School Resource Officer - Roger Askew

Askew shares the "Cowboy Way"
by Brenna Boudreaux of The Panther's Paw (January 2012)

While Officer Roger Askew sat in front of the small television as a boy watching a man riding a horse with his lasso flying high in the cool blue sky, he pictured himself being that strong man, catching the bad guys and getting the beautiful girl in the end. Askew smiled wide in excitement, because he knew he would be that cowboy one day. "When I was a kid watching cowboy movies, I realized that there were two kinds of cowboys, good ones and bad ones," School Resource Oficer Askew said. "I then went to study the difference and I decided that I wanted to be a good cowboy for five reasons." Askew's reasons include Cowboys never get killed, they wore the fanciest clothes, they had a six shooter and knew how to use it, they rode the finest horse and at the end they always got the girl. Askew considers this to be the "Cowboy Way" and shares it with students.

Askew visited teen leadership classes on Jan. 18 to help build a bond with the ninth graders. History and teen leadership teacher Bobby Rush invited Askew to his class to give a presentation on his past life and his accomplishments, including his days as a bullrider. "The whole reason why I went to talk to them was because I wanted them to get to know me more," Askew said. "I wanted to share with them the struggles I have had in my life, along with the people who have made a difference in my life."

The teen leadership classes were talking about building relationships with people."The reason why I was doing this is because when they have a better relationship with adults and other people it's easier for them to ask for help from them," Rush said. "I told my class that if they have a relationship with Officer Askew then if they get into trouble he will know that they are a good person, but if he doesn't even know them then he will think otherwise."
There are three people who have inspired Askew throughout his life: his great grandmother, Roger Stallback and David Reed. "My grandmother was my first best friend, Roger Stallback was an all around good person, and Coach Reed inspired me to try hard when I was ready to quit," Askew said.
While he visited the class he talked to them about how they can be a better person and to follow their dreams. He presented everything to the class with a power point.

"I learned from Officer Askew that if you follow your dreams and work hard you can get where you want to be," freshman Hunter Collins said. Officer Askew told the class that he was a professional bull rider for nine years before he became a full time police officer.

"Riding bulls was very exciting for me, it was like an adrenalin rush," Askew said. "The reason I became a police officer was because I wanted to help people." As Askew got older, he brought along the values he learned from all the people who inspired him."By going to these classes and sharing my experiences with them, I feel like it's a way of giving back to all of the people who helped me through my life," Askew said.

raskew@shisd.net
High School Office 903-323-7729
Cell 903-235-2170