Russell Elementary Teacher Honored for Work with Blind Students

Usually, the term "the blind leading the blind" is used disparagingly. That's not the case for Russell Elementary School's Janet Mushington-Anderson.

Mushington-Anderson, who is blind herself, has been named the 2013 Distinguished Educator of Blind Children by the National Federation of the Blind. 

Mushington-Anderson has been teaching in an elementary school environment for 15 years, but it wasn't until her daughter was born with congenital cataracts and had difficulty reading Braille that the educator turned her focus to helping children with vision impairment.

For three years, Mushington-Anderson has been working with vision impaired children at Russell. Her instruction includes proficiency in Braille as well as the printed word. 

According to Russell Elementary School Principal Peter Manson, some of the students Mushington-Anderson has mentored in Braille have gone on to awards for their Braille fluency.

"Ms. Mushington-Anderson is a gifted teacher who is always looking for new opportunities for her students," Manson said. 

"She also has such a wonderfully positive and indomitable spirit which she freely shares with students and colleagues alike."

Mushington-Anderson has not restricted her efforts to Cobb County, however. She lends her talents to organizations such as the Colorado Center for the Blind and the Braille Enrichment Literacy and Learning program.

One of Mushington-Anderson's students, Maria Monteiro-Oliveira, said, "She always helps with the Braille writer and explains things to me that I don’t understand. She’s also really creative and imaginative."

As the 2013 Distinguished Educator of Blind Children, Mushington-Anderson has earned $1,000, an expenses-paid trip to the National Federation of the Blind convention, a plaque, and now has an opportunity to present information about the education of blind children to the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children.