From Rifles To Chalkboards: A Marine Corps Retiree's Transition to the Classroom

??Public school education in the U.S. seems to be the talk of the town these days, and everyone seems to have an opinion on what goes on in our classrooms.?You’ve likely heard an earful about Critical Race Theory, “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, out-of-control kids, incompetent administrators, and burned-out teachers – good ones and bad ones – who are on the front line of education day after day.?There are nuggets of truth in some of these arguments, occasional pieces of misinformation, and more than a handful of outright lies driven by political ambitions.?It’s a lot to take in; however, before you draw your own conclusions about what you hear, I caution you to check your sources.?Most if not all of the loudest mouths on both sides of the spectrum have NO idea what they’re talking about, and only spew their venom with the intent of demonizing the men and women who have dedicated their lives to educating and inspiring children.?Your children, ladies and gentlemen…think about that.?So if you’re wondering what the teaching gig is all about and want to hear it from an actual classroom teacher, I offer you the following observations:

--There are some very rough kids in our public school classrooms; it’s true.?Many of them are disrespectful, display atrocious behaviors, and make it extremely difficult to teach…and this is on a good day.?But human behavior in any form is a means of communication, and what these kids are communicating is that they desperately want and need to be loved and taken care of.?For many of these kids, that love and safety doesn’t come from home which leaves teachers to fill that gap.?And as teachers we do our very best in that regard, often to the detriment of our own emotional and mental health.?

--Working with, helping, and often saving these kids involves knowing what they’re dealing with at home and at school, and the emotional trauma some have been through is significant.?Many of my former students have divulged things to me that would turn your stomach, and although I was able to get them professional help for these issues, I was never able to go back in time and undo the damage that was done to these kids.?And like any other caring teacher I still have sleepless nights, nightmares when I do sleep, and I carry these kids’ burdens with me every day because of that.?Every.?Single.?Day.?It hurts.

--No surprise here, teaching salaries range from laughable to downright insulting.?That wage gap is slowly closing, but if you’re pondering a career in the classroom, know that the salary will likely be far less than your military pension or VA disability check.?But the pay has never been the draw, has it??Nor will it ever be.?Spending time with children, challenging them, inspiring them, and bettering their lives is what keeps educators in the classroom, and I’ve found that time and effort to be exceptionally rewarding.

--There are times when the bad days far outweigh the good days.?The days when I’ve had enough and can’t take anymore.?The days when I question what drove me to ever get my teaching certification and step into a public school classroom. ?On those days I try to reflect on the “wins” over the years and often find myself sifting through the hundreds of cards, pictures, notes, and other trinkets that my students have given me.?Remember our discussion about communication??Those cards, notes, etc. are the love shown to me by my students.?I cherish everything my kiddos have given me, and will keep them for the rest of my life.

--It’s rare, but every great now and again – for whatever reason – one of my kids will come up, give me a hug with tears in their eyes, and say “I love you, Mr. Mills.”?Let me be perfectly clear about this: there is no drug in the world capable of replicating the euphoria I get from such exchanges, and it goes to show me that despite my innumerable flaws and mistakes made over my lifetime, somewhere along the line, I DID SOMETHING RIGHT.

??And that’s the long and short of it, ladies and gentlemen.?There’s so much more I could talk about regarding the teaching profession...perhaps another time.?It’s not for everybody, and if you choose to enter the profession you’d better buckle up tight.?But is it worth it??Absolutely! There’s an old Iron Maiden song called “Die With Your Boots On”…and when my heart beats its final beat, it’ll likely be in a middle school classroom as I’m explaining the intricacies of atomic structure and the Periodic Table of Elements… ??