WLA Leaving Students Breathless with Knowledge

In the style of Berlin, the session on choking and asthma for the Year 8 SMSC is constantly sure to “take my breath away” each time I walk in. The students seem to be constantly engaged whilst learning lifesaving skills which can be used at any time. Delivered by Ms Higham, who was assisted by Mrs Wildig, the Year 8s learnt how to react quickly and responsibly on sight of either somebody choking, or somebody suffering from an asthma attack.

When speaking to Ms Higham, we asked her why she felt it was necessary to complete this sort of training, and although the answer is pretty obvious, I still feel as though it is worth mentioning. She felt that there was a need for the students to “be able to help anyone in need” and that she “wants them to be confident” in doing so. This is a highly useful skill and is literally a lifesaver for many people. The importance of first aid knowledge has never been in question. Anyone, at any time, may come across a situation in which they are required to help someone out of a bad, or potentially fatal situation, and the knowledge needed to act upon this successfully is mandatory in order to save someone’s life, and therefore should be a mandatory part of every single person’s education and knowledge. As the themes and activities remain relatively the similar each year, this provides a foolproof strategy for teaching young people how to save a life. However, this isn’t the same in other schools, which provides a visible problem with the mandatory curriculum of the UK.

The sessions provide an in-depth guide of what to do and why it helps, making it easier to remember and apply in real life situations if ever necessary. The practicality and depth of these sessions provide solid education to these young people, whilst being “interesting and engaging” (according to Mrs Wildig, who also confessed she was mostly learning on the job) in order for them to enjoy learning such vital information. Hopefully, if any Year 8s encounter someone who happens to be choking, they will be able to save them and reduce the number of deaths due to choking. Alternatively, they should hopefully be able to help someone like me, who may and has suffered from an asthma attack, which is a horrific, panic-inducing experience, and although it isn’t fatal, I am sure anyone who needed it would highly appreciate the help.