Not all heroes wear capes! A New Jersey teacher is being praised after she saved a student who was choking on a bottle cap.
Math teacher JaNiece Jenkins from East Orange Community Charter School in East Orange, New Jersey is seen on video using the Heimlich maneuver on one of her third-graders who began to choke. In the classroom’s surveillance camera that captured the moment which occurred last Wednesday, Jenkins’ 9-year-old student can be seen seated at his desk, attempting to open a water bottle with his mouth. It was said that he twisted the lid with his teeth, tilted his head back, and then squeezed the bottle, causing water to rush out and thrust the cap into his throat, blocking his airway. The frightened student runs over to his teacher and signals for help. That’s when Miss Jenkins went into action.
Realizing that the student was pointing to his throat, Jenkins use the Heimlich maneuver, which helped get the bottle cap out. Jenkins is then seen calming the boy down and whipping his face. “I just sprung into action,” the teacher told CBS. “After, I was relieved. I was relieved that he was okay and he was safe. But then I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, did this just really happen?'” “I saw he needed help and I just sprung into action to help him. He couldn’t breathe, his face was pretty pale and he had a look of desperation on his face,” Jenkins told NJ Advance Media, per the outlet.
“He ran to me and couldn’t talk so he was pointing to his throat. Then I just went to deliver the Heimlich maneuver and luckily it popped out and he was OK,” she continued.
How did Jenkis Feel After The Scary Moment?
“Once he was safe, I got him to the nurse and I felt 100% better,” she said. “Then my emotions got the best of me in hindsight thinking of what could’ve happened. Thank God, I was able to do what I did. This is the first time I ever did the [Heimlich maneuver] for real. I’m glad it worked.”
Jenkins has been a teacher for 14 years and has worked at East Orange Community Charter School for five years. According to CNN, the teacher who is also a cheerleading coach at Montclair High School, recently decided to take a refresher course in first aid. Thanks to her quick thinking and actions, East Orange Mayor Ted Green and Congressman Donald Payne Jr. announced they will give her an award and a proclamation.
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