Teaching Health class is always fun and interesting because it’s finally a chance for me to see students in their classroom. Usually, I see them either out on the field or in the gym in the element of being challenged physically, but Health class is more of a demand mentally and academically. It always surprises me how much these PNA students already know and how grand their thirst for knowledge is. The 5th graders began the year with their Human Growth and Development unit (which I LOVE teaching, but they always tend to be thankful when it’s over), and the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders embarked on a journey of consumer health awareness.

When it came to the next unit, First Aid, it was apparent a few minutes in that these star students needed a challenge. Enter Wilderness First Aid. We live in Alaska, for goodness sake and most of these kids are out and about in the wilderness fairly often. Wilderness First Aid focuses on assessing and stabilizing injuries when you can’t get right to a doctor’s office. It teaches how to determine the difference between an emergency and a non-life-threatening injury and how to deal with each. The idea is that you need to stabilize the patient well enough to get them to “further care.” So far, students can identify the three systems in the body that require immediate attention, call for help, and assess and stabilize fractures. There are many more things to learn, so stay tuned and rest assured that if you fall ill in the wilderness, your student can come to your aid! There are many options around Alaska for official Wilderness First Aid courses, so please reach out if your student has shown an interest.