First graders of Alabama elementary school saved their teacher's life by acting quickly during a medical emergency. The school and community hailed the class as heroes for a well-done job.
The students noticed that Tracy Hodges, a first-grade teacher at Cedar Hill Elementary in Ardmore, Alabama, fell out of her chair and hit her head. The students immediately sought help, as per USA Today.
Seven-year-old kids saving their teacher's life
On that fateful day in January 2022, Hodges said she only had 12 students in class that day. Some were absent due to COVID-19. After singing and dancing around the classroom, the children sat at their desks. The teacher said she felt fine that morning but noticed her blurry vision.
Hodges recalled that she could not find the door and could not make out the three children sitting in front of her. The students noticed that their teacher was behaving differently. At first, they were unsure what was happening as they had just finished a playful exercise.
Then, Hodges was shaking, and they thought she was joking. Six-year-old Dalton Widener said she fell out of the chair and hit her head. That was when the young students knew that something was wrong. Seven-year-old Emily Johnson said the teacher's glasses fell off before dropping to the floor.
Before she lost consciousness, the teacher remembered asking the kids to get help, but she was unsure if they understood. But they understood that their teacher needed help. While two remained with Hodges in the classroom to ensure that she was alright, the rest got out of the room to get help, NBC News reports.
Some of them got the other teacher, and others sought the nurse. The school librarian saw the children and the nurse running down the hall and guided the students away, unsure how serious the situation was.
Positive for COVID
When Hodges awakened, she said that teachers and medical personnel surrounded her. One of the first graders informed the medics what happened before the teacher lost consciousness.
The librarian said the kids having to relive what happened that day showed bravery, making her proud of them.
The teacher was rushed to the hospital, where the doctors told her that she had tested positive for COVID. She had a seizure in the classroom due to the illness. Hodges had no idea that she was sick and said she had never had a seizure before.
According to Hodges, the kids' parents had called her because the children were scared to go back to school. She reassured them that she was already okay, adding that she was sad that students had to witness that emergency at a young age. She's also still in disbelief that the kids saved her life.
Had the teacher been at home, she would have been alone because her family would have been at work and school. So she was at the right place at the right time as her students were able to take care of her.
The town's sheriff, district attorney, police chief, and fire rescue team visited the school for a special ceremony for the young heroes. WAFF reported they gave them hero certificates, capes, and masks as part of Dole's hero-recognition program.
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