Welcome!

I will be your child's music teacher this year.  Music class will be filled with a lot of singing,  dancing, making rhythm, and playing musical instruments.  We also will experience the work of  a different musician or composer  each week and learn about how different musical instruments work and the families of musical instruments.

If you have any questions or would like to contact me, please email me at: mrs.barford@presbvmschool.org.

In addition to being your child's music teacher, I am also a volunteer Seeing Eye Puppy Raiser. That means that I have a puppy to raise that was bred by The Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ.  

As puppy raisers we are encouraged to take our puppies with us whenever we can. Exposure to all kinds of situations helps them prepare for their future career. Father Isaac and Mrs. Flanigan  have given me permission to bring  my present puppy Ebony (and any other future Seeing Eye puppies) to school with me. Ebony will probably be with me until around Thanksgiving. Hopefully when she goes back for training, I will be able to raise a new puppy;

So this year  I will bring  Ebony to school  with me. Know that she will be on her leash at all times and has all of her shots. Usually I  allow the children to pet her at specific times.  No child ever has to pet her. The children really enjoy seeing her and take their responsibility very seriously. They are helping her learn how to deal with distractions and different people and experiences. Their main job is to ignore her during class time, so she gets used to not being the center of attention. If you have any concerns, please let me know.

Ebony is the 16th puppy I have raised for The Seeing Eye. The following is the history of the ones I have brought to school with me.

Ten years ago my puppy's name was Onyx; she was a lab/golden cross. She returned to The Seeing Eye's facility  when she was 15 months old and was  trained as a Seeing Eye dog.  She is presently working with a visually-impaired woman in Ohio.  

Nine  years ago my puppy's name was Marsha.  She returned  to Morristown, NJ, on October 4, 2017.  She passed her training at The Seeing Eye and is now working with a visually impaired person in Colorado. 

Eight years ago my puppy's name was Forte. She also passed her training and is presently working with a visually impaired person in North Carolina. Amazingly he is a musician, so hopefully Forte paid attention in all the music classes she attended!  

Seven years ago Tilda was my puppy's name; she also was a lab/golden cross. She  had a "career change" probably due to the great number of dogs that successfully passed training and the shortage of visually impaired clients at The Seeing Eye due to Covid restrictions. She has been adopted and is living with  a loving family.  

Six years ago Artemis, a lab/golden cross, was my puppy for most of the year. She is now working with a visually impaired man in Maryland.  She lives with him, his wife, three children, two cats, and his retired Seeing Eye Dog! 

Five years ago Max was my puppy.  She was my first German shepherd. She returned to the Seeing Eye for training at the end of July. Unfortunately she did not make the program and has been adopted.  Max was a great puppy but a little too vocal especially around other dogs.

Four years ago my  puppy's name was Violet.   She is a black Lab/Golden  cross.  Violet also had a "career change." She is presently living with a loving family.  

Three years my puppy's name was  Anna. She is yellow lab. She  returned to The Seeing Eye  in June. in Morristown, NJ, for training . She has passed her training and is now living with a visually impaired woman in Minnesota. 

Two years ago Gossamer was the puppy I raised.  She returned to The Seeing Eye a year ago  and is at present waiting for a match. 

Last year's puppy Twyla, a golden retriever, has returned to The Seeing Eye last winter, has passed her training, and is also waiting for a match. 

 Anyone (over the age of 9) can volunteer to be a puppy raiser. The Seeing Eye delivers the puppy to you, provides food, pays for vet visits and any medication the puppy needs, and supports its raisers. Each puppy raiser belongs to a puppy club. I belong to the Philadelphia club, Philly's Pups for Independence. We meet the first Thursday of every month at 7 pm at the  Philadelphia Protestant Home. 

To learn more about The Seeing Eye, go to seeingeye.org.Thanks.