Military Prepares Soldiers for Combat—Not for the Real World
Service members work and live with individuals from other cultures, quickly adapting to changing conditions; they are resilient and able to collaborate with others to achieve a common mission. However, Zogas (2017) noted, “Young veterans regularly observe that the military does an extremely effective job of training them to operate within the military, and an extremely poor job of reversing that training or preparing them before sending them back into civilian life” (p. 1). Service members who return to civilian life and decide to become novice teachers will require support as they transition to new careers.
Real-World Support and Research
In 1968, I was drafted into the military and became a soldier during the Vietnam War. I acquired skills and broadened my cultural experiences through worldwide travels. In 1972, I enrolled in Xavier University’s Career Opportunity Program (COP), designed to prepare Vietnam veterans to become teachers. I participated in a study that Sister Grace Pilon conducted, which further exposed the benefits of the research-based best practices.
In 1975, that group of veterans received their Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education with certification to teach kindergarten. Our group was employed by New Orleans Public Schools, and we successfully transitioned to careers in education.
Veterans Provide Stability
Hiring veterans as teachers offers many advantages (Parham & Gordon, 2016), and the number of veterans becoming teachers is increasing. This is a positive trend for several reasons. Hiring veterans addresses the teacher shortages more common in urban areas that have mostly Black and Brown students, and veterans bring maturity and a proven record of success and expertise translated into practical use in the classroom. More than 80% of Troops to Teachers, a program designed to recruit veterans to teach, remain in teaching until they retire (Owings et al., 2014), suggesting that these veterans provide a stable, high-quality cadre of certified educators (Owings et al., 2014).
Current Vets
In 2021, President Biden withdrew all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which may potentially leave many veterans without a plan for their future careers. While the president is proposing a plan to narrow this gap, it doesn’t include providing soldiers the necessary training to become classroom teachers, which means that young soldiers returning home entering the teaching profession will face the same dilemmas transitioning as we did when we entered a teacher preparation program. Due to funding, the program was discontinued.
Tips to assist former soldiers in their first year as a teacher:
- Have confidence in yourself.
- Understand the school mission.
- Get to know your colleagues.
- Ask for a mentor.
- Review the school policy handbook.
Recruiting, educating, and training veterans offer a solution to the demand for teachers across the country, most importantly more diverse teachers of various backgrounds and life experiences. The leadership skills and values honed in the military provide the strong teaching foundation needed to forge students into the next generation of unified Americans.
By Clarence A. Becknell, Sr.
Clarence A. Becknell, Sr. is a retired principal of 30 years with the New Orleans Public Schools, and a retired Army Officer of 40 years with the U.S. Army. His former teaching and administrative experience include working with students in elementary to senior high schools.
References
Owings, W., Kaplan, L., Khrabrova, I., & Chappell, S. (2014). Troops to teachers grant study 4: Technical report.
Parham, J. N., & Gordon, S. P. (2016). Military veterans bring many positives—and some needs—into teaching. Kappan Magazine, 97(7), 43–47.
Zogas, A. (2017). U.S. military veterans’ difficult transitions back to civilian life and the VA’s response. Brown University, Watson Institute International and Public Affairs.