Two officers from Books with Badges, a non-profit organization based in Ohio, visited a third-grade class at Orion Academy. Books with Badges is a reading program for elementary school students with the goal of building trust and positive relationships between students and emergency personnel.
“Our students loved the visit especially when the officers started talking about integrity. The student’s faces lit up when the officers said: ‘do the right thing,’” said Blake Taylor, teacher in residence at Orion. “The kids jumped to their feet and shouted, ‘do the right thing,’ with smiles on their faces.”
During the program, students interact with their local police and fire departments throughout an in-school visit. The emergency personnel visit classrooms and read fun, age-appropriate books to the students.
Since its founding in 2016, Books with Badges has reached more than 6,500 students in the Ohio area. The program focuses on sharing reading materials that helps provide a solid foundation for the students’ growing education. The organization also caters to students in fifth-through twelfth-grade, focusing on encouraging students to make positive life choices.
This program provides a fun learning environment that gives students something to look forward to. Within this program, students are exposed to numerous role models who can impact their lives, regardless of their background and upbringing.
Books with Badges visited Orion in May when the school’s Moral Focus curriculum focused on integrity. The officers led the students in an official oath: “We will try our hardest to become inspired learners, positive thinkers, and responsible students!”
“At the beginning of the visit, our kids were scared because the visitors were cops, but when the officers opened up, our students did well,” said Taylor.
After the visit, the class engaged in a discussion about the visit where the students were able to reflect on their favorite parts. The students shared that the best part of the visit was when they donated three boxes of books to the organization and when they took their official oath.
Watch a video of the students sharing some laughs with the officers during the visit here and watch the students take their official oath here.