A teacher's job description has a wide range of duties; however, it's not every day that you have to save the life of one of your students.

Barbara Jordan Elementary School 5th grade teacher Jose Rodriguez had to act quickly to save the life of one of his students who began choking on a water bottle top in class. 

Rodriguez delivered a whole-group science lesson and faced the whiteboard when he heard a gasping sound. His initial reaction was that a student was interrupting his class, but he could see that one of his students was choking when he turned around.

"I sprinted towards him," Rodriguez said. "I began administering the Heimlich maneuver on the student. While administering the Heimlich maneuver, I instructed students to stay calm. I sent two students to get Ms. Steadman from next door, and once Ms. Steadman assessed the situation, she called the school nurse and the administration team."

After administering several abdominal thrusts and changing the student's position, the bottle cap was dislodged, and the student's airway was unblocked.

Although Mr. Rodriguez expressed he was calm, he was nervous for his student.

"As I was administering the Heimlich maneuver, I became increasingly concerned that the bottle cap was not dislodging and that he would lose consciousness and I would have to perform CPR," he said. "In the end, I could tell the students were scared and worried for their classmates, so I knew my students would benefit from some counseling. Mrs. Seals, our school counselor, spoke to the student and addressed any concerns of the student."

Mr. Rodriguez attributes his quick response to his former training.

"I used to work for the Boys and Girls Club, and they would send us to CPR training every year," said Rodriguez. "I received Combat Lifesaving Training with the Army when I served from 2013-19. These training sessions prepared me to react quickly and ultimately helped save the student from choking."

Principal Adrienne Williams says she is grateful for Mr. Rodriguez and his training.

"We are so thankful that Mr. Rodriguez was there and able to respond to keep the student and the rest of the class safe," said Williams. "We are incredibly proud that Mr. Rodriguez remained calm, and relied on his previous safety training."

When asked how he will use this experience in the future, Rodriguez says that he will advocate for more training for all educators.

"I will use this experience to advocate for CPR training for all educators," said Rodriguez. "Educators need to be able to act quickly. In an emergency, every second can make a huge difference in the situation's outcome."