TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --A U.S. Department of Education and Department of Defense program now offered at Florida State University will help veterans transition into new careers as school teachers.
Troops to Teachers, offered in the College of Education, assists military personnel who wish to work in public education as Florida teachers.
The Office of Academic Support and Intern Services (OASIS) at the College cooperates with Troops to Teachers and the COE School of Teacher Education in an effort to advise student veterans on the most efficient path to teacher certification.
“The College of Education is excited to offer the Troops to Teachers program. We recognize the importance of providing ample opportunities to student veterans, student military personnel, and veteran career changers. Troops to Teachers is a way we can assist these individuals in establishing a new career and becoming educators in schools where their skill, experience, and knowledge are welcomed and needed,” said Marcy Driscoll, Dean of the College.
While this is just one of the ways veterans may pursue a career in education, Jim Allen, co-director of OASIS, adds, “The COE is constantly searching for ways to ensure our student veterans are well-informed about all of the opportunities available to them.”
Billy Francis, director of the Florida State University Student Veterans Center, says he is in full support of the college’s efforts to attract veterans to the teaching field.
"Attracting veteran leaders, graduating them, and watching them take the lead as teachers in Florida's classrooms is beneficial to students, to veterans, and to the State. We look forward to becoming the premier producer of veteran teachers in the State in cooperation with the Troops to Teachers program,” Francis said. “Veteran staff, liaisons, and programming are in place right now at the FSU College of Education ready to assist veterans in their transition from the military, into college, and then into careers in our classrooms.”
Those interested in the program can contact OASIS at 850-644-3760. Visit www.coe.fsu.edu/troopstoteachers for more information.
