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LEADERSHIP, LEARNING, &  PErsonal Growth

Good Teaching in L.I.F.E

3/7/2014

10 Comments

 

4 Cornerstones to Success in Teaching

I am going to bare a bit of my soul here when I share an experience that I believe has truly shaped who I am as a person and an educator. Although I believe I was always passionate about teaching, an experience nearly three years ago totally changed my outlook on what it means to be a teacher. On May 6th, 2011, I was almost killed in an accident while working in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Long story short, I was at an international football tournament and a bus backed into a group of players from another international school (fortunately none of the students were injured). Sensing imminent danger, I ran to the front of the bus and smacked the door to get the bus driver's attention. 

My left hand shattered the glass and the ulnar artery, ulnar nerves, tendons, ligaments, and muscles in my left hand and wrist were completely severed. As I pulled my hand back in horror, I immediately realized that I was in grave danger. Blood was squirting from the deep gashes in my left wrist with ferocity. I clamped on to my wrist and raised my hand above my head and with blood pouring down on my head and shoulders, I went in search for help. 

The principal of the school was first to help. He grabbed on to my wrist as well to try and slow the bleeding. The school's driver rushed me to the the ex-pat emergency clinic located in the center of Phnom Penh. Both the principal and I sat quietly in the back seat clamping down on my bleeding wrist. What is usually a 20-minute car ride took nearly 45 minutes due to morning rush hour traffic. You can imagine the thoughts racing through my head during those 45 minutes. I thought I was going to bleed to death. I thought that I would never see my beautiful wife, Neila, and 2 amazing boys, Eli and Tai again. I fought hard not to pass out in the car. 

The head of the clinic, Dr. Nick Walsh, from Australia, was on call that morning. As soon as he saw me, he said that I needed to be medically evacuated to Bangkok, Thailand for emergency surgery. The problem was we didn't have our passports as they were being renewed at the Canadian embassy in Bangkok. Seeing as there was no Canadian embassy in Cambodia, we had sent them off to Bangkok a week earlier to be renewed. Leaving the country was impossible. To complicate matters further, the handful of qualified orthopedic surgeons in Phnom Penh were not in town on that morning. 

Tick tock tick tock tick tock......every second seemed like an eternity. A tourniquet was put in place to slow the bleeding as Dr. Nick tried to figure out what to do. Every time he came back in to see me, I could tell by the look on his face that the situation was getting worse. At one point, he put on goggles and went into my wound with arterial clamps to stop the bleeding and to buy more time as he searched in vain for someone who could help. The sight of blood squirting out on to his goggles will be burned into my memory forever. 

The pain was indescribable and my arm was turning a dark shade of purple. Dr. Nick came back in to tell me that he found a retired Scottish orthopedic surgeon who runs a charity that provides volunteer surgeries on land mine victims. Dr. James Gollogly is the founder of this organization. He is a saint of a man who has devoted his life to making a difference in the lives of so many. I was rushed down to Dr. James who was waiting outside his clinic for me when the ambulance arrived. He performed an arterial ligation on my injured left wrist and is responsible for saving my arm at minimum and possibly my life. 

A week later I was flown to Singapore to have total reconstruction done on my wrist and hand. Although my hand has not fully recovered, my perspective on life and on teaching has forever changed. And here is a picture of the man who changed my life, Dr. James Gollogly. If you ever feel in the mood to donate money to a charity, please visit the website of this amazing man's non-profit organization, the Children's Surgical Center of Cambodia. 
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The following three months after my surgery was an extremely difficult time. I was experiencing a lot of physical pain and setbacks as a result of the injury. Although I was doing intensive rehabilitation, there was little improvement in the condition of my hand. I had little feeling in the hand itself and very limited movement. It was a dark and depressing time, but all that began to change when I started up my new job in August 2011 at the Nanjing International School. Getting back doing what I loved doing was a critical turning point for me. Being able to teach again made such a difference in my mental and physical recovery. 

