I’ve never had to dial those numbers, listening nervously for someone on the other end of the line to respond.
I’ve never anxiously watched the face of a girl only 7 years younger than me, hoping her color wouldn’t change, that her body wouldn’t begin to seize, that she would remain responsive.
I’ve never had to delegate a student to appease my class while I waited for the first responders to arrive.
I’ve never had to stand back and watch, helpless, as the first responders, EMTs and the police questioned and removed my student.
I’ve never had to pull it together enough to teach a class, panic-stricken about who I should contact, and if I had done enough to help this girl.
I’ve never had to contact a parent, hoping I wasn’t the first person to reach them with the terrible news of the events that unfolded.
I’ve never had to do any of these things, and I never want to do them again.
