The students in Lauren Zelniker’s Allied Health class at North Miami Senior High are learning crucial life-saving skills.
"Today we are learning about blood pressures, the dangers of having high blood pressure and how to avoid high blood pressure. It's pretty difficult because it requires a lot of eye, ear, and hand coordination all at the same time to make sure that you are reading the right spot. A lot of times teachers will tell their students to be quiet when taking blood pressure but I tell my students to make a lot of noise, so that they can be used to it when they get in a real world scenario," said Zelniker.
And for the students to have these skills at such a young age, it sets them up success, no matter what they do.
"They chose the academy and they want a medical profession, and a lot of these kids are first generation college kids. For a lot of these kids this is the American dream to go ahead and pursue a medical career, so its a big thing not only for the families but for the kids and teachers in our school," said Zelniker.
Taking blood pressures is just one of many skills these students learn. And even though there’s a ton of information, One things about these kids they’re good under pressure.
"We had 58 seniors take their CMAA certification exams, which makes them certified medical administrative assistants, and all 58 passed we are very proud. People don't realize that that test isn't watered down for high school, its the same test people would take at the post-secondary level," said Zelniker.
In fact since 2011, Mrs Zelniker’s students have a 100% pass rate of the industry certification exam. And that’s just part of what makes her a great teacher.
"Mrs. Zelniker is the best teacher in Dade County. Why? Just look at the evidence, 100 percent of our students have passed these exams. She has also created a fantastic program called 'Response Ready'. In the age of school safety, she has created these wonderful duffel bags in case of emergency that would hold us over until fire rescue gets here. The students will all tell you how great of a teacher she is," said Patrick Lacouty, Principal of North Miami Senior High.
"She's a mother, she's caring, she cares about everyone from the 9th grade through the 12th. She has taught me very valuable lessons that will always help me in life," said Rixzy Cavallero, a senior in Mrs. Zelniker's class.
So give it up for Lauren Zelniker. She has her finger on the pulse of North Miami Senior High School. She’s week’s super teacher and the recipient of two passes to Universal Orlando Resort.
(Prizes provided by Universal Orlando Resort™)
