Bronze Medal Winner of the 2015 Global Ebook Awards
Learn how kids and cops connect at school. You will enjoy 33 personal stories about one officer’s professional career as a deputy sheriff and school resource officer. Cop in the Classroom gives an insider’s look at the emotional experiences behind the badge–and life lessons for us all.
Cop in the Classroom Contents
Read Chapter 10 to to preview the book.
1. Questions from Kids: “Is Your Gun Loaded?”
2. Mental Illness, Poverty, and Domestic Violence: “Have You Ever Got in a Fight on Duty?”
3. Cowardice or Common Sense: “Have You Ever Been Pepper Sprayed?”
4. Being Appreciated or Not: “Have You Ever Saved Someone’s Life?”
5. Be Careful What You Wish For: “Have You Ever Arrested a Drunk Driver?”
6. Living Death: “Did You Ever See Anybody Die Before?”
7. Ethical Encounters: “Did You Know Any Police Officers When You Were Our Age?”
8. National Security: “When Did You Know You Wanted to Be a Police Officer?”
9. Keep a Sense of Humor: “What’s the Funniest Thing That’s Ever Happened to You on Duty?”
10. K-9s (Canines): “Where’s My Toy?” – Read Chapter 10 to preview the book now.
11. Certainty and Uncertainty: “Do You Like Your Job?”
12. Career Path: “What Do I Have to Do to Become a Police Officer?”
13. A Perfect Patrol Deputy Day: “Have You Ever Dreamed About Your Job as a Police Officer?”
14. Lessons Learned: “Can I Try on Your Handcuffs?”
15. Hazard Duty: “Will You Sit Beside Me at Lunch?”
16. Kid Time: “Are You Playing at Recess?”
17. Discipline or Abuse: “What if My Step-Dad Hits My Brother with a Board?”
18. Boxing or Bullying: “If You Had It to Do Over Again, Would You Still Hit Her?”
19. Being Different: “Are You in Trouble?”
20. Abstract to Concrete: “Have Any of You Ever Called 911 Before?”
21. Private Parts: “Will Susie Be Safe at Home?”
22. Judging Others: “You Hate Everybody in the State of Georgia?”
23. Form Follows Thought: “What Do You Believe About Yourself?”
24. Saying No: “Do You Ever Get Pressured at Work?”
25. Greed, Addiction, and Enforcement: “If Cigarettes Are So Dangerous, Then Why Are They Legal?”
26. Ripples in the Wake: “How Many of You Know Someone Who Has Attempted Suicide?”
27. Parents Who Use: “Will You Talk to My Son?”
28. Support Systems: “What Proof Do You Have?”
29. Imagining the Unimaginable: “Is Our School Safe?”
30. Role Model Material: “How Do You Select the Best School Resource Officer?”
31. Rules and Rudeness: “Does Rosalie Understand Cause and Effect?”
32. Youth Camp: “Do You Trust Me?”
Conclusion – Emotional Connections: “Do We Make a Difference?”
Customer Review from Amazon.com
5.0 out of 5 starsBy Russ Heitz on October 15, 2007
With a foundational degree in history from Southern Illinois University as well as a Masters in Education, Potter was also a store security officer, counselor’s aid at a Georgia prison, school teacher and coach in the public schools of Illinois, teacher in a local State of Kansas prison, and a substance abuse counselor.
In addition, he has been a law enforcement officer for over 25 years, deputy sheriff since 1981, SRO since 1988, and a graduate of the National Academy at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, in 1990. His Masters was in “Conflict Resolution and Peaceable Schools.” He is also the author of the award-winning play “Under the Radar: Race at School.”
So Jim Potter knows what he is talking about. And what he is talking about in this book are the kinds of problems that every SRO, school teacher and counselor in the country has to deal with at one time or another. Domestic violence in the home. Sexual abuse in both the school and the home. Drug and alcohol addictions. The epidemic of suicides among the young. And the pervasive culture of violence in the schools.
These are all weighty topics and yet Jim manages to write about them in clear, concise and at times, even in humorous ways. He is a man of principle, a man of convictions, a man of obvious faith. He cares about kids, and he cares about what kind of adults those kids will become. Most of all, perhaps, he is an educator who knows how to convert the kinds of concerns that all parents and teachers face into concrete courses of action.
I highly recommend this book for teachers, school resource officers, guidance counselors, social workers, parents, and for anyone else who works with kids of any age.
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Russ Heitz
Sarasota, Florida