seen in her classroom, along with "Larry," a Mali Uromastyx lizard from the African country of Mali. The exotic reptile is a valuable teaching tool for students and is a treasured pet.

Her teaching goes beyond the walls of her classroom. "We also have an outdoor classroom where we experiment with various models and paradigms like predator/prey relationships. We utilize the campus because there are a lot of plants, like horsetails that date back to prehistoric times. There is also Williams Creek that is great for exploring and utilizing samples for various labs. In current science, we incorporate recent events, such as viewing the eruptions of Mount Redoubt in Alaska via computer. It is taking the same concepts and utilizing technology as an extra part of our curriculum," she explained.

Describing the rewarding parts of her work, Ms. Heck noted, "It's always good for students to graduate from high school to go on to further their education. Whether they go to college, vocational school or get a job after school, it is rewarding to know that I had an impact on them being productive," she added.

"Several years ago, there was a student who suffered from asthma who missed a lot of school and was going to quit just one semester shy of graduating. I told him, 'I'll tutor you after school and help you with your classes.' He decided to return to school and graduated later that semester. He is now a productive member of society and now lives a happy, productive life. That was a great accomplishment for me," she recalled.

Ms. Heck became interested in science at a very young age. Her father owned several tree farms and she spent a lot of time on those farms enjoying nature and being outdoors. She also had a wonderful high school biology teacher who inspired her that led to her choice as a science teacher today and she has never regretted it. An opening occurred at the Indiana School for the Blind the year she graduated from Franklin College. She took the job and continued her education so that she could receive her degree in order to teach blind and visually impaired students. Everyday of her long teaching career has been a challenge, but it has also been rewarding. Not a day goes by that was the same as the day before. She believes that "teaching science to blind and visually impaired students really is out of sight."