During recess today, a Police Officer came by my school. As he approached, all of my students RAN in the opposite direction. Shocked, I asked them why they were running away (the Police Officer was on the other side of the fence). Their response was something like "It's a cop!" I recognized the Officer and went over to greet him. My students followed to see what was going on. I introduced him as my friend and sent them back to play. He had just answered a call in the neighborhood, saw me at recess, and stopped to say hello.
Afterwards, I explained to my students that the Officer used to help me in my classroom before he became a Police Officer. (He had been my Special Education Assistant before joining the Police Department.) Not only did that surprise them, but one boy was just incredulous, "You're friends with a Cop?" While it seems a bit funny, it made me realize that my students only see Police Officers in a negative light due to their environment. Most of my students come from low-income families and have been exposed to crime at such a young age. Several students have parents currently in jail. As I thought about this, I realized that the only "good cop" they see is the one who visits on career day. Those officers share info about their jobs, but don't have time to interact personally with the students.
I usually don't teach "Community Helpers" in 3rd grade (that was a big Social Studies unit when I taught 1st grade!). Maybe my students need a fresh look at Police Officers so they will understand that they are the "good guys" and will help them. My Police Officer friend loves children! Maybe I can talk him into visiting my classroom to read a book aloud so my students can see first hand that Police Officers are there to protect and serve, not to be feared.
*Cute Police Graphic from http://www.mycutegraphics.com/*
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