A Washington Post article describes the Department of Defense program, "Troops to Teachers", that transforms military veterans into classroom teachers.  This program, which is funded by the Department of Education but run by the Department of Defense, trains and offers stipends to those veterans who are willing to make the switch.  The report indicates that the success rate of these teachers is notably high.  I think that there are several factors which probably contribute to the high level of success.  First, the majority of military personnel are men; the majority of classroom teachers are not.  Men tend to have a high success rate in the classroom, in part because of the novelty, but also because of the natural respect and authority they command.  Secondly, these highly trained, disciplined, even dangerous men give the students a sense of security and freedom that they sometimes lack in a female led classroom.  This is not to insult the role of women in the classroom, but to highlight the effectiveness and need of men in our schools.  In addition, I believe that our military is well trained to handle the unexpected in a swift, efficient manner.  Spend one day in a middle school classroom and you will realize how important this skill is to ensure success. I think that this program offers significant benefits to our children, but also to the military personnel who choose to participate.  These veterans are offered assistance and guaranteed work after completing the necessary training.  This kind of program removes the difficult transition time that some experience when returning to the civilian world.