Community-based learning is an integral part of the Functional Skills programs within Bartlett City Schools. By getting out into the community or by having community members come into our schools to interact, the students gain valuable skills to ensure their success as adults.
Recently, the Functional Skills classes at Bon Lin Elementary and Bon Lin Middle, taught by Rebecca Priddy and Sandy Muston, hosted a Bartlett Police Department Cop Stop as part off their Community Helper educational unit. A Bartlett Cop Stop is an event where families, groups or businesses host and provide a meal for officers who are on duty.
Members from the Bartlett Police Department interacted with the students, who high-fived the officers. By creating an environment of trust in a familiar atmosphere, the students can better approach police officers and interact.
Although the officers were full of wonderful foods and desserts at the end of lunch, each one also left with a special treat made by the students at Bon Lin Middle Functional Skills class. The students bake and sell cookies on Fridays as part of vocational curriculum. On this day, they baked, packaged and wrote special notes on the packages of cookies for each officer.
REBECCA PRIDDY, who wrote this article, is a special education teacher in the Department of Exceptional Children at Bon Lin Elementary School. She may be reached at rpriddy@bartlettschools.org.
Love love love it!!! It was a great experience for both the kiddos and the cops!!