The Paw Print

By Cameron Caprio

As Payton welcomes the class of 2027 into the building for the first time, it also welcomes a cohort of 17 new teachers, staff, and school administrators joining the WPCP community. I met with Ms. Buetow to hear her story.

Paw Print: What is your job here at Payton and how did you end up here?

Ms. Buetow: I teach students with visual impairments (blindness) by working with them on how to use certain machines like a video magnifier and screen reading as well as teaching them braille. I ended up at Payton because at my last job, I went from school to school teaching only about 3-5 students a day. I didn’t mind this yet, I wanted to do more teaching with resources like screen readers and the students I worked with didn’t have as severe cases. Only 2 high schools have a vision resource program (One being Payton) so I applied here and got lucky that there was an opening!

Paw Print: Why did you choose to teach the visual impairment program?

Ms. Buetow: Ever since I was younger, I knew I wanted to be a teacher but envisioned myself being a classroom teacher. Yet, when my mom found a tuition waver for special education teachers with free college, I knew I wanted to go. I ended up changing my major in college to work specifically with visually impaired students. I enjoy teaching my students how to use their resources and grow independent so they can be successful outside of the classroom. 

Paw Print: What do you believe is the hardest part of yourjob?

Ms. Buetow: It is hard for me to understand because their are things that I cannot help them with because I cannot put myself in their shoes. I think in terms of what is hard for my students, I believe the hardest thing for them is working independently as outside of the classroom, they rely on their parents/aid to help them for most of their everyday life. That’s why my goal is to push students to work without teacher assistance as this will make them better for when they are older and start living more independently. 

Paw Print: What do you enjoy/what are some of your hobbies?

Ms. Buetow: I love watching TV, cooking, gardening, and vacationing. I love going around the city trying different foods. My favorites are pizza, potstickers, sushi, and Korean BBQ! Also, I like being around my friends and can’t wait for what Payton has to offer for me!