Graeme Crowther— math teacher, father, wheelchair rugby player, and soon-to-be assistant principal

Graeme Crowther was sitting in his wheelchair at his desk at Harmony Excessive Faculty in entrance of a shiny pink “We Are Liverpool” flag when a pupil got here by means of his always-open door for an early peek at his last math grades.

“Monday,” Crowther insisted. “We’ll speak about it in school with all people.”

The boy respectfully accepted Crowther’s choice.

“Bye, Mr. Crowther,” he stated.

“Bye! Have a superb weekend,” Crowther responded.

Crowther is the top-dog math instructor at Harmony Excessive Faculty, additionally serving because the division’s curriculum facilitator. Subsequent yr he’ll tackle an even bigger management function as he turns into one of many college’s assistant principals. Although this was not a cease on his authentic profession path, a flip of occasions introduced him to this place he now cherishes.

Crowther was born and raised together with his older brother in Scotland till his household uprooted when he was 10 and moved to Laconia. He at all times excelled in class, graduating from Laconia Excessive Faculty in 1997 within the high 10% of his class.

Although his intuition informed him to check math at UNH, after one semester his ardour for sports activities informed him in any other case. He switched paths to give attention to kinesiology sports activities research and later did post-grad work at Texas State College in the identical area.

In July 2000, Crowther married the girl he had been courting for seven years, his present spouse, Cristina. They honeymooned to Jamaica for 10 days the place they loved river walks and the seaside.

Simply 5 weeks after getting back from paradise — on August 24, 2008— his every day commute to work as a workforce chief at Goal went awry. He flipped his automotive in Deerfield, leaving Crowther with a damaged neck, a crushed spinal wire and nil nerve exercise beneath it.

Crowther was paralyzed.

“All of us drove over to the hospital in a state of shock, making an attempt to determine what occurred,” stated Cristina.

Crowther spent two weeks at Massachusetts Normal Hospital adopted by a three-month-long keep at a spinal wire damage rehab facility on the Shepherd Middle in Atlanta.

Out of the 93 days he spent within the hospital, Crowther solely spent someday alone.

“I sort of obtained to see what my funeral could be like,” he stated, seeing the household who confirmed up for him when he couldn’t get away from bed with out equipment or two or extra individuals.

After months of inpatient and outpatient rehab, he was capable of operate independently sufficient to go house to New Hampshire.

After the accident, Crowther didn’t need to give any of the individuals who sat for hours within the ready room a cause to doubt him, a mentality that might get him far.

“It’s simply degree of positivity that’s not at all times sunshine and rainbows, but it surely’s extra of a dedication positivity,” stated Cristina.

Crowther went house in an influence wheelchair with distant controls however determined he wished to undergo further bodily remedy to have the ability to use a guide chair. His degree of damage deemed him a quadriplegic however not a “high-level” one, in keeping with Cristina, so there was room to push.

Crowther knew that his profession at Goal was not sustainable, so he went to go to an outdated mentor, Bob Champlin, who was the assistant principal at Laconia Excessive Faculty when he attended.

With Champlin’s steering and “right here’s what it’s worthwhile to do” mentality, Crowther despatched educating purposes to colleges throughout New Hampshire and ended up getting employed proper again the place he began: Laconia.

“There was a right away familiarity and comfortability,” stated Crowther. “I used to be very fortunate that that’s the place I ended up beginning my training profession.”

In the meantime, throughout his first 2½ years educating at Laconia, having parent-teacher conferences with a few of his pals from highschool whose youngsters have been now his college students, he was additionally pursuing his grasp’s in training at Plymouth State. This diploma would enable him to graduate from a educating intern to a full-time licensed instructor.

Crowther’s life took one other flip, this time for the higher, on the day of his masters commencement. As an alternative of celebrating one other diploma, he was unable to attend resulting from a fair greater milestone: the beginning of his daughter, Allyson.

Allyson — considerate, emotional and empathetic — and his son, Jackson — wild, daring and candy — at the moment are 10 and eight. Crowther is invested in watching his youngsters develop up however, as any loving father would, making an attempt to maintain them youngsters so long as he can.

He attends as many sports activities video games and household excursions as potential, and the household will get artistic to ensure Crowther will get to the place he desires to be. “If it’s an inaccessible area, we resolve how inaccessible which means,” stated Cristina.

Crowther’s job permits him to speculate himself in additional than simply his personal youngsters, whether or not that be a pupil who’s homeless or one which has not proven as much as class in 30 days. Caring for kids past his personal is a balancing act.

“Realizing that I’ve a 10- and 8-year-old who solely see pleasure in life proper now, and ensuring that that’s the precedence once we get house – we make a concerted effort to do this,” Crowther stated.

Crowther was on the high of the maths division at the highschool in New Hampshire’s capital and when COVID tried to close his life down. In true Crowther vogue, he stored pushing and enrolled in a doctorate program at Southern New Hampshire College, a level he’ll proceed to pursue as assistant principal subsequent yr.

In some way, on high of his bold educational and profession pursuits, Crowther by no means left sports activities behind. He performs adaptive sports activities like waterskiing, lacrosse and downhill snowboarding, however discovered his neighborhood by means of aggressive wheelchair rugby.

“ ‘If you happen to’re going to be an actual quad, that is what it’s worthwhile to get used to,’ ” he recalled the workforce telling him on his first day of observe, taking any further tools and cushioning off his wheelchair.

At first he wished no a part of it. A chair-on-chair contact sport after lately breaking his neck sounded nightmare-ish to Crowther.

“Second observe, they made me get in a chair, and I’ve liked it since,” he stated.

The Northeast Passage Wildcats, his rugby workforce, helped him by means of main life-style changes, considered one of which was journey.

Crowther’s first time touring in his chair was to West Palm Seashore, Fla., for a event with the workforce. Ever because the workforce taught him tips on how to navigate an airport, he has traveled comfortably, returning house to Scotland thrice because the accident.

Rugby has constructed a neighborhood for Crowther and in addition for his household. Cristina has different wives of workforce members to ask inquiries to, and the children hop into their dad’s chair after video games to wheel round as quick as they’ll, smashing into every thing round them.

When requested about how he talks about his accident and handicap talents together with his youngsters, Crowther put it merely: “It’s by no means been a tough dialog.”

Throughout the first few days of every college yr, Crowther tells his college students about his accident and the issues he’s nonetheless capable of do. For a lot of college students, Crowther’s wheelchair was acquainted, as Gene Connolly was additionally in a chair when he was principal at Harmony Excessive resulting from his battle with ALS.

“If you happen to knew Gene, he was at all times one to be self-deprecating and a person with an incredible humorousness, as am I,” stated Crowther. “So once we have been each on wheels, we had a few humorous conversations forwards and backwards about that.”

For the reason that accident, Crowther has felt unwavering assist which powers him ahead.

“I’m going to pursue all my targets and be sure that I don’t give anyone a cause to doubt me,” stated Crowther.