Post by Robbie Furne: Robbie is in his 11th year of teaching social studies at Bettendorf High School. He began his career as a special education teacher & has also served as a football coach for 16 years. You can follow Robbie on Twitter @bettftballcoach
When
asked to write in this blog, I thought about my educational experience at BHS. I struggled in class, primarily due to my
immaturity, but also because I knew that I wasn't going to college right after
school. The last thing I wanted to do
was go sit in more classes, I wanted to get out of Bettendorf and go check out
the world. The United States Marine
Corps allowed me to see the world, but it also did something even more
important, it made me grow up. As I stand in the hallway during passing or
run into former students who have ‘left Iowa’ and are taking classes at Scott,
I wonder how many of these kids would have benefited from the military as a
viable option before they spent a lot of their parents money and time. Let me preface this by saying the military
isn't for most people but I also think schools can do a better job of informing/promoting
students about their benefits.
I have come up with a few
reasons/benefits that may make you stop and think a bit or if you share with
your students, they may think about it.
I will also offer insight to how these were reasons I chose also.
Financial
www.collegedata.com says the COA, Cost of Attendance, as directed
by Congress, is the average cost to attend for one academic year. It includes tuition and fees, books and
supplies, room and board, transportation, and personal expenses. Grinnell College is $59,317 and the
University of Iowa is $20,861.
I came from a lower middle class
family. There was not money for me to
attend college. I had to pay for it myself so before I was going to spend that
much money, I wanted to make sure it was going to be a wise
investment. At 18 years old, it would
have been a horrible investment.
Educational
In 2008, the Veterans Affairs
Department introduced the Post 911 GI Bill.
With this new program, instate tuition (housing stipend, books, 1 time
relocation) is covered for 36 months.
Also, while in active duty, the costs of taking online or traditional
classes are covered. Most colleges and
universities will also give a veteran credit for their service in selected areas.
I was able to start my college
classes while I was living in Uruguay working for the embassy. I took 12 hours of elective classes that
Scott Community accepted. I also did not
have to take in physical education classes at St Ambrose College.
Maturity
The National Center for Educational
Statistics stated that the 2012
graduation rate for first-time, full-time undergraduate students who began
their pursuit of a bachelor’s degree at a 4-year degree-granting institution in
fall 2006 was 59 percent.
Obviously
there are a number of different reasons that can go into this percentage. I believe maturity has a big part to do with
it though. A lot of the time, eighteen
year-old's are not ready for the responsibilities that come with being away from
home for the first time and struggle. I
was one of those who would have struggled and needed to ‘grow up’. Being away, having to take care of my own
personal and financial responsibilities really helped me in the future.
Life Experiences
For
me, the greatest attraction to join the Marines was to not only get out of Iowa
but also to get out of the country. I
went on two deployments to Africa and the Middle East. I was stationed at the American Embassies in
Brazzaville, Congo and Montevideo, Uruguay.
I was fortunate enough to meet President Clinton, Hilary Clinton,
Madeline Albright, and Jane Goodall to name a few. I witnessed civil war, participated in
humanitarian operations in Kenya, and spent a New Year’s Eve in United Arab
Emeritus. In total, I have been to 35
countries! I will cherish those
experiences for a life time.
Patriotism
I won’t put up any facts or figures
in this paragraph. What I am going to
say is that I think the youth of today has lost their sense of patriotism and
that disappoints me. With all of the distractions
kids have today, something as little as paying attention during the National
Anthem can be seen as a nuisance for a teenager who cannot remove their thumbs
from their phone. There is no easy way
to solve this problem but parents, teachers, communities, and schools can and
should all do their part in teaching everyone about this great country. This renewed commitment could lead to
additional youths who would proudly serve our country.
As mentioned before, the military is
not the answer for everyone, probably not for a large number of students at
BHS. But, as I say that, I truly believe
it can be a great benefit. The military
builds leaders and this is an area that America is lacking. As you talk with your students about post
high school options, I ask you to please consider putting in a plug for The
United States Military as an option.
Freedom isn't free.
Boot Camp 1992 Kuwait 1996 Congo 1997
Great post Robbie. Thanks for serving our country and for being such a positive influence for the students at BHS.
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