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Chris Selway
...talks about life as a teacher.
I was appointed to my first full-time teaching post in January 2000. I thoroughly enjoyed the job and threw myself into all aspects of the work. Being a Primary phase teacher I had to teach across the whole curriculum, which was something I embraced as a challenge. I found the job very rewarding and enjoyed the relationships I was building with my class of eight-year olds.
In June 2002, being a very keen motorcyclist, I took the opportunity of going to the Isle of Man to watch the TT races (it was unusual for race week to coincide with half-term). I arrived on Mad Sunday, called so because the mountain part of the circuit was made one-way, and, of course, there are no speed-limits out of the town on the island; you can imagine what the traffic was like! I was on my second lap, as it were, when I got tangled with another bike on the way into Ballaugh. I was thrown off and landed badly. When the world stopped spinning I immediately realised that I had broken my back and the reality of the situation hit me like an Inter-city 125. “This isn´t meant to happen to me” my mind raced as my lungs gasped for breath. I was rushed off to Nobles hospital and dosed up with morphine. I had broken my back at T7, fractured several ribs and a shoulder blade, punctured a lung and suffered concussion. After a few days I was flown down to Salisbury in a private jet and the spinal unit there became my home for the next 7 months.
One of the things about SCI is the way that it impacts on everybody around you. The shockwaves of grief and uncertainty from my accident reached into the whole school community. The support that I received from everybody has been a great source of comfort. I had literally hundreds of cards at the end of my bed and letters, pictures, cakes and biscuits arrived constantly.
I had been adamant about going back to work from early on; I was lucky in that my profession was going to be one that would still value me and would make efforts to accommodate my needs. My headteacher and South Gloucestershire Council were extremely supportive and started making arrangements for my return. A ramp was fitted to the classroom (an Elliott building as it was the biggest) and the toilets were adapted for my use.
I was discharged in mid December and there were a number of meetings at the school between various agencies who had gathered to support me. Access to Work were invaluable with their support, advice and funding. Everybody had a ‘can-do´ attitude. I started working part-time to see how I could manage. It was difficult at first because I had to build my stamina up. I worked mainly with groups of children at first, but by Easter I was back with the whole class.
As it became clear that I was working back to full-time employment I was supported even more. Access to Work provided a Levo Combi standing electric chair; it made me feel awkward at first because it actually made me feel more disabled, but in practice it has been a godsend. I have had some problems with reliability, but being able to stand has been a great help and I could now chase the children around the playing field! They also provided a bench in case I ever needed to change and, later, even a roof for my parking space to keep me dry when transferring out of my car. The education authority even pays for its maintenance.
I researched ways of interacting with the class and settled on a Toshiba Portege M200 tablet pc and an interactive whiteboard. The tablet pc has been amazing for me; I can write or type on the whiteboard from anywhere in the classroom, import video clips and pictures from the web and use interactive CD ROMs and DVDs. My classroom became the model of a modern, interactive teaching and learning environment.
By the end of the first year I was ready for full-time work again and I have had very little time off due to illness (I had two days ill this year due to a water infection; the only time I have had to take off due to my SCI).
Being paralysed has affected the way that I work. I cannot teach the class swimming, although this is mainly due to the bus and swimming pool not having access for me (the children need to be supervised by a teacher at all times). I find that dance is much harder to teach, as are some PE activities: apart from that I have no problems with the rest of the curriculum. I can´t jump about like I used to, but tend to use my voice more effectively and use graphics more in delivering lessons. School trips can be a little harder to organise and I have missed out on some visits to historic houses; I haven´t gone with my class on camp, which is something that can only be described as a mixed blessing! I now teach Year 6 (11 year-olds) and I teach them how to make displays for the class.
I sometimes find that spasms keep me awake and that I can feel tired at work; it is harder to fight off when you can´t use your legs to move around and wake yourself up. The tiredness can also tend to shorten my fuse when the children are playing up and I try to warn them if I am feeling particularly tired; the sensible ones pay attention!
Many people have pointed out that I am a great role-model for the children in that life is what you make it. I have had a strong positive impact on a few ‘disabled´ children I have taught and seen the benefits to their confidence, self-worth and expectations. Several years on from the accident there are many children at the school who cannot remember me as able-bodied and recently we have taken in a couple of children who use wheelchairs part-time. The fact that people have become used to me in a chair has helped them to feel integrated. Sometimes I feel a bit out-of-place, usually on courses when people are too helpful and the like, although being a middle-aged man can also make one feel out-of-place in a Primary school! It´s the same when you meet anyone not used to people who are in wheelchairs; you always get those silly questions like “-Can you dance like those guys on the BBC link?” Once people get used to the situation it´s fine, though.
All in all I still enjoy my job tremendously; it´s still very hard work, but the rewards are great. If you are thinking of getting into teaching then you would have to be prepared for the rigours of teacher training; the PGCE year, for example, is an extremely demanding time. It is a tough job and I regularly work over 50 hours a week. I get to school just after eight o´ clock and I usually don´t leave until half-past five. I often work evenings and weekends. I would strongly recommend spending some time in schools just to see if it fitted your expectations (it is worth visiting several as they can vary a lot!). Most schools are fairly open environments and should encourage your interest; they should all be models of accessibility, although some older school might still have issues.
If you would like to contact me to discuss getting into or returning to teaching you can do so through the SIA. There are lots of opportunities out there for anyone willing to work hard and learn quickly.
All the best,
Chris Selway.
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