Your cart is currently empty!
This week, a video of a teacher at East Orange Community Charter School rushing to the aid of a pupil who was choking gained headlines.
But the 9-year-old star of the show isn’t letting it go to his head, despite the attention.
A Zoom interview with third-grader Robert Stonaker suggests that he is “not famous.” In his view, Ms. Jenkins is the “famous” one.
A bottle cap chokes Stonaker, who then runs around the classroom, asking his teacher, JaNiece Jenkins, for assistance while pointing at his neck. To free the pupil, Jenkins grabbed him by his neck and did a Heimlich technique on him.
Stonaker claimed it felt “weird, like it would be staying in there” when he put the hat in his mouth. However, he was fortunate to have a prepared instructor.
Jenkins, a five-year employee and cheerleading coach at the school, had been taught the Heimlich technique but never expected to require it.
That she had been taught how to use it and save Robert’s life, she claimed, made her happy.
Classmates offered Stonaker hugs after knowing he was safe and having an open discussion about what had transpired, according to Jenkins. His denials haven’t changed from the first time they saw him on television.
Jenkins has also received a good deal of media attention. According to Stonaker, the incident has gone viral on social media, including TikTok. Jenkins is relieved that the narrative ended on a positive note.
It’s something Jenkins vowed never to let to happen again. Yet, at the same time, thinking, ‘Wow, people want to talk to me.’”
In a tweet, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-Newark) hailed Jenkins as a “community hero” for her brave act.
Stonaker believes he’ll remember it for a long time, and he’s not exaggerating. And what will he remember in particular?
It’s “possible”, everything.