Published: July 9, 2008

From Lieutenant Colonel to Teacher

William Howey , author of Hard Knocks and Straight Talk: From The Jungle to the American Classroom , took an unconventional route to becoming the 1999 Educator of the Year for Berks and Montgomery Counties, Penn. After serving 32 years in the Marine Corps, including 3 years in Vietnam, he left a desk job at the Pentagon to become a high school teacher, yearbook advisor, and assistant athletic director at Boyertown Area Senior High in central Penn. Howey drew on his military experience and held his social studies students accountable for more than the textbook. His students learned in two ways about the U.S. government: “what the text said about how things should work and what I added about how it really worked.” Howey’s popularity grew over the course of his 15-year career, as the superintendent, parents, teachers, and students from study halls began to sit in on his classes.

We recently spoke with Howey via e-mail about his book, his military career, classroom experience and advice for new teachers.

To what extent did the military shape your decision to become a teacher?