GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Meghan Hamilton has been named Guilford County Schools' Employee of the Month for November.
What You Need To Know
- Fourth grade student Cade Rickman choked on a hot dog
- Meghan Hamilton saved his life by doing the Heimlich maneuver
- Hamilton was named Guilford County Schools' Employee of the Month
Earlier in the year, while she was on lunch duty, fourth grade student Cade Rickman was choking on a hot dog when he approached her.
“He was pointing to his throat, shaking his head, that’s when I realized he was actually choking,” Hamilton said. “I turned him around and gave him the Heimlich. After about four or five pushes, out came the hot dog.”
Rickman said he swallowed the hot dog and that’s where it went wrong. “So you know how sometimes a grape goes down your throat but you don’t chew it, that’s what happened with the end of the hot dog.”
He said he felt very nervous and frightened about the whole situation.
After saving Rickman, Hamilton was told she was being nominated for Employee of the Month, not only for saving him but for also being a helpful teacher's assistant.
"It’s something about being a teacher, when on those hard days when you go in there and they go, ‘hey Ms. Hamilton.' It flips you, you’re not worried about how the day is going to be anymore, you’re just worried about showing them that you are here for them,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton makes it a point to have a connection with the students she interacts with, often giving hugs to most of them while in the hallway and cafeteria.
When it’s time for recess, she plays with them, which most of them look forward to.
“I think that's important for them to know that you're not just the teacher that's going to hound them about learning this and learning that, but you're also going to have a lot of fun with them and I think that helps you create a bond and relationship with your students,” Hamilton said.
