Page 268 - The Exceptional Harley Fetterman

JUDY K JOHNSON

career. As teachers
we hope that we
affect students' lives.
There are also times
that students affect
our lives. Harley
was one of those
students. He pushed
me to be a better
teacher so that I
could help him get
to places he needed
to go. I have never
had another student
who had a thirst for
learning like him.
He brought together
my love of literacy,
teaching braille and
music. While I may
have started out as the leader in our lessons when he was young, he
soon took control of his learning and started letting me know what he
needed.

Together we conquered the difficult Braille music code. As with all
that I taught him, he then took that learning and ran with it. He went
on to learn to play multiple instruments. He did the same with all the
technology we explored. He didn't just use what I taught him, he
sought out other technologies and made decisions about what worked
for him. There were times when I had to sit him down and convince
him that what I was asking him to do would be of benefit to him. As
he got older, there were times he sat me down to convince me that his
way was the better way. Beth Freeborn and Kevin Fetterman raised
an exceptional young man. They allowed him to grow and learn and
explore who he could become. Harley, you were special and will be
missed.

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