A Blind Teacher on Truly Seeing Your Students
Kathy Nimmer is the 2026 Helen Keller Achievement Award winner. Her story is so heartwarming that, to celebrate episode 1001, we're airing an extended episode focused on the heart of teaching. The story of her first year teaching is incredible and one we should all hear. If you've been there, you know how quickly a first-year teacher's confidence can shatter. For Kathy Nimmer, a blind high school English teacher, a classroom window shattered too, and it changed how she taught.
Kathy tells how a chaotic first year taught her to bring her authentic self to the classroom, how being blind helped her see her students from the heart, and about the teacher mentorship program she helped create with her district to improve teacher retention. Her positive observations are truly inspiring.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why hiding who you are backfires in the classroom
- How the SEEDS new teacher program supports teachers first and offers PD second
- Affirmative observations: an observation that records only what a teacher does well
- Why specific praise sticks and "great job" doesn't
- Two things to carry all year: you find what you seek, and remember the sunrise
Kathy Nimmer taught English at Harrison High School in West Lafayette, Indiana, for 29 years. She was the 2015 Indiana Teacher of the Year, a National Teacher of the Year finalist, and the recipient of the 2026 Helen Keller Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the Blind.
Full show notes, resources, and the complete transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e1001
