Klamath Falls, Ore.– Little Aly has big dreams. When you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up she’ll tell you a mom and a police officer.
Only a first grade student at Pelican Elementary School in Klamath Falls she has already overcome challenges that most children her age would never even imagine.
“Sometimes it’s challenging, but I look forward to the challenge,” says Shannon Kappas, Aly’s first grade teacher.
Chemotherapy left Aly with significant hearing loss. It’s severe enough that without help, Aly could easily fall behind in class, but her teacher wont let that happen.
“I wear a microphone,” Kappas explains.
“It’s what help[s] me hear,” Aly beams.
Kappas’s voice goes through the microphone she wears around her neck and comes out over a speaker installed in her classroom. Coupled with her hearing aides, Aly is able to hear what’s being taught in the classroom and keep up with the lesson plan.
It’s an extra responsibility that her teacher is happy to take on.
“We are in it together,” says Kappas. “There is nothing we can’t figure out. We are a team.”
Aly’s thankfulness is heard loud and clear. “Her is a nice teacher.”
Aly isn’t the only one who’s thankful. Kappas says Aly and all her students fulfill her dreams every day.
“It’s always been what I’ve wanted to do,” Kappas says. “Really passionate about teaching.”
That passion is something she’s passing on one student at a time.
“Every child has potential. So it doesn’t matter what you look like or your background, you can do anything you set your mind to,” says Kappas.
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