A Deaf Student Grows Up to be a Teacher of the Deaf

This heartwarming story is brought to you from one of Deaf Child Hope’s partners in Mexico. We share this story in honor of Deaf Awareness Month this September. We highlight a teacher today. He is a teacher at a school for Deaf children in a part of Mexico that is riddled with gang activity, violence, homelessness and poverty. Recently the school, and the community surrounding it, suffered damage from serious flooding brought on by storms and inadequate infrastructure. The teachers and other staff took risks to get to school. However, it was so important for the kids to have school open as soon as it was safe because for many of them the school is the primary place where basic needs are being met such as eating a full meal, brushing their teeth and bathing.

Ivan is the wonderful young teacher we are highlighting today. While Ivan is in the spotlight of today’s blog, please know there are many other wonderful people with similar stories to Ivan which includes being born or becoming deaf at a young age. Growing up in an impoverished community in a developing country. Little-to-no family support and/or appropriate resources for their hearing loss. Finding a school that could teach them a signed language later in childhood after years of language deprivation. Using that language to devour all of the learning they could going forward. Finding a community and extended family amongst the other students, staff and teachers at the school and eventually graduating. Then CHOOSING to give back by becoming a teacher at a school for children who are deaf or have hearing loss.

The DCH staff was fortunate to get to meet and interview Ivan in person and watch him teach a year ago (Oct 2023) when they visited his school on a mission trip. Ivan was clearly beloved by his students. He primarily teaches math to older students and it was evident he has a close rapport with them and a strong desire to see them succeed. DCH staff witnessed many amazing moments at the school and it was clear that all teachers and staff work tirelessly to show up for the students. Ivan is 24 years old. He became a teacher in 2021 and has been sponsored as a teacher since then by the Cannon Family who live in Iowa. SHOUT OUT to them!

The school’s director gives this brief summary of how Ivan came to be at the school when he was a child. “Ivan entered CMM as a student when he was 7 years old. He lived in the boy’s dorm during his teen years. He became a Christian when he was a teenager. He began working as a teacher’s assistant in 2019 and moved into being a full-time teacher in 2021. In Feb 2024 Ivan graduated as part of the first-ever class for a pilot program by completing a specialized training program sponsored by the federal government in Mexican sign language and Spanish. He has a deep desire to evangelize the Deaf community. In addition to teaching classes at CMM, he is also the leader of the Deaf adults forming the first sign language based Christian church in the area.”

Below are a few photos of Ivan as a child. These were photos used in correspondence with his sponsors and other donors. Little did those people know at the time that by investing in Ivan then, they were also investing in the dozens of other students that Ivan would impact down the road during his time as an educator. Thanks be to God for his divine planning!