Retired troops gain career in Oklahoma classrooms
Retired troops gain career in Oklahoma classrooms
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By Wendy K. Kleinman
Published: September 8, 2008
The three years John Roberson spent as an Army drill sergeant were not enough to satisfy his itch to teach.
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How students benefit
The program helps attract minority and male teachers, state program director Shelby Satterfield said.
About 280 Troops to Teachers have taught in Oklahoma since the program began in 1994, Satterfield said. The Crooked Oak School District has four of them.
Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Linda Jackson, a second-grade teacher in the small Oklahoma City district, said her military experience gives her an edge in the classroom. For one, the boys pay more attention.
"They have a lot more respect for you because you had a position that they think is an honorable position,” she said.
Her experiences help her relate to students whose parents speak little or no English.
Jackson said when she was stationed in Italy, she relied on her daughter to help her translate because children pick up a new language faster — much the way some children here translate for their parents.
Students benefit in other ways, too. Retired Marine Maj. Joe Rhoten, a social studies teacher and coach, is able to make lessons more tangible because he has been to some of the places he teaches his geography students.
Spouses also participate
Spouses to Teachers began in Oklahoma in late February.
The program will pay up to $600 for certification costs for military spouses, whose spouses can still be on active duty, Satterfield said.
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