TEMPLE, Texas — The job of being a police officer comes with the motto to "serve and protect."
But when a Temple middle school was in sudden need of substitute, one police officer added "teach" to that motto.
Temple Police Resource Officer Undrea Mitchell spends his entire day with kids. He said it takes a village.
"Someone has to step in and help our kids and let them know that someone is there to care," said Mitchell.
In January, a substitute for a pre-AP science class at Travis Science Academy had to suddenly leave, which meant there was no one to cover the class. So, Officer Mitchell volunteered.
"Science is my thing. When I was in school, I loved doing science projects,” said Mitchell. “I loved going to science fairs and things like that. For a lot of people their niche is math. Science was my thing."
This made his lesson on the atom a breeze.
"We went over protons, neutrons, electrons and how they were discovered," said Mitchell.
Then came a quiz.
"I did a review and test set up, and they all did well. It lets me know they were listening," said Mitchell.
He said if he had to do it all over, he would do it again.
"That is what I love about this position. I am able to interact with the kids. They give me high-fives, and fist bumps. They say good morning. I’m in the cafeteria during lunch,” said Mitchell.
He said he knows firsthand that teachers impact students. He encourages anyone who has a passion to work with kids to do it.
"These kids interact with people all day, and we need more of that. If you have that niche, I really suggest you go to a school district and say hey, I want to give this a shot,” said Mitchell.
Travis Science Academy Principal Tiffany Weiss told 6 News: "Officer Mitchell has worked hard to build good relationships with our students and staff. So, it was no surprise that he was willing to step in and fill that role. We appreciate all that he does for our campus and the service he provides, not only to our students and staff, but to the district and community."