WE DON'T SAY THOSE WORDS IN CLASS! EDUC 6357

Those were the exact words that came out of my mouth when a student last year referred to a police officer as a "Po Po".  Two of my boys were playing Police Officers in the house lab, and I heard one of them say "the Po Po can't get me!", and I told him "we don't say those words in class!" I was shocked that a 4 year old knew that word, and was using it "appropriately".  I stopped myself and realized that just saying those words would have no affect on the student, so I called them over and talked to them about it.

I did not feel the need to ask where he had heard those terms before, I made my assumption and hoped that he would take the information he learned to the appropriate people and help them change their opinion of Police Officers as well.  I asked him what he thought a Po Po was, and he told me " a police officer that arrests people for no reason".  I asked him " well why do police officers arrest people?". He did not know, so I told him that "there are rules outside of school that we have to follow as well.  We have rules inside of our classroom to keep us safe, responsible and respect, and who enforces those rules?" My student,  "The teacher". "Your right, so when we are doing something outside of school that is unsafe, not respectful and not responsible, Police Officers have to enforce those rules.  They have a very hard job to make sure that everyone is being safe, responsible and respectful, and I know that I would not like it if you called me a name that was not my own.  Would you like it if someone called you a name that was not your own?" My student- " No because I don't like it when people call me my brothers name".  "Can we try and use everyone's names when we talk to them, or about them".  My student -"Yeah". 

 In the following weeks of this topic coming up in class, my student continued to play as a Police Officer, but something changed in his demeanor when he would be one.  He seemed very proud to be a Police Officer, and then he would take a note pad around the room and give out tickets to students that were not following the rules.  I think he started to understand what Police Officers do, and that they weren't people to be afraid of. 

Many of my students that I work with have a parent or parents that have been to jail, and unfortunately some of them have witnessed their parent being arrested in their own house.  Even though these things have happened around these children, no one has taken the time to explain things to them.  They are left to the impression that Police Officers knock on doors and arrest people.  I know that what I talked about with my student was nothing major, but I really hope that it leaves a lasting impression with him.