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"Hello,"
" Hello," "Come right in." I tried to greet as many
of the arrivals as I could while still gathering and sorting
papers. Many of them were dragging a bit as they came in the door. They
filtered in one by one, occasionally a group got bunched at the entry as
they all arrived within a few seconds of each other. They were your
average looking bunch, the majority of them in their 20's with a few of
the old duffers showing up to give it a go. I glanced up occasionally to
see how full the classroom was going to get, always unsure of my numbers
until the end of the first or second day. It was just the typical
frantic last ten minutes before the start of another EMT course.
I cannot say that I remember seeing her enter the room initially. I do
remember I saw her standing in the back of the room. She was wearing a
light colored loose over-blouse and some type of stretch or sweat pants.
If make-up had been applied, it was not readily evident. Her medium
blonde hair was combed, but seemed to have that sheen indicating that it
would definitely need washing by the end of the day. Nothing special,
nothing spectacular, certainly nothing dreadful, just another young girl
at first glimpse.
Her face, slightly rounded from the extra weight she was carrying,
appeared to be without much expression. None of the curious glances
around to see how the other students were stacking up, a complete
disinterest in anything that had been posted on the walls. I had seen
this type of body language before but had no idea why she in particular
stood out, why I was so curious about her. As I kept stealing peeks at
her, I could see that her body language said she had too much mileage
for her age, and was already feeling somewhat beaten down by life. She
slumped over a bit as if she could make herself less visible to anyone
who may look her way. Some might have labeled this body language as a
lack of self-esteem, and it probably was to some degree, but to me she
just looked like she was weary of it all. I just hoped she would not be
one of the problem students who could not get it together long enough to
complete the course without a certain amount of "brow
beating."
Following my usually routine, I introduced myself. I then asked them to
please state their names, tell a little bit about themselves, and let us
know if they had ever had any type of emergency training in the past. I
also asked them to give us an idea why they decided to take an Emergency
Medical Technician course.
Before her turn arrived, one of the older students provided his
information, but also added that he had always yearned to take this type
of course and had convinced his daughter to take it with him. With a
huge grin *Paul then indicated the young lady, who sat so quietly with
her gaze towards her desk, hair hiding half of her face.
"Well, this should be interesting," I thought. "A Father
and daughter team. This could mean they will be of good help to each
other, or it could mean some pretty unhealthy competition."
She had little to say during her dull-eyed self-introduction. I knew I
would have trouble remembering her name was *Susan until a third of the
class was over.
This Father/daughter team intrigued me. I was curious to see what type
of relationship they had. I wondered how this would affect them as
students. I discovered a bit more about them with some side
conversations during breaks, Paul providing most of the information.
Paul turned out to be a big hearted guy that liked to grin a lot. He was
thoroughly enjoying himself and the challenges of the course, excelling
in almost all of the subject matter. Even early in the course I could
see that his maturity and interest would make him a force to be reckoned
with in the field. We also discovered we had a few other common
interests, which produced a more in-depth involvement on my part with
both students.
This Father/Daughter duo soon found out I was also teaching another
class at the university and approached me after the first few classes
about separating so that Susan could get the six college credits. After
a serious discussion about not sharing information about tests that one
may have a few days before the other, I had no serious problems with
this. So, now I would have Paul in one class and Susan in another.
Susan quietly folded herself into the new class with a new set of
students. She did very well in her learning, earning above average
grades. She liked competing with her Dad and comparing the quiz scores.
Something about her made me take extra time with her, as a student and
as a person. I found myself doing gentle coaching with her. With each
class, each great quiz score, each new skill learned, she seemed to
blossom. Soon she was the center of the skill labs, helping others to
learn the skills. Susan was one of those students we all wish we had a
room full of each course. On top of all this, she was, and is, one of
the nicest students I have had the pleasure to instruct.
Before long she was no longer carrying herself in a slumped over
fashion, her body language now said she had attained new pride in
herself and her abilities. I mentioned to her Dad that she seemed to
have changed in many ways. He told me he had noticed it too. In one
conversation, he let me know that she had had a real rough time in
the last year. She was pregnant at 17 and gave the baby up for adoption
not too long before he encouraged her to take this course. He had been
very concerned about her. He hoped that the course would help draw her
out. This information told me a lot about her.
At the end of the three-month long EMT course, you would not have
recognized her. No, she did not necessarily shed many pounds, buy a lot
of new clothes or any of the other surface things that help us look a
bit better. Susan was standing tall, her beauty coming completely from
within herself. She was proud of what she had achieved, she had found a
new interest that really captured her mind and was thrilled to be an
EMT. I felt privileged to have seen this process occur before my very
eyes. I was pleased that I had had some small part in it all.
Susan decided to go to paramedic school. Of course she excelled at it
all and has since become an instructor in all the alphabet courses. On
numerous occasions, her Dad has thanked me for what I did for her. The
only problem with this is that I did not really do anything for her
other than to gently guide her along. She did it all herself, with her
Dad's love and encouragement and based on what he had probably been
doing for his child since she was born. However, had I chosen to
discount Susan and pigeonhole her from the start, things may not have
turned out so well.
To invalidate a student based on how they initially look or act has the
potential to do great damage, not only to the pre-hospital medical
student, but to their personal lives as well. As instructors many times
we are not only presented with that "teachable moment", but
with a "life shaping moment."
Spiked purple hair and dreadlocks should mean nothing to the instructor,
leave that to those who would employ them. Sloppy clothes, poor posture,
and quiet demeanors may harbor someone who is looking for a purpose and
a reason for doing their best. The student who makes many a joke, even
perhaps at inappropriate times, is not necessarily just there as a lark.
The extremely quiet student is not always incompetent. The 'odd' student
may be another James Page or Thom Dick in the making.
Look beyond the initial presentation. If a student is to be invalidated,
discounted or considered worthless, let them earn it first. Why? Because
you cannot afford to be wrong!
*The names have been changed to protect the privacy of these two
wonderful people.
Have you thanked a volunteer today?
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