1 00:00:01,389 --> 00:00:03,722 Alright guys , go ahead and have a seat . 2 00:00:03,722 --> 00:00:05,889 Good job . So make sure you go there . 3 00:00:05,889 --> 00:00:08,111 Matter of fact , when you go to lunch , 4 00:00:08,111 --> 00:00:10,278 when you go to lunch today and you cut 5 00:00:10,278 --> 00:00:12,445 that corner down there , hit it . When 6 00:00:12,445 --> 00:00:12,010 you get ready to go down those stairs , 7 00:00:12,020 --> 00:00:14,076 you come out of that door , hit it . 8 00:00:14,076 --> 00:00:16,020 They're not gonna look at you like 9 00:00:16,020 --> 00:00:18,298 you're crazy . You're in uniform today . 10 00:00:18,298 --> 00:00:17,770 So you're showing that you have 11 00:00:17,780 --> 00:00:20,002 military band and that you're showing . 12 00:00:21,219 --> 00:00:24,129 Ok . Right now I've been teaching Air 13 00:00:24,139 --> 00:00:27,219 Force G RT C for 11 years . Absolutely . 14 00:00:27,229 --> 00:00:29,396 Enjoy it . I tell everyone this is not 15 00:00:29,396 --> 00:00:31,507 a retirement job where you can finish 16 00:00:31,507 --> 00:00:33,618 your service in the military and then 17 00:00:33,618 --> 00:00:35,562 kinda kick back and relax . Uh I'm 18 00:00:35,562 --> 00:00:37,729 probably more busy now than I ever was 19 00:00:37,729 --> 00:00:39,673 in the military , making sure that 20 00:00:39,673 --> 00:00:41,896 these students are taken care of making 21 00:00:41,896 --> 00:00:44,173 sure they have the resources they need . 22 00:00:44,173 --> 00:00:43,939 There were multiple people who 23 00:00:43,950 --> 00:00:46,172 basically poured into my life . Some of 24 00:00:46,172 --> 00:00:48,394 them were relatives , some of them were 25 00:00:48,394 --> 00:00:50,561 neighbors , some of them were teachers 26 00:00:50,561 --> 00:00:52,672 through that . It helped me to become 27 00:00:52,672 --> 00:00:54,728 the person that I am now . So I know 28 00:00:54,728 --> 00:00:56,783 the importance of uh of having a , a 29 00:00:56,783 --> 00:00:58,839 positive role model in their lives . 30 00:01:02,020 --> 00:01:04,242 You become more than just a teacher and 31 00:01:04,242 --> 00:01:06,187 more than just an Air Force G RT C 32 00:01:06,187 --> 00:01:08,187 instructor . Uh you become a parent 33 00:01:08,187 --> 00:01:10,131 sometime a counselor , a spiritual 34 00:01:10,131 --> 00:01:12,464 advisory , whatever these students need , 35 00:01:12,464 --> 00:01:14,631 you have to meet them where they are . 36 00:01:14,631 --> 00:01:16,687 And so that's been the biggest thing 37 00:01:16,687 --> 00:01:18,798 that keeps me uh going . This is my , 38 00:01:18,798 --> 00:01:21,190 why these students are my , why it may 39 00:01:21,199 --> 00:01:23,032 sound cliche about integrity and 40 00:01:23,032 --> 00:01:25,255 excellence and just really working hard 41 00:01:25,255 --> 00:01:27,430 to have that work ethic and that 42 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:30,690 citizenship , everything that we're 43 00:01:30,699 --> 00:01:32,921 doing to teach kids to be good citizens 44 00:01:32,921 --> 00:01:36,120 for this country um is necessary . Kids 45 00:01:36,129 --> 00:01:38,073 are no longer learning a lot about 46 00:01:38,073 --> 00:01:40,018 financial management . They're not 47 00:01:40,018 --> 00:01:42,073 learning about just being respectful 48 00:01:42,073 --> 00:01:44,129 and being trustworthy , being a good 49 00:01:44,129 --> 00:01:46,351 wingman or wing person towards somebody 50 00:01:46,351 --> 00:01:48,518 else . Help giving a helping hand when 51 00:01:48,518 --> 00:01:50,462 needed . Those are all skills that 52 00:01:50,462 --> 00:01:52,629 you're going to learn in your R RT C . 