We Must...

Three weeks ago our 1-year-old Olde English Bulldogge, Copper, could not get up.  He wanted to, but he simply couldn’t without our help.  So after we got him upstairs, my husband and I immediately called the vet and took him in to be seen. 

The vet took a look at Copper and said he thought it had something to do with either his back or hips, and after getting x-rays taken the following day, it was confirmed that Copper was born with a genetic defect that had caused bone-on-bone rubbing when he walked, ran, sat, played…did anything a dog enjoys (besides sleeping) and deserves to be able to do pain free. 

This grinding of bones, as you can imagine, and as we witnessed, resulted in a great deal of pain for Copper, and as I watched our “baby” (Jeff and I do not have children yet) struggle, I hurt for him.  What was even worse than knowing he was in pain, however, was the fact that we had never even known he was suffering until he couldn’t “fake it” anymore.

That’s right, our playful, wiggly, never-met-someone-he-did-not-like puppy had been finding ways to cope, or get by, for a while it seemed.  The x-rays showed enough muscle atrophy in his left leg to support the theory this was not a sudden occurrence, but something that he had been going for quite some time. 

Now I have to say at this moment that I am what we teachers would call a helicopter parent when it comes to my pooch.  He gets nightly tick checks, daily walks, weekly baths, and I would be probably 50 pounds lighter if I paid as much attention to my own diet as I do to Copper’s.  My point being, we are vigilant pet owners, but we missed this.

Copper didn’t want to complain or be a bother.  Instead he learned to tuck his leg up when he wanted to lay down, to barely put any weight on his left leg when he went for a quick jog with me (he usually pulled me along), sit with his legs out to the side... It was all so obvious once we were made aware of the situation.

And then the questions started pouring out. What do we do about it?  How do we fix the problem? How do we help Copper?

We got our answers from the first orthopedic surgeon we saw.  He told me we had three options:

1. Manage his pain with medication until it was no longer feasible and then we could put him down
2. FHO (the removal of the part of the femur that was rubbing against the hip), but he warned us that often that did not work
3. A full hip replacement to the tune of $6,000

We went for a second opinion.

This next surgeon educated us on what was happening with Copper by bringing out models of hips and showing us other x-rays.  He discussed our options and asked us questions to determine what we were capable and comfortable doing. 

He then told us that he felt the hip replacement surgery was completely unnecessary, that we could try physical therapy with pain medication for a little while, but that it was not a long-term solution, and finally that he had had great success with FHO in situations like Copper’s and when the owners were diligent in the recovery process. 

After this interaction, we scheduled the FHO right then and there, and Copper had surgery this past Monday.  He is doing incredibly well so far and we are hopeful he will make a full recovery.

I share our experience with you because a new school year is upon us (or is already under way) and we will be opening our doors, hearts, and minds to learners who may have something they are struggling with in silence.  They may be suffering while still putting on a smile and “wagging their tails.”

He or she might not want to be a bother or admit they cannot do something (YET!) for a wide variety of reasons, or worst of all might not think anyone cares, but we as teachers must show our students that above all else WE CARE. 

We also must be vigilant and take the time to understand who our students are, why they do what they do, and say what they say.  We have an amazing opportunity every year to be welcomed into the minds and hearts of incredible individuals and must do everything we can to make ourselves worthy of that privilege.

We must build relationships with our students and their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, or sisters so they trust us and know we are fighting for them.  In doing so, we create a team that is working together for the same cause.

We must educate not dictate.  Provide people with correct and accurate information in way that is approachable and shows how it will benefit them, and you will have won half the battle. Tell people what they should do and scare them by telling them what will happen if they don’t, and you have just made it even more of an uphill battle.  Be the person your students’ caretakers seek out not hide from.

We must not beat ourselves up if we miss something at first.  We are human and not mind readers.  When we are finally made aware, we have to move forward from that moment.  Try not to waste time living in the past.  If you must go back there, go for a quick vacation and make sure you are going to be bringing back a souvenir that will be helpful to your cause.  

We must collaborate and seek out second and third opinions.  I know I have not even scratched the surface of what I still have to learn, so I better be willing to seek out advice and listen to others.  We are better together and can offer one another our experiences, perspectives, understanding and support. Cultivate and grow your PLN so that your students can reap the benefits. It’s also OK to ask someone else if you are not satisfied with an answer or suggestion you get, and what’s so horrible about hearing 5 people all agree that option z is the one they would pick?

Final Thought:

We must remain positive warriors.  Just because we look on the bright side doesn’t mean we are wimps and aren’t willing to fight for what we believe. I will use my rainbows and unicorns to throw down (you know what I mean) with anyone who tries to rain on my parade, and I get loud about what I believe in and am passionate about, but I do my best to remain positive and respectful (it’s not always easy…).  Eventually I plan to win those negative naysayers over and ticking them off just makes my job that much harder.

I hope you all have a wonderful start to the year, or continue to rock it out like you have been. I just know this is going to be a year of epic proportions!