Sapulpa Teachers Participate In Mental Self-Defense Class

Something some teachers might want before school starts is a good class in self-defense, and that’s exactly what was going on at Lone Star School in Sapulpa.

But this wasn’t your typical self-defense class – no breaking chokeholds or spin kicking - it was more of a mental self-defense class.

Instructor Jerry Cason said it wasn’t so much about how to get out of a bad situation, but how to prevent one from happening.

“But what I am going to teach them is how not to get into that situation in the first place," Cason explained.

The whole concept, he said, was born out of the same things they use in defensive driving training - be aware or your surroundings, anticipate what might happen, and have a plan just in case.

After the army, Cason got into law enforcement and eventually became Chief of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

He said we need to open our eyes to a little reality.

"There's not a person in this room who could go up against a 14, 15, or 16-year-old gang banger in OKC or Tulsa. They'd knock you out, they'd knock me out," he told his students.

Instead, Cason said, be defensive, open your eyes and be a bad target.

He spent the afternoon teaching the Lone Star teachers things to look for and how to avoid the situations that mean trouble.

The presentation was sponsored by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.

If you’d like to know more about keeping yourself safe, News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright has some tips here.