Just when a Midway ISD parent thought her admiration for her daughter's teacher couldn’t grow any stronger, the teacher’s heroic actions helped save her daughter from choking.
Jennifer Davis, a second grade teacher at Chapel Park Elementary School, was lining her class up to go outside for a picnic lunch on the last week of the school year when one of her students, Brianna Martinez, started choking on a grape.
“Brianna came up to me with wide eyes and her hands shaking,” Davis said. “I quickly realized she was choking!”
Without hesitation, Mrs. Davis sprang into action.
“I dropped my water bottle and went around behind her so I could do the Heimlich, which I’ve never had to do before,” Davis said. “I was calling out for help while doing the maneuver as there were some other teachers at a nearby table who I knew could help if it wasn’t working.”
By the time the other teachers realized what was happening and jumped up to assist, the grape was out.
“It all happened so fast, but at the same time seemed in slow motion,” Davis said. “I hugged Brianna and reassured her that she was okay and did just what she needed to do to get the help she needed.”
“Thanks to Jennifer, Brianna walked away with just feeling dizzy and a little scratchy throat,” Brianna’s mom Jessica Martinez said, “and thanks to her remaining calm, my daughter remained calm.”
“It was hard not to break down in tears right then about the situation and the ‘what-ifs’ because I had 18 kids staring at me wondering what just happened,” Davis said. “I led them outside for our picnic lunch and we had a talk about what to do if that happened to them and ways to possibly prevent it from happening.”
In recognition of her exceptional calmness and quick actions, the Midway ISD Board of Trustees presented Mrs. Davis with the Midway Extra Mile Hero Award during Tuesday night’s school board meeting, and Brianna and her mom made sure they were there to help honor their hero.
“I am forever grateful for her,” Martinez said. “I don’t want to think about what could have happened if Jennifer had not been there.”
“Even now, it’s hard not to think of the ‘what-ifs,’” Davis said, “but it’s like I told her mom later that day when we talked about it. Don’t dwell on the ‘what-ifs,’ but on the ‘what did.’ Brianna is okay and that’s all that matters!”
