Bluehawk Posted February 20, 2013 Share #1 Posted February 20, 2013 This came over the wire a few minutes ago, maybe of some use to us all: ----------- TROOPS TO TEACHERS LEGISLATION With recent changes in the legislation governing the Troops to Teachers program below are a few of the important points that need to be shared with any possible participant that wants to be enrolled in the Troops to Teachers Program. If you even think you might want to be a teacher you need to get registered with the TTT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The program now is under the Department of Defense rather than the Department of Education. MEMBER ELEIGIBILITY: 1. To be eligible for selection to participate in the program any member who on or after January 8, 2002 who is separated or released from active duty after four or more years of continuous active duty immediately before the separation or release, others who have completed six years of service and execute a reserve commitment agreement for a period of not less than three years. This is for the counseling and referral services. 2. If teaching before they are registered they cannot be considered as a candidate for the bonus. If you are not eligible for the post 9-11 GI Bill you may qualify for the stipend. (If you transfer your post 9-11 GI Bill to a spouse or children and are no longer eligible for the bill and get a letter from the VA in writing that you are no longer eligible you may qualify for the stipend). 3. To be eligible you must apply to the program within three years after leaving the service unless you are retired from either active duty or the reserves. 4. If you teach in certain curriculum areas that are deemed as critical and in a HIGH NEEDS SCHOOL as defined by law you may be eligible for up to $10,000.00 bonus while if you teach in an ELIGIBLE SCHOOL as defined by law you may be eligible for up to $5,000.00 bonus. 5. Participants teaching in a ROTC Program may only be eligible for a maximum of $5,000.00 bonus and that will not be paid until the end of the TTT fiscal year. These are some of the changes in the bill as we understand it but stay tuned for other possible changes to follow. John T. Parker, Major USAF, (Ret) Supervisor, Dept of Elementary and Secondary Education Veterans Education and Training/Central States Troops to Teachers 3100 Lemay Ferry Rd, Room 110 St Louis , MO 63125 Phone-314-467-5079/ 877-530-2765 Fax-314-467-5077 E-mail-[email protected] Visit our website: www.troopstoteachers.mo.gov Follow us on twitter and Like Us On FaceBook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 21, 2013 Share #2 Posted February 21, 2013 Wish I had known about this before I became a teacher! I got out of the Marine Corps reserves in 2005 and began teaching the next year 06-07. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted February 21, 2013 I know Maj. Parker a little bit, and he sure is working hard to make this happen for regional GIs. Don't know their stats or anything like that, but it seems may be a useful thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1ashooter Posted February 21, 2013 Share #4 Posted February 21, 2013 My daughters who are teachers keep telling me I should get into this program because of my love of history amd my BA in History, but I keep telling them I'd last maybe ten minutes because the F bombs and other GI speak would get me in trouble because of the knuckle heads in schools today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted February 21, 2013 Share #5 Posted February 21, 2013 Is this a "GI Bill of Rights" for the 21st Century? Growing up as a schoolboy in the UK back in the 50s, quite a few of my male teachers were ex-servicemen. After the war, the British government faced a teacher shortage so they instigated a kind of "emergency training program" actively recruiting from the military. Some of those men were among the finest teachers I ever had. I eventually went on to become one myself.... for 36 years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpw_42 Posted February 21, 2013 Share #6 Posted February 21, 2013 Is this a "GI Bill of Rights" for the 21st Century? ... After the war, the British government faced a teacher shortage so they instigated a kind of "emergency training program" actively recruiting from the military. Ian, this is NOT the 21st Century GI Bill - that's called the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and is a different topic all together...with some significant improvements. Troops to Teachers is akin to the program you describe which "fast tracks" former GIs through the teacher certification program. Specifics vary by state (since the States set their own teacher certification rules), but it reduces some of the administrivia which fledgling teachers must undergo, compared to a traditional undergrad teacher in training. "That's all I know about that." I looked into it a little, a few years ago, but think I'd end up like M1AShooter if I were to get into teaching at this point in life. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share #7 Posted February 21, 2013 That's what happened to me after service, some years later I made an attempt to teach in public schools. Total freaking disaster Most of the kids were great, did their work, paid attention, were courteous. However, the handful in every class who were total fools making trouble made it miserable, and worst of all, there was very little anyone could or would DO about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willysmb44 Posted February 21, 2013 Share #8 Posted February 21, 2013 I looked into maybe teching after I left active duty. The state I was living in didn't make it wasy at all to be a teacher. I couldn't believe all the hoops one had to jump through. I'd already had a job that took forever to get (being an Army officer), I didn't want to jump right into another. But just like m1ashooter said, I'd have lasted a week in that job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brig Posted March 23, 2013 Share #9 Posted March 23, 2013 My hats off to you guys that would last a week, I'd be lucky to make it until lunch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1SG_1st_Cav Posted March 23, 2013 Share #10 Posted March 23, 2013 Steve: Hey big guy, if you can lead men, you can teach. Age has nothing to do with it. I didn't start teaching in the Community College until I was 68, and I love the work now. Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadet Posted March 23, 2013 Share #11 Posted March 23, 2013 I'm retiring from the military after almost 30 years, and have considered teaching. As others have mentioned, the K-12 route isn't very attractive. After raising three kids on public schools, I've decided there are two types of K-12 teachers; those that persevere through the low pay and BS because they love teaching young kids, and those that can't do anything else. Even w/ the fast track programs and stipends, the certification and education requirements are expensive and time consuming to achieve...and I think teaching in a public school environment would be a nightmare for most action-oriented former military folks. Teaching at the university level is also daunting, because you really need a PhD to do it. At 50, I'm too old to spend six years and thousands of dollars on another advanced degree. I've decided that community college is the way to go. I can teach w/ my current degrees and don't have to deal w/ the BS that the K-12 encounter. My Father in Law retired after 30 in the marines. He went to the time and expense to get a teaching degree, and tried teaching in a high needs school in Savannah, GA....he lasted about six months before quitting, and has never even talked about trying again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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