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portraits
» AMARILLO ISD
S
outhern California screams fun, sun, surf and sand.
When Superintendent Dr. Dana West stepped off a
bus there last summer, something was screaming at
her, but it wasn’t any of that.
It was a United States Marine
Corps drill instructor, as large and intimidating—and as loud--in
real life as in the movies.
Dr. West and around 30 other educator recruits had mustered
on a military base for boot camp activities, obstacle courses, rifl e
instruction on the “course of fi re” and, to ensure it was authentic,
that in-their-face drill sergeant experience, at a fi ve-day Marine
Corps Educators’ Workshop.
“There is kind of a shock the fi rst 30 minutes, when the drill
instructor is getting them in formation and yelling at them. That’s
when he takes off his drill instructor hat and explains the purpose
of why he is yelling and what the commands are,” says Sgt. Ryan
Carpenter, a USMC marketing and public affairs representative.
Dr. West handled the tough talk and everything else thrown at
her like a champion, says Sgt. Carpenter. “She had a great attitude
the entire time and really dove head fi rst into the experience,”
he says.
The week is designed to give educators a taste of Marine recruit
life and also reassure them about what they’re sending students
into when they promote the military as a career choice. “Educators
take a personal responsibility for these kids,” says Sgt. Carpenter.
When Dr. West talks to scholars about success beyond high
school, she always asks, “What’s Your Plan?” The discussion helps
scholars fi nd their future in career schools, a two-year college, four-
year university or the military. But, it’s the military component Dr.
West says she’s always felt the least prepared to pitch, which is why
she enlisted in the Educators’ Workshop. “I’ve experienced college
and a four-year university and even career apprenticeships,” says
Dr. West. “But when I talk about ‘What’s Your Plan?’ I want military
to be an equal piece in helping our scholars move forward.”
After a conversation with a newly-enlisted recruit, Dr. West took
away from the week exactly what she went looking for. “He felt at
his school everyone was talking about college and that in choosing
the military he was somehow making a lesser choice,” she says.
“We must make sure when we ask our scholars, ‘What’s Your Plan?’
we really focus on the YOUR part, not what we want them to do.
There should be nothing implied that would rank order choices or
make a student feel good or bad about his or her plan.
“I thought the military was about discipline,” Dr. West continues.
“It is about that. But it’s more about the camaraderie that it builds
and the amount of pride, not only in self, but in our country. It’s
about making decisions. It’s about leadership. It’s about doing
the right thing and knowing why you do the right thing. And it’s
about education. They’re working toward an education that is very
technical and very specifi c for a need. It’s pretty powerful.”
Superintendent’s Five Days with the USMC
Provide Unique Perspective
SUMMER OORAH: