EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the last story in a series on paraprofessional students. Click here for the first in the series and here for the second.
Elizabeth Kuehne was born deaf. She quickly realized that the hearing population isn’t always accommodating. They rarely know sign language and constantly ask if she can read lips, which to a deaf person is like being asked if they know how to breathe, she said.
She grew up in foster care but was adopted in 2005 and graduated from the Missouri School for the Deaf in 2009, marrying fellow graduate Daryl Kuehne and having four children.
All four children are deaf and go to the same school in Fulton, Missouri, where she became a paraprofessional teacher’s aide.
Her adoptive mother was a teacher and always encouraged her to follow in those footsteps, which Kuehne dismissed until after she sat at her deathbed.
“I was with her and heard her struggle to breathe,” she wrote. “Before losing her ability to speak, she mouthed the words, ‘be strong,’ and I promised her I would.
“She is why I want to become a teacher; she knew I would be an amazing deaf teacher when I could not see it myself. And here I am, a teacher's aide. The students love it, they want me to be a teacher.”
Kuehne is writing all this in a series of emails, including the serendipity of finding Grand Canyon University on her Facebook soon after.
“It took me less than two weeks to make a big decision of my life. Even though I asked a ton of questions, my counselor had answers to every question that I had. She made it sound like I can achieve it!”
That university counselor is Stephanie Flores.
She helped Kuehne learn of a scholarship through the National Center for Teacher Preparation, where GCU offers assistance and professional development to paraprofessionals so they can become classroom teachers, improve their lives and help stem teacher shortages across the country.
But Kuehne was still nervous as her online classes began in June, changing American Sign Language words into proper English grammar. Sometimes, the words come out a little differently. “I am scared to do this,” she wrote to Flores. “I am not giving up.”
“While Elizabeth is my first deaf student, I’ve been fortunate to have close personal connections with the deaf community through my family,” Flores told GCU News. “This background helped me quickly adapt our communication approach to ensure Elizabeth felt heard, understood and empowered throughout the enrollment process.
“Elizabeth never let obstacles deter her. Her resilience and refusal to give up, even when the path forward had many speed bumps, was truly remarkable. I made sure to be there with her every step of the way, reminding her of her inner strength – something her late, adoptive mother had instilled in her.”
Kuehne told Flores she wanted to be the first in her biological family to earn a college degree. “Now I am going to show them I can do it, I am not a quitter,” she wrote.
“I am a strong woman.”
Several weeks into her studies, she is using texts, emails and video in her classes, and has limited speaking abilities. Her daughter, Kuehne wrote, showed her a way to type a closed caption and use her recorded voice to make a video.
It’s all part of what she wants hearing people to know.
“We can do ANYTHING, just like what you are doing right now; we can walk, we can move, we can run, we can drive, we can do anything, but just our ear is not working,” she wrote. “We are just human beings, just like you. We all must unite as a unified world without judgment or exclusion, where love, patience and support prevail.”
Sounds like a teacher.
“The best thing about being a teacher is the positive impact I can have on how deaf students perceive themselves,” she continued. “By constantly reinforcing and recognizing their learning efforts, I can help them see themselves as capable learners.”
Kuehne says her Missouri School for the Deaf is a little like Hogwarts in “Harry Potter” with dorms and sports activities but also, of course, American Sign Language.
“No deaf child should be left behind,” she wrote. “We must raise awareness about the unique needs of deaf children and provide the necessary support. Deaf children frequently experience challenges, such as language deprivation and communication barriers, which can be viewed as a form of struggle.”
Kuehne said she tries to brighten students’ days with a smile, good cheer and an example that they and her four children can witness.
“I’m determined to overcome any struggle I face,” she said.
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at [email protected]
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Related content:
GCU News: A paraprofessional finds understanding among differences
GCU News: The world was not handed to them, but at GCU they raised a hand to teach
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