Yesterday was only the 4th day of school. What a weird day. 6th period, a kid fell asleep, and we couldn't wake him up. He came in, put his head down, and passed out before the bell rang. My cooperating teacher tried to wake him up by poking him, shaking him, yelling at him...no response. The class was giggling at him and everything. I went over and poked him really hard. I could tell he was breathing. He was twitching slightly, but I couldn't tell if it was a muscle spasm or if he was perhaps laughing. Was he faking? I leaned down and told him quietly that I was going to give him detention if he didn't wake up. Nothing. I got the feeling after that he wasn't faking.
The cooperating teacher went to call security. I kept the class calm, confiscating a bottle of water from a kid, who wanted to pour it over his sleeping peer. The medics were there within 30 seconds. We evacuated the class, and I tried to keep everyone calm. For a bunch of freshmen (crowded at that with 45), they were very good. They were concerned about his well-being.
The medics were able to rouse the kid, who finally lifted his head to reveal a huge puddle of drool beneath his elbows and horribly bloodshot eyes. His first question, "Are you going to call my parents?" Then, he was taken into the back room with the assistant principal, where he started crying. I guess he'd taken a bunch of painkillers. At least he was remorseful.
I hope he pulls out of it. He's only in 9th grade. I really believe in giving kids a second chance. I'm glad he didn't get kicked out. I hope he listens to his guilt and learns from this experience. He could have so easily been kicked out of school, OD'ed, or worse.
Meanwhile, on my end, I've been learning so much. I'm glad I got this experience because now I know what to do in case of emergency. Never hesitate to call for help if you think a kid is in trouble.
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