It takes many of us years to become a hero or role model. For Aaron Waters, he became a hero in the fourth grade.

Waters, a student at J.E. Elementary, is the young man who received an honor for coming to the aid of another student who was choking. Waters performed the Heimlich maneuver on a young man who had collapsed on the bathroom floor while choking on a piece of candy at school.

They say Waters is soft-spoken and didn’t have much to say about the incident. Sometimes humble heroes are the best.

Waters obviously is a pretty cool kid and someone who deserves the praise he received from the Dallas County School Board this week for his actions. We also should applaud the school system for teaching life-saving measures to students.

We closely scrutinize what is taught in our schools. We complain loudly when we think the wrong subjects are being covered. We question curriculums and the speed at which they are administered. We question textbooks, teachers and facilities.

But here is an example of the right things being taught in school. More importantly, this is an example of something being taught and it being used in our community.

Please, make an effort to thank the Dallas County School System for teaching the Heimlich maneuver. If you know someone who works in the school system, thank them. If your child is in the system, send a note to the teacher.

School is much more than reading, writing and arithmetic. We also have to teach kids skills that can help make our world a better place.

Waters, his actions, and the Dallas County School System’s curriculum appear to be heading in that direction.