“Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.”

 

(George Bernard Shaw 1905)



As some of you know, I have spent many years, teaching.

 

Prior to the accident, and at various times, I taught law. In this respect, George Bernard Shaw might have had a point!

 

The experiences of Phil v2.0 in teaching are now focused upon brain injury and particularly, the following broad areas:

 

·      Enhancing brain injury awareness among professionals (and prospective professionals), who will likely encounter the brain injured community, during their careers; and


·      A sharing of my own therapeutic experiences, with a view to influencing the work of such people.

 

In pursuance of this, I have delivered lectures to many occupational therapy and psychology, university students.

 

I have also presented to qualified and practicing individuals, at events organized by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. One of these was delivery of the closing plenary presentation, at their last annual conference.

 

In this post, I will share (briefly) a couple of recent thoughts that have occurred to me.

 

Despite any appearance to the contrary, they are in fact, related, in that they both arose from the same event:

 

Another speaking opportunity...

 

I am delighted to have been asked to contribute to a pilot teaching session for professionals, who encounter brain injured people. My contact has asked me to deliver a presentation from the perspective of a brain injury survivor, with an emphasis on the desirability of bespoke care arrangements.

Given what I have said in earlier posts, you will be unsurprised to hear of my great pleasure in receiving this invitation.

 

By way of a brief recap, as to why such activities are of great importance to me...

 

·      In the light of my pre-head bump experiences, it feels like a welcome recapture of an aspect of my character

 

·      It contributes to a much-needed sense of self-worth; and

 

·      I hope that this work, will be of benefit to the brain injured, and those who provide them with care.

 

BUT 

 

It is something of a “double edged sword”!

 

There are a couple of downsides, as well...

 

·      Perhaps the largest one is over-preparation. 

 

At least in part, I think that this stems from a pursuit of “perfection” and a desire to facilitate this, and avoid later stress, by not leaving things to the last minute. 

 

I am also mindful of my memory issues, and (in furtherance of this “pursuit”) feel an immediate need to commit ideas to paper, in order to retain them, for future use.

 

All well and good...

 

.... but I am aware of taking this to ridiculous lengths!

 

The talk is only scheduled to last for 45 minutes and is 2 months away. Nevertheless, I already have a pile of scribbled notes, many of which I am sure, will end up in the bin!

 

I confidently predict that very many hours indeed will be devoted to this exercise over the next couple of weeks.

 

Hardly assistive of psychological fatigue management! 

 

But hold on a minute...

 

It goes without saying that no matter how diligently I proceed, “perfection” will be a far distant, and unobtainable, aspiration!

 

GET THINGS IN PROPORTION, and prepare as fully as needs be, and no more so. 

 

Make plans, and spread the work out, over a scheduled period. EG “this week, I will complete the following...”

 

·      Then there is the subject matter of the teaching itself - brain injury.

 

I am not at all convinced, that it pays to devote an undue amount of time, in its contemplation.

 

The new life that I am building is, of course, colored by my injury, but I would rather not dwell on that, to an inordinate extent.

 

Teaching brain injury related content, is, of course introspective, and perhaps negatively so?

 

Maybe I already think too much about my injury, and the preparation/delivery of presentations such as this, don’t lessen that!

 

While it is of great importance in preparing an effective presentation, I am not always helped, in reducing injury related thoughts, by my retention of a reasonable degree of self-awareness.

 

Maybe sometimes “ignorance is bliss”!

 

BUT, no matter, how much I retain brain injury related thoughts...

 

...at the end of the day, I am not defined by my brain injury. It is just one among many other of my characteristics.

 

This must always be borne in mind.

 

Overall, I should and will continue to deliver brain injury related presentations; as to me, the positives outweigh the negatives.

 

I do need though, to strike an appropriate balance between these and other activities. I should remind myself about the positive effects of this activity and battle any temptation to wallow in self-pity.

 

 

Following all my recent references to philosophy, irrelevant though it may be, I didn’t want to disappoint, by this subject’s omission; so...

 

...The initial quotation is a deliberate misquote of Aristotle.

 

What Aristotle said, was:

 

“Those who can do; those who understand, teach”.

 

...and getting back to the actual subject of this post:

 

 



 


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