Veterans make Great Hearted Teachers

Great Hearts Academies are pleased to recognize, celebrate, and honor some of the amazing Veterans in our schools who have not only served our country in the military, but have continued to do outstanding work to support the students of Great Hearts.

During this series of highlighting Veterans in our schools, we have become more acutely aware of the value that the men and women who have served are bringing to our academies and schools throughout the country.  The noble mission of serving our country in the military translates naturally to a new mission of teaching and shaping the hearts and minds of our children in our schools.  In a stark and sobering contrast, a recent study shows that only 17 percent of employers consider Veterans as valuable assets in the workplace.

George Sokolis is a sixth-grade lead teacher at Archway Classical Academy North Phoenix.  “My military background instilled a work ethic that allows my service to others prevail over service for self. In the classroom, my service time has helped me maintain my vision on the end goal of each school year,” explained U.S. Army Sargeant Sokolis.  “My service time also brings a sense of team mentality and unity within the classroom. As a leader in the Great Hearts network, my time in the service provides me an outlook of selfless service and unity within the team.”

We understand the fundamental connection between a military background and the core purpose of the organization: to cultivate the minds and hearts of students through the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.  To further understand the value a Veteran brings to our schools as a teacher, we must refer back to The Philosophical Pillars of Great Hearts.

The greatest number of our students benefit when the intellectual and moral bar is set high in the classroom. Lowering expectations is an act of misguided sympathy, not of love and mercy.

Alison Chaney, National Faculty and Leadership Recruiter for Great Hearts shared the connection Veterans have to this particular pillar.  “Through their time in military service, our Veterans have engaged in an environment with high expectations, similar to Great Hearts, which provides them with an ideal opportunity to set the bar high with students, both intellectually and morally. They understand the ways in which high standards actually bring deeper camaraderie, confidence, and joy to the environment.”

Teachers lead students through intelligence, charisma, humor, integrity and example—in short, through love and friendship, as modeled by Socrates.

Our teachers who have served have had extraordinary leadership training and experience during their service.  “I loved the discipline, teamwork, comradery, and virtues I learned in the Army.  I strive to implement what I learned in myself, everyday interactions, and when I teach,” said Archway Classical Academy Veritas 4^th grade Teaching Assistant, Mario Avent, who served in the U.S. Army as an Electrician Generator Technician.

We believe that the world is ordered and knowable and that the human intellect, while imperfect, can attain knowledge of reality through reason, hard work, and a coherent program of study.

Kristopher McCoy is in his first year of teaching K-3 Music at Archway Classical Academy Trivium.  “In the Marine Corps I learned about attention to detail, work ethic, timeliness, and decisiveness,” said Corporal McCoy of the U.S. Marine Corps.  “I use these skills and more as I interact with the scholars in my classroom on a daily basis to teach them about music, integrity, and other virtuous traits.”

“There is no better example of the model of this than in our nation’s military – an ethos of order, structure, and hard work,” added Chaney.  “At Great Hearts, we believe that students crave order and structure in their learning, and our Veterans bring valuable skills in promoting order and routines in the classroom.”

Please join Great Hearts in continuing to honor the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country, whether on the battlefield or in the classroom.

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts?  Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.