A Soldier's Perspective Helps Educate Under-Achievers

Martha Kinney explains how decades of military training worked well for her outside of the military, finding it of great use as a teacher at a community college. She explains that understanding military training has helped her "to mold nascent scholars out of the under-performing, ill-prepared students who frequently show up in my community college classroom." She makes an extra effort to fully communicate exactly what her expectations are, showing what success looks like by performing the tasks in front of them.

Kinney is also fond of checklists, and the "Crawl, walk, run" method of moving through steps slowly, then gradually, as soldiers / scholars gain confidence and ability, allowing them to be increasingly independent, and increasingly speed up. This is especially useful for under-achievers who can go at their own pace, and over-achievers who can quickly progressing whilst still being thoroughly drilled with the fundamentals. Martha Kinney has also maintained a constant evaluation of training effectiveness from her Army days — evaluating her own performance alongside that of her students. This methodical approach shows just how important it is to have variety in our classrooms, with teachers bringing in a wide side of diverse skills and sharing them. From Navy Seals to ex-cops, there are lots of success stories.

Photo credit: US Army