53 00:01:55,349 --> 00:01:57,405 The change that we can make in those 54 00:01:57,405 --> 00:02:00,040 kids' lives is very important , very 55 00:02:00,050 --> 00:02:02,800 important . And to , to know that I had 56 00:02:02,809 --> 00:02:05,089 a part in that means the world to me . 57 00:02:05,190 --> 00:02:07,246 But what I'm most grateful for about 58 00:02:07,246 --> 00:02:09,412 being a junior RT C instructor is that 59 00:02:09,412 --> 00:02:11,579 we get to see them from ninth grade to 60 00:02:11,579 --> 00:02:13,579 12th grade . It's I don't teach one 61 00:02:13,579 --> 00:02:15,579 lesson and then move them on to the 62 00:02:15,579 --> 00:02:17,523 next teacher . I get to watch this 63 00:02:17,523 --> 00:02:19,579 whole thing happen like from here to 64 00:02:19,579 --> 00:02:23,050 here to see growth and 65 00:02:23,059 --> 00:02:25,226 development in these kids . Now , I've 66 00:02:25,226 --> 00:02:27,281 only been there one year , but I can 67 00:02:27,281 --> 00:02:29,679 already tell you , um , just by being 68 00:02:29,690 --> 00:02:32,009 able to compare my freshman students 69 00:02:32,020 --> 00:02:34,020 with my senior students , I can see 70 00:02:34,020 --> 00:02:36,187 where those freshmen , I can see their 71 00:02:36,187 --> 00:02:38,298 potential of where I hope to see them 72 00:02:38,298 --> 00:02:40,464 in four years . And I'm really looking 73 00:02:40,464 --> 00:02:43,080 forward to seeing them get there 74 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:46,539 coming out of my previous job as the , 75 00:02:46,550 --> 00:02:48,883 uh chief information Officer , you know , 76 00:02:48,883 --> 00:02:52,070 for a 77,000 person organization . Uh I 77 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:54,247 had lots of opportunities that I could 78 00:02:54,247 --> 00:02:56,302 have taken in the commercial world , 79 00:02:56,302 --> 00:02:58,358 making good money , making very good 80 00:02:58,358 --> 00:03:00,413 money . But it's , it's not where my 81 00:03:00,413 --> 00:03:02,636 passion was . And if you really want to 82 00:03:02,636 --> 00:03:04,691 get something out of going into work 83 00:03:04,691 --> 00:03:06,913 every day , uh it's really working with 84 00:03:06,913 --> 00:03:09,024 the kids at Air Force Junior RT C . I 85 00:03:09,024 --> 00:03:11,247 want them to grow . I want them to have 86 00:03:11,247 --> 00:03:13,136 fun . I want them to realize life 87 00:03:13,136 --> 00:03:15,580 outside of high school . It is gonna be 88 00:03:15,589 --> 00:03:19,029 challenging and you want them prepared . 89 00:03:19,089 --> 00:03:21,256 I have a young lady that I had for two 90 00:03:21,256 --> 00:03:23,589 years , move to another school district , 91 00:03:23,589 --> 00:03:27,059 join that program and uh she joined the 92 00:03:27,070 --> 00:03:30,070 Navy Chief . I'm coming into Charleston . 93 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,729 Can I see you ? And the fact that I get 94 00:03:33,740 --> 00:03:36,330 these texts , these emails 95 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:39,539 you had so much to do with who I am 96 00:03:39,550 --> 00:03:43,500 today . Um That is why I 97 00:03:43,509 --> 00:03:44,259 do what I do .