Crisis

Job Interviewer: “Tell me about a time you had to manage a crisis at work.”

Me: “I was one month into my job at the special education center. I was assigned to work with one of our neediest students. He is 16, nonverbal, completely deaf, with severe cognitive limitations and moderate motor control issues. His wrists were raw from self-injurious biting and he wore a padded helmet to lessen the impact of smashing his head against walls, which he did regularly.

I was helping him in the bathroom, since he lacked the motor skills to manage independently. His diaper was soiled, so I was trying to help him throw it away and get a new one. Suddenly, he started screaming and biting his wrist. As I tried to stop him, he jumped onto the countertop and started banging his head against the wall. I was trying to stop him from biting himself, prevent him from hitting his head, and try not to get poop on him or me. I yelled for the Teacher’s Assistant to come help, at which point the student jumped down and bit me on the chest. I disengaged with mouth as the TA came, went to take a breather and tend to the bruise on my chest, then came right back after 5 minutes to continue working.”

Interviewer: “Wow. No one’s ever said anything like that before.”

Note: I didn’t get that job.

Note 2: I miss that student. He was hard to work with, but incredibly sweet.