Veteran presence in the classroom

A hungry student walks in and asks special education teacher Connie Lindsey whether he can have a snack.

Lindsey has a stash of crackers for moments just like this one. It's one small way she tries to create structure in students' lives to help them focus on the now to get to the end goal -- a high school diploma.

Lindsey might be a first-year teacher, but she knows what she's doing. She came to North Charleston High this fall after a 26-year military career during which she helped young, inexperienced airmen do what they needed to do to be successful.

"You see everyone learns differently," she said. "You have to go slower with some. ... It's getting them to respect you. If they do, they will do more."

Lindsey is among hundreds of veterans who have found their way into South Carolina classrooms. The federally funded Troops to Teachers program helps retired and former members of the armed forces, Guard and Reserve obtain teaching certifications and secure jobs. It offers support to those making the transition into education and offers $5,000 to help them earn a teaching certificate or a $10,000 bonus to teach at a high-needs school.

Since the state began the program in 1994, it's seen 463 veterans take advantage of the program. South Carolina ranks ninth in the nation in hiring veterans as teachers, according to figures from Troops to Teachers. Rick Wise, the program's state manager, attributes the state's ranking to its numerous military installations.

He said the military uniquely prepares its members to be educators because they must prepare, execute and evaluate plans, and they often work with others who have discipline and learning problems. The military also is a melting pot, and members must see one another for what they're capable of doing, he said.

"They are mission-oriented and look at people on an individual basis," Wise said. "When you take that into the classroom, every kid has the opportunity to be the best they can be."

Less than 1 percent of Americans serve in the military, and many don't understand what it means to serve the country, he said. Students have the opportunity to learn about that by being around veterans in class, he said. Students also are exposed to positive role models, he said.

Freshmen April Blunt agreed. She's one of the students Lindsey works with, and Blunt said "it's cool" to have a teacher who's a veteran.

"I respect that a lot," she said. "She's a very educated woman, and she's kind and loves to help students."

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Lindsey enlisted in the Air Force out of high school because she thought traveling, making money, and giving herself a means to earn an education sounded like a good deal. She worked as an aviation resource manager, which meant helping pilots with anything from training to physicals.

Her assignments took her as far away as the Philippines and Japan, and her last assignment was in Charleston.

She had two children who had special needs, and she realized several years ago that she wanted to work with similar children. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees, and Troops to Teachers helped her speed through the paperwork hurdles to receive her teaching certificate.

The only other career she can imagine now is counselor.

"You're always talking to them and trying to give them a lift up," she said. "You want them to succeed."

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546.