By Julie Keane, Globe staff reporter
December 2, 2004

CARROLL - Shelley Becker uses her profession as a teacher to help educate the youth at Kuemper High School about more than what is written in textbooks.

"I felt that it was important for me to share with others my journey of faith as I grew up in rural Iowa, married, became a wife and mother, survived a life-altering injury and found God in the process," Becker said. "My hope was and is, that by sharing what I have gone through, I will be able to help motivate others to see the power God can have in their lives to not only endure, but to live life to the fullest."

Becker was paralyzed on June 3, 1984, during a horse riding accident near her parents home. Her two-year-old mare was having behavioral problems during some of the training sessions. During one of the training sessions, Becker was trying to control her horse, when the horse "with a mighty heave, reared up and reached a point of no return and toppled over backwards." Gravity drew Becker to the ground and her horse pinned her down.

"Upon impact I either heard or felt bones breaking," Becker said. "Like a bolt of lightening the thought went through my mind that she had broke my legs. It wasn't that my legs were broken, they wouldn't move. I was paralyzed."

In the early months after Becker's accident, she said she found encouragement in her three children and husband. It was not until after her children were raised that she decided to become an educator.

"I felt compelled to seek more from life," she noted. "The choice to become a teacher was gradual, but in the end I know it was God's will. Some people with disabilities choose to become advocates for the disabled. I chose to become an educator to teenagers to try and teach about life, its limitations, its endless possibilities and about grace."

She has been teaching at Kuemper for the last seven years. After graduating in 1998 from Northwest Missouri State University with a major in family consumer sciences and a minor in business education, she sent out many resumes looking for a teaching job. She interviewed at Kuemper and was offered a contract to begin teaching two days after her college graduation.

"I believe that God places special people in our lives, and two of those people were Dr. Keith Guy, then principal of Kuemper and Clete Winschitel, then curriculum director," she said. "They were two men who could look past my disability and were willing to take a chance and give a person in a wheelchair an opportunity. I believe it was in God's plan for me that I come to Kuemper."

Becker has taught courses in food and nutrition, child development, independent living along with many others classes. Along with teaching at Kuemper, Becker coaches "many wonderful young women athletes on the basketball court and softball field."

It was one student at Kuemper that made Becker start thinking about talking to the youth about her disability and how God has helped her through many challenges.

"Several years ago while teaching a class I shared a little about the accident that caused me to have to use a wheelchair," she noted. "After many questions from my students a girl said to me, 'Mrs. Becker, you should be a motivational speaker.' At the time I laughed and told her, 'I am a motivational speaker - I try to motivate you every day.' But as time went on, it seemed as if God was nudging me to do just that."

Becker said one thing led to another and after talking with Beth Bruner, the youth rally site coordinator at Kuemper, she decided to present a workshop at this year's youth rally.

"Many of the rally-goers came into my session and saw two wheelchairs and a maze set up and thought my message was about living with a disability," she said. "However, after having some fun with students trying to make it through a maze blindfolded and in a wheelchair, being guided by a voice at the end of the maze while other rally-goers tried to confuse them by shouting conflicting directions, I shared with them my real intentions for the exercise. I wanted them to realize that the road of life will have many twists and turns - even roadblocks."

She added that part of the exercise was to help students understand making right decisions can be difficult with others trying to take them down the wrong path.

"I've learned in my life, if you can open your hearts and minds to listen or look for the signs God leaves, you'll reach your destination," Becker said. "Teaching in a Catholic school has allowed me to talk about the grace of God and how we as children of God need to treat everyone with respect and compassion."