For most students, hearing the teacher’s voice in the classroom is something they rarely think about. But for fourth grader Charlotte Stoops at Unity Point School in Carbondale, hearing clearly requires technology, teamwork, and a little extra patience.

Charlotte lives with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, a condition that affects how sound travels from the ear to the brain. Although she did not have noticeable hearing loss at birth, she explains that it gradually developed as she grew older. “I started getting a little hard of hearing,” Charlotte says. “And then it got worse.”

Today, Charlotte uses hearing aids to help her hear the world around her. The small devices sit behind her ears and amplify sound, allowing her to hear voices, conversations, and classroom instruction more clearly. She has been using hearing aids for several years now, something she says has simply become part of everyday life. “I’ve had hearing aids since I was about four,” she explains.

At school, Charlotte also benefits from technology designed to make learning easier. Teachers can wear a small microphone device that sends their voice directly to Charlotte’s hearing aids. When the teacher speaks, the sound travels straight to her ears instead of getting lost in the background noise of the room.

Another device can also be connected near the teacher’s desk so that Charlotte can hear classroom instruction more clearly. With these tools in place, she is able to follow lessons even when she is sitting across the room.

Without those supports, learning in a busy classroom could be much more difficult. Like many classrooms, Unity Point can sometimes become lively and noisy, especially when students are working together or transitioning between activities. “If the classroom is really loud,” Charlotte explains, “sometimes it’s hard to hear who is talking.”

Even with hearing aids, Charlotte says the environment around her still matters. When the room is quiet, and someone is nearby, she can hear fairly well. When the room becomes noisy, it can be harder to pick out individual voices.

Another part of life with hearing aids is something many people never think about—charging them every day. When Charlotte removes the devices at night, she places them on a charger so they are ready the next morning. “You have to charge them,” she explains. “So there are times when you can’t hear very well.”

Charlotte also has a busy home life. She is one of five sisters. Her older sisters, Hayden and Mackenzie, attend high school, while Lily is in seventh grade. Charlotte is the next youngest, and her little sister, Ashton, who is two years old, attends daycare. In a household with several siblings, conversations are always happening. Charlotte says she can usually hear family members as long as they are close enough to her.

At school, she also works regularly with a specialist who helps support her communication skills. Twice a week, Charlotte meets with Miss Molly, who works with her on speech and language development. During their sessions, they practice different language skills, including understanding and using pronouns. Charlotte says those lessons have helped her grow more confident in the classroom. “I’ve learned a lot,” she says.

Like many students, Charlotte enjoys spending time with friends and participating in everyday school activities. Outside at recess, she can hear her friends without using the classroom microphone system as long as they are nearby.

She also uses another helpful strategy when people are speaking. Charlotte often watches someone’s mouth as they talk so she can better understand what they are saying. “I look at their lips to see if they’re actually speaking,” she explains.

That combination of technology and careful attention helps Charlotte stay connected to what is happening around her.

For Charlotte, hearing aids are simply part of daily life. They help her learn in class, talk with friends, and participate in the many activities that make school enjoyable.

Her story also helps others understand something important: students sometimes experience the classroom in different ways. With the right support and technology, those differences do not limit what students can achieve.