Jennifer Fleming is one of Henry County’s newest teachers, having just started her first year in the district.

  She made a pretty good first impression.

  On the second day of class last month, she was eating lunch with her first-graders at Hickory Flat Elementary School when she noticed one of her students in distress. Skylar Jordan, sitting directly across from Fleming, was coughing violently when she took what appeared to be a deep breath and then stopped making any sounds.

  Fleming realized immediately that something was very wrong. She grabbed Jordan and performed the Heimlich maneuver, dislodging the food that was caught in her throat and causing the blockage. Jordan began breathing normally once again.

  The Henry County Board of Education recognized Fleming for her actions, which district officials called “heroic,” at its September 9 regular meeting. A veteran teacher in her 17th year, she is a newcomer to Henry County schools after previously working in DeKalb and Rockdale counties.

  “Ms. Fleming’s quick action and caring response more than likely saved Skylar from a life-threatening situation,” according to a statement. “The attention and compassion shared by Ms. Fleming exemplifies the kind of teachers and staff that we employ here in Henry County.”

  It was a reminder that teachers in today’s classroom are expected to know much more than the subjects they teach children on a daily basis. Basic training in various first-aid procedures has become a routine part of overall teacher preparation.

  As for this particular situation, “it had never happened to any of my students before,” said Fleming. She had attempted the Heimlich maneuver once before on her own daughter who had put a penny in her mouth, but it was too late as the child had already swallowed it.

  Fleming has not yet participated in any medical-related training sessions at Hickory Flat, but she has taken part in many over nearly two decades since she was a student-teacher. These kinds of skills are not required for a teacher to maintain his or her certification, but every school building is required to have a minimum number of people who are properly trained, depending upon the number of students in the school, she said.

  As for the incident with Jordan, a few of the students showed concern when it initially happened and were pleasantly relieved when it was over, although they may or may not have grasped the seriousness of it. Students on the other end of the table had no idea what happened, according to Fleming.

  “It was a teaching moment as far as just being generally calm,” she said. “If you’re not calm, you’ll excite the other students and it’ll be a much bigger deal. I was trying to model how to handle the situation so you can think properly and know what to do.”

  She and the rest of her first-grade teacher team purposely sat with their students the first two weeks of school, because for these students the teaching doesn’t end when they leave the classroom. Many of these young people are still learning the proper way to eat in a public setting.

  “We model what our expectations are in the cafeteria – what to do if you need anything, when to raise your hand, how to sit quietly,” said Fleming. “A lot of them bring their lunch to school and have things they don’t know how to open so we are helping them. We tell them to clean up after themselves, put their trash away, those kinds of things.”

  Fleming’s actions earned her the appreciation of her administrators, and Hickory Flat principal Dr. Marla Surette sent a clandestine message to the central office so her new faculty member would receive the accolades she felt were deserved.

  “It was a total surprise,” said Fleming, who was not notified by Surette until three days before the school board meeting.

  Surette said that when Fleming was hired, she knew the school had gained “a devoted, caring, and effective teacher” and that her “heroic act showed us a window into her heart.”

  “She exemplifies the dedication and attention to detail that our teachers and staff give our students every day,” Surette added. “I always knew that Hickory Flat influenced students’ lives with cutting-edge curriculum and unique learning opportunities not found in any other elementary school, but now I know that we also save lives.”