For Michelle McCrate, the Lead Theory Instructor in the Dental Hygiene program, being able to come back and teach at Oxford College has been a challenge, and at one time she was unsure if she would be able to do again.
The popular teacher was the victim of a hit-and-run car accident in February 2010. Michelle suffered multiple injuries, and had to have surgery to insert a steel rod into her right leg. But in the weeks and months after the accident, post-concussion syndrome sapped her energy. “I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t watch TV,” Michelle recalls.
With the support of family, friends, and even students from Oxford (one class came to her hospital bed to deliver flowers), Michelle has made long strides in the road to recovery. She is now back full-time at Oxford, teaching nine classes. “The hardest part was getting things organized,” Michelle says, adding that she doesn’t know many of the newer students, which is “a big change from knowing everyone’s face.”
Michelle has now been with Oxford College for two years, and has taught a wide range of courses. She continues to undergo physiotherapy to improve her muscles and expects to have at least one more surgery on her right leg.
Michelle has enjoyed her return to teaching, and says that she always “wanted to come back because I love my job.”
