Teacher who took a Bullet.

November 5, 2025

Learn how a teacher risked his life to save his students

On the morning of May 23, 2018, at Noblesville West Middle School in Indiana, seventh-grade science teacher Jason Seaman was going over test review questions with his students.

At 9:06 a.m., a student stood up, pulled a handgun from his backpack, and opened fire.

Chaos erupted. Kids screamed and dove under desks. One student, Ella Whistler, was hit. As the shooter raised the weapon again, Mr. Seaman — a former college football lineman – charged.

Unarmed, he tackled the shooter to the ground. Three bullets struck him — in the abdomen, the hip, and the forearm. Bleeding and in pain, he held the shooter down until police arrived minutes later.

Both he and Ella survived.

In the aftermath, when the media labelled him a hero, Seaman deflected. “My actions were the only acceptable actions I could have done,” he told reporters. “I deeply care for my students and their well-being. So that’s why I did what I did.”

Mr. Seaman returned to teaching with bandages still on his arm. He refused time off because his students were scared and needed normalcy.

The school tried to give him a private welcome-back party. He asked instead for the attention to go to Ella, who was still recovering.

If you have a story you would like to share, we’d love to hear it at editorial@silverskys.com