My Mentor: Libby Resnick

By Helen Schulman

My aunt Libby Resnick had a profound influence on my life. She was my mother’s sister the youngest of 5 children and arrived in the USA at the age of five. Aunt Libby was the first in her family to graduate college and became a Teacher of the Deaf at JHS 47 M in the 40′s. She was a working wife and mother when others of her generation stayed home to raise their children. As a young child she allowed me to accompany her to school and observe her as she taught deaf children to communicate orally and prepared them for a productive life in the hearing world. It was through her influence that I too became a teacher of the deaf; a career that lasted almost 30 years. Afflicted with MS in her forties she continued to work as a teacher and then a teacher trainer for many years. Her love and devotion to her students was repaid many times over as many remained in close contact with her well into their adult years. Aunt Libby was ahead of her time as a proponent of including children with special needs into the educational mainstream. I miss her wise cousel and will always be grateful for her love and guidance.