Faculty Spotlight: Q&A with Aaron Zemlock
Criminal Justice instructor leads with empathy and enthusiasm
When Aaron Zemlock was an officer with the Menasha Police Department, he had the chance to work as a school resource officer (SRO) at Maplewood Middle School. It was there that he discovered his love of teaching and enthusiasm for helping kids.
“I loved going to work every day,” he says. “And as crazy as middle school can be, I really felt at home in that environment.”
Later, as a community liaison officer, Aaron kept looking for opportunities to share his knowledge with others, which ultimately led to his role as a Criminal Justice instructor at Fox Valley Technical College. Here he teaches classes in the Criminal Justice associate degree program and the Law Enforcement Recruit Academy, as well as heading up the Asset Protection associate degree program.
Learn more about Aaron in our FVTC Faculty Spotlight.
What classes do you teach?
I teach four different courses, mostly to third and fourth semester students. I teach Juvenile Procedures, Crime Prevention Principles, Principles of Emergency Management, and Police Community Relations.
Why did you decide to go into teaching?
I worked as a liaison in the middle school, or SRO as they they're called now, and that was the first opportunity I had to get into the classroom. I taught the G.R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance Education And Training) program to sixth graders, and would get invited into eighth grade classrooms to teach about different things related to law enforcement and students—the Bill of Rights, that kind of thing—and I got a bug for it. I had some nice support from the faculty; they were like ‘you're a natural at this. You should do this.’ So that was kind of the start of it. And then when I came out of the schools, I was the community liaison officer the City of Menasha Police Department. I did a lot of teaching in public, both internally for law enforcement and outside in the community. And it just continued to grow. I started as an adjunct instructor here at FVTC 16 or 17 years ago, and eventually I got a call from Cory McKone (Public Safety Associate Dean) one day who mentioned some positions, so I jumped at it. I love it.
What do you enjoy most about the classes you teach?
What I like is that the classes I teach are things that I've done. I spent 20 years in law enforcement, and I had a great opportunity to move through different facets of that position. All of those are what I teach now. I'm a graduate of a four-year public university, which is great, but I had very few professors who were actually law enforcement individuals. So what I like is to see the light bulb turn on with our students, especially when I can connect what's in the text or what's in our online lecture materials with a real situation that either I've been in or I know of, and then to see their excitement, because they know they're going to be doing this in a couple short years. It's fun to watch that light turn on.
What’s one piece of advice you have for students?
Self-discipline. In this career field, it's competitive and demanding and that self-discipline characteristic carries through everything, whether it's making sure that you're getting your work done and choosing your friends outside of class wisely. Then even moving into the career field, knowing what you want and how to get it, setting those SMART goals for yourself. Self-discipline is huge, especially in this line of work.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
Bob Brooks is a social worker for the Menasha School District and he was big on empathy. I learned empathy literally from a 12-year-old in a case that I had. I didn't recognize it at the time, but I learned how important it is, and that has carried through with me. Being able to put yourself in the other person's shoes, whether it's the victim or the perpetrator, it's just as important to look through both lenses. So I really try to impress that upon our students, whether it's our two year program students or our academy students. An empathetic person in any profession is going to be much more successful at what they do.
What skill are you currently working on?
I tend to get myself buried sometimes, so I'm not going to say I'm working on saying no, but what I'm working on is being more organized and intentional about the things that I'm doing and making sure that I'm prioritizing well. I haven't had to do a lot of that, but now I have a lot of different irons in the fire, and I want to do it well.
What’s one thing about you that might surprise your students?
I'm a pretty open book with my students. Because for me, it's so important for them to understand that cops are human and that we do the same things that everybody else does. I love to travel, I've gone skydiving, and I've gone scuba diving. Maybe they wouldn't expect that I've done those things, but I guess riskier behaviors come with the territory.
What do you like to do outside of the classroom?
I like to golf, sometimes well, sometimes not so well. I love the ocean. I love the beach. My blood pressure drops 20 points as soon as the salt air hits my nose. And I'm at complete relaxation when I'm on the beach. Anything that is water related, just being out on the water, near the water. That's my spot.
What was your first job?
My first job was working at a grocery store. I was a bagger and stocker. It was miserable. Pushing shopping carts in a foot of snow in Wisconsin isn't ideal. Then oddly enough, I worked at a liquor store in high school. Then I moved on to bouncing, then worked in men's retail and then started in law enforcement.
What was your best job?
The one that stands out the most is when I worked as an SRO in the schools. It was the most difficult 10 years of my career, hands down, because you get exposed to the worst of the worst when kids are involved. And I was a sensitive crime officer, so I did a lot of those types of investigations. But I loved going to work every day. And as crazy as the middle schoolers can be, I really felt at home in that environment. Most officers stay three to five years, and I ended up staying for 10 years, and absolutely loved every minute of it. There were challenges, there were days where you're pulling your hair out. But if I look back on the impact that had, I still have former students who are now in their late 20s/early 30s that come up to me and they'll remind me of something that I either said to them or the way I treated them. And they're now successful young adults, as most turn out to be. So when I look at total on my career, that's the period that really jumps out at me.
Check out our video interview with Aaron including his answers to our lightning round!