Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind Teacher

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL -- Students from all over the state come to St. Augustine to attend the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. It is an outstanding school with some talented teachers and that's where we found this week's Teacher of the Week.

Brent Sendler runs the horticultural program at the school. His classroom is mostly quiet but it is full of life; plant life. He is the teacher for the 'Dragon Flowers' student operated campus plant nursery in the agri-business career education building.

He's been teaching for 27 years. He knows sign language and he knows how to teach his students not just about plants, but work skills. "We have students who are deaf and visually impaired and some special needs students but they are all regular high school boys and girls. The challenges they might have may be in communication but when they're all here everything is easy. So really it's not that challenging. It's a pleasure," said Sendler.

He has received all sorts of awards with his students including The Florida Nursery Growers and Landscapers Association's Award of Excellence; The St. Augustine Lighthouse Volunteer of the Year Award, The Teacher of the Year; and most recently The 2009 Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award.

The students think he is the best. "He is very clear. He teaches us how to grow and how to do things. He teaches us how to work for the first time with plants," said 16-year-old Courtney Callahan. She says what she is learning in his class, will last her a lifetime.

All the students are learning. They are growing and they're making sure the landscaping in and around the school looks great. Next to the school is a park where Sendler's students are doing the landscaping.

Residents living near Nelmar Park say it looks great and they are thankful to Sendler and his students for working so hard.

"I absolutely love what I do. I come to work and it's like I'm still in kindergarten. I get to play with these really nice kids and with plants," said Sendler.

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