Although I was always passionate about teaching, something inside of me had deeply shifted. For the first time, I realized that teaching really was my true calling. I made a promise to myself that I would be the very best teacher I could be. I wanted to touch as many teacher's lives as possible in an effort to highlight my belief that we have such a powerful role in making a difference to the children we teach. I made a promise to document my own teaching and learning journey and to publicly reflect on my own practice. 

Reflection has played a big role in who I am as an educator. I sought to narrow down what good teaching really is. Intertwined with good teaching is being a thoughtful, caring person who has loads of empathy and compassion for others. I have broken down what I feel good teaching to be into 4 main components that I call the L.I.F.E model. Whether you are a teacher or a student, these 4 areas are critical to our success. Which areas resonate with you? Thanks for taking the time to read through this blog post. 
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10 Comments
Toby link
3/10/2014 01:56:03 pm

Inspirational story to read Andy. I often hear of brushes with death bringing clarity and depth to peoples' lives. The l.i.f.e model has given me a lot to think about. Thank you.

Reply
Lelia
3/10/2014 05:25:00 pm

Thanks for sharing Andy! You make a lot of good points. I think as teachers we want our students to succeed, not just academically, but in everything. I think your l.i.f.e. model is a great framework to build on. Onwards and upwards!

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Jason Graham
3/11/2014 08:42:41 pm

Awesome post, thanks for sharing.

Reply
Patty Kestell
3/12/2014 12:43:52 pm

Andy, without a doubt, your experience has had a profound impact on your life as well as all those around you. You write with such passion and purpose, that I love to read your blogs. You are a "teacher" of teachers and have truly offered us a window into your life as an educator and as a person. I am so grateful our paths have crossed. All four of your LIFE model descriptions resonated with me, but the first and last one go somewhat hand in hand for me. Reflecting on my mistakes as an educator has really helped me to grow as an educator and person, and has taught me to take time to assess and evaluate what I am doing for and with my students in PE. I feel like my entire world has shifted in this past year, being connected with so many great educators on Twitter and being inspired by people like you who make me want to strive to continue to be the best I can be. This was an awesome post, Andy! Thanks for sharing your story, for helping me grow as an educator and person, and for being a part of my journey this past year. Namaste!

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Adam
3/13/2014 12:07:27 pm

Amazing, and think more people should read this!!!

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Carol Miki
3/14/2014 10:15:40 am

A powerful story Andy. Thanks for nudging me to consider the L.I.F.E. framework you have outlined here. I agree that personal reflection is key to good teaching. Keep up the good work:)

Reply
Aili
3/17/2014 02:10:38 pm

A heart-touching story that I love to read so much. I had a similar experience as yours except not getting hurt, and that unexpected event gave me a new outlook of what my life is. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Crystal
7/7/2014 01:18:56 pm

Thank you for sharing your story! Really touched me. I started my first full time teaching job one week after my last chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer and really understand how you feel about being the most passionate teacher you can be.

Reply
Theo
7/7/2014 01:19:01 pm

A passionate teacher can make a massive difference. Your story is heart-warming and filled with amazing people. We should never forget the things that shape us into who we are today

Reply
Tiwatope
9/28/2014 10:00:34 pm

Thanks for sharing your experience. It has encouraged me. Our response to challenges can help make us more focused and more determined to achieve our dreams.Teaching for me is a passion,and like you its not just about teaching sports, its teaching life skills and making an impact in the lives of people within my circle of influence.

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    KAUST Faculty, Pedagogical Coach. Presenter & Workshop Leader.IB Educator. #RunYourLife podcast host. 
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Helping Kids to Achieve Their Best
  • Welcome
  • The Aligned Leader Blog
  • Consulting and Coaching Opportunities
  • My TED X Talk
  • My Leadership Blog
  • Run Your Life Podcast Series
  • How PYP PE with Andy Has Helped Others
  • Good Teaching is L.I.F.E
  • The Sportfolio
  • Example Assessment Tasks
  • PYP Attitude Posters (printable)
  • Publications