“Miss Gillespie! Miss Gillespie!” the student called as she ran into my room late Thursday afternoon. “A teacher fell in the hall!”
I ran into the hall, suspecting it might be the elderly, retired substitute who had been in the room next door to me. I was correct, and two other teachers were already there. I yelled that I’d call the office for help and ran to do so.
Kids were streaming into my room – the incident happened at passing time – so I had no idea what had happened after my call. I stopped by the office on my way out at the end of the day to find out if he was alright. The school was abuzz because the ambulance was still there, red lights flashing, while the teacher talked with paramedics in the library.
By the next morning, all sorts of rumors abounded amongst the staff and students
- he tripped and hit his head
- he had a seizure
- his blood sugar was low
- his blood sugar was high
- he had a heart attack
He was supposed to be in my neighbor’s classroom again Friday, but someone else was there. I was glad I could tell the students that he was resting at home and was feeling much better, which is what the secretary had told me that morning.
The substitute is scheduled to be in our building again later this week. I hope he has recovered and feels well enough to do so.
booksandbassets 