The first day of school brings with it familiar scenes across Israel. Backpacks are taken out of the closets where they have been hibernating during the summer months. Teachers prepare their classrooms. Desks are polished and set in perfect rows for another year of lessons.

At the same time, parents are rushing to cover books, make lunches, and ensure that their kids have all the appropriate clothing to commence the new school year.

But there is also another kind of preparation taking place. Some teachers are not only making sure they have all the pencils and markers they need, but also making sure their United Hatzalah medic bag is fully stocked and ready to respond to any emergency that arises. Because sometimes teachers need to wear two hats, or rather one hat and one orange vest.

United Hatzalah volunteers come from nearly every profession imaginable. Among them are teachers who spend their days educating children and teenagers while remaining prepared at any moment to respond to a medical emergency.

For Bat El Barzilai, that combination of roles once became critically important in the middle of a lesson.

Barzilai, who was teaching at Ironi Aleph High School in Haifa at the time, noticed that one of her students was beginning to exhibit signs that she was about to suffer an epileptic seizure.

Because Barzilai was a United Hatzalah volunteer, she recognized what was happening and immediately went into action.

She moved objects away from the student and padded the area to protect her from injury. When the seizure began, Barzilai remained with the student, monitoring her condition and caring for her until she could be transported to the hospital.

“Being a teacher who can provide first aid with a smile and help her students is important,” she said.

In a school environment, where teachers spend hours each day alongside their students, medical training can make the difference between panic and an organized response.