Happy Veterans Day. Today, we recognize those who have dedicated their lives to service; first to our country and now to our students.
Social studies teacher Todd Carpenter is a retired special ops paratrooper. With 22 years of service, he shifted his passion away from the battlefield and into the classroom, while utilizing skills he learned in the army to teach more effectively.
“My experience in the army gives me a completely different perspective from the other adults,” Carpenter said, “With social studies for example, having lived in five different countries, traveled to 45 of them, and my experience in battle, I can apply real world stuff to the classroom. That resonates with a lot of my students because I have first hand experience.”
In addition to influencing his teaching, Carpenter’s time in the military left him with unforgettable memories and stories that continue to impact him today.
“Something that still resonates with me today is jumping out of an airplane for the first time at 18-years-old,” Carpenter said. “Thinking about it still scares me to this day, I did it for 22 years so you’d think it’d be easy for me now, it’s not. I’m never jumping out of an airplane ever again.”
Boys track coach Robert Ryan served as a Marine Corps sergeant from 1992 to 1998. His time in the army taught him valuable leadership and teamwork skills that continue to benefit him as a coach.
“You have to be patient with kids, you have to be patient in battle, you have to be smart, you have to have courage, when you work with kids everyday you never know what you’re going to get,” Ryan said. “When you go into the military, you’re with people you don’t know and you have to come together to accomplish a mission. Same thing with students, you’re all here with the goal to graduate, which involves working together, passing the STAAR tests and being successful on the court.”
For others, having a family member in the military shaped their outlook on life, teaching them how to stay strong during hard times.
“I think my father’s experience in Vietnam gave him a very mature, forward-thinking view in life,” swim coach and geometry teacher Johnny Foss said. “My parents were very strict, but they also said I always had to devise my own punishments. It taught me to be tough on myself. My dad’s military service helped us during our lowest times,there was a time when we had no money, we went through bankruptcy and divorce and everything crumbled. It’s those times when you gotta grab onto whatever skills and determination you have.”
