WICHITA, Kansas, Sept. 12, 2007 – Life is full of challenges, but it's how you deal with those challenges that shapes who you are. One Wichita teacher is showing her kids they can overcome any obstacle. It's a lesson that is "Positively Kansas."

Problem solving is one of Tiffany Nickel's specialties. But her skills go well beyond helping a student solve a math equation. Overcoming challenges is a lesson she shows her kids everyday.

"It’s all about perseverance, motivation and internal will," Nickel said.

Eleven years ago this month, Nickel broke her neck diving into a pool. It was just eight days after she started her first teaching job. Even though the accident left her paralyzed, Nickel knew she would return to the classroom. She even shifted her focus to teach kids with special needs.

"I really put that in perspective for them," Nickel said. "Our lives are difficult, but everyone out there has a difficult life, and you just have to put it in perspective and keep going."

Keep going may be an understatement. Besides teaching, Nickel also tutors kids after school and runs the recycling program at Jackson Elementary. She's the president of Wheelchair Sports, an organization devoted to helping kids with disabilities participate in any activity, whether it's water skiing or hitting the ski slopes. Nickel is also executive director of the Kansas Disability Coalition. In her spare time, she sits on the city's advisory board to help make Wichita friendlier to people with disabilities.

"I think what keeps me motivated is the fact that I want the stereotype of someone with a disability to change," Nickel said.

It doesn't take long for Nickel to make an impact on the people around her. You can see that by just watching her in the classroom. But Nickel knows she still has challenges ahead.

"My father was diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer this summer, and life will continue," Nickel said. "It’s just another battle."

The way Nickel sees it, her dad's cancer is just another challenge to overcome: You can either let it bring you down or lift you up.

"You have to find the positive side of every negative," Nickel said.

It's that attitude that Tiffany hopes her students will carry with them through their challenges ahead.