For some veterans, the private sector may not provide the ideal opportunity to put hard-earned military skills and discipline to positive use. For these veterans, it’s time to go back to school.
Not as students, but as instructors. Veterans from many backgrounds and specialties are discovering the pleasure and fulfillment of working with school-age kids right in the classroom. Several organizations exist to recruit veterans into educational careers.
According to its website, Teach For America seeks “a teacher corps rich in diversity–ethnic, socioeconomic, gender and diversity of experiences–to ensure the greatest impact on the students our corps members teach.”
Among the most sought-after qualities in teachers is strength in leadership. To create a solid social infrastructure of citizens with needed talents and skills, there must be instructors with a gift for motivation and a desire to continue serving country, particularly students growing up in poverty, which is Teach For America’s mission.
Additionally, there is the Troops to Teachers program, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and managed by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support (DANTES). The function of the program, according to the DANTES website, is to provide registration, counseling and assistance to military personnel interested in teaching grades from kindergarten through high school. The need for teachers in math, science, special education, foreign language and technical skills is particularly emphasized by Troops to Teachers. The program can offer counseling and help with certification requirements, employment leads, and perhaps even financial assistance.
The Washington Post reports that Troops to Teachers has placed more than 11,000 ex-military in teaching positions between 1994 and 2009. The program has paid dividends, based on a Florida study that concludes students in classes taught by veterans outperform students in other classes, even with more experienced instructors. The military background of the program’s placements is making a lasting, positive impact on tomorrow’s productive members of society. The difference is that special quality known as life experience.
