November 6, 2014
Administrators recognize preservice teacher's act of heroism
Yunshu Liu, a preservice teacher from China, successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver on a middle school student who was choking on a piece gum.
The incident occurred in the last few minutes of a school day at Eisenhower Middle School in Erin Schoen Redeker’s classroom. Liu noticed the seventh-grader, who had been laughing with classmates, was suddenly quiet. The little girl started turning red. Liu asked the student if she could breathe, and she shook her head no.
"I told her stand up, and I stood behind her and did the Heimlich," Liu said, shrugging as if she's slightly confused about the attention this act has received.
Liu was presented with a certificate of outstanding service from College of Education Dean Debbie Mercer and Eisenhower Middle School Principal Tracy Newell at a faculty meeting for both Manhattan middle schools earlier this week.
CPR training is required by the College of Education before future teachers can start their clinical teaching semester.