Seeing Eye Dog a Winner In FHS Classroom

When classes started this fall at Farmingdale High School, there was good news and bad news. The bad news was the retirement of Xebeck, the popular Labrador seeing eye dog that guided social studies teacher Jim Hughes through the hallways for the last few years. The good news was that Xebeck had been replaced by Ronny, a golden retriever and Hughes' new canine companion.

"They are two entirely different personalities," Hughes said. "Xebeck (pronounced Zeebeck) thought he was a person. He was friendly but a bit aloof and he had very definite ideas about some things. Ronny, on the other hand, is much more puppy-like and accepts the fact that he is a dog.

"I also learned from Xebeck about the need for proper training. I'm much stricter with Ronny. He sleeps on a rug under my desk while I'm in class and he's quite content to do that. But he's a very lovable dog and we're learning to work well together. At first there was a lot of stepping on each other's feet, but we are pretty well choreographed now."

Hughes said he believes he and Ronny are the only teacher-seeing eye dog combination in Long Island's public schools.

Xebeck had to be retired to Hughes' parent's home in upstate Walden because the dog's eyes were beginning to cloud over and the decision was made, as Hughes put it, "for his health and my safety. It could have been a situation of the blind leading the blind. But he's thoroughly enjoying it at my parents' house, lounging and scrounging around all day."

While students, faculty and administration members miss Xebeck and ask about him frequently, they have all taken quickly to Ronny, Hughes said, and the transition from one dog to another has been relatively smooth. "It was a little strange at first, because I had had him with me since I was 18 and he went all through college and grad school with me. This dog saw it all," Hughes said with a characteristic chuckle, "and I hope he never tells it all."

A lively sense of humor is Hughes' trademark and one of the reasons he is so popular as a teacher of 11th grade social studies. Students usually call his name to get his attention but he said, "Every so often one of the kids will be so excited about answering a question that they will hold their hand up in the air. Then they will get all embarrassed and say, 'Oops, I forgot.'"

Being blind is something Hughes confronts head-on: "It was an issue during the hiring process, which was very, very thorough. It was very rigorous but a good process. They wanted to know how I would grade papers and type tests. I had several interviews and even taught a demo lesson."

Hughes, who lost his vision from glaucoma when he was four, lives about a mile from school and walks there most days with Ronny guiding his way. In bad weather, a colleague often drives him to work. He has a computer with a voice card that allows him to hear what is on the screen and which permits him to edit and print out tests. He also privately employs a reader who reads the students' essays to him and "I tell him the comments to write." He can also scan term papers into his computer and it will read them aloud to him for grading. "Thank God for technology," Hughes said.

Hughes is also an active faculty member who sometimes attends school board meetings. He is also active in the Farmingdale Federation of Teachers where he serves as an alternate building representative and hopes to become even more involved in union activities.

When he is not teaching, Hughes loves outdoor activities. "I have a tandem bike and I love to go kayaking and canoeing with friends. I love music, especially folk music. I am playing with a guitar, but I'm not quite there yet." He also loves traveling about the country visiting friends and hopes to do some foreign travel soon. But that may be restricted because many nations require extensive quarantines before dogs are allowed in.

Farmingdale is his first teaching job and Hughes said, "I absolutely love it. I think I've found my niche. Obviously, there's a different environment in my class because of my disability. But I think it's a good one.

"The kids see somebody that maybe they thought might not be capable. But they see me do the job and they learn a lesson -- that a lot of people who are disabled can do the job. That's important for them to see. They also see a person who is faced with a challenge and is dealing with it. Hopefully, they will learn from this to fight the good fight."