Assistant Principal at Colorado’s Fountain Middle School
Former special forces Sgt. uses his survival skills to teach “at risk” kids.
by Warren Duffie

Brett Smith vividly recalls his most rewarding moment as an educator. It involved an “at-risk” student he had early in his teaching career. The young man suffered a chaotic home life and was disruptive in all his classes. When he met Smith, however, he liked and respected the six-foot-four, 225-pound teacher immediately and began to study hard. Unfortunately, family problems caused the student to drop out of school. Smith lost contact with him until last year, when a colleague informed him the student was in a coma due to a drug overdose. Distraught, Smith visited him in the hospital every day until he finally awoke from his coma.

“I heard from him a few months ago,” says Smith, a 20-year Army veteran. “He had kept the business card I gave him and was calling me to say he had just completed 10 months in rehab, wanted to earn his GED, and was planning to join the military.

“He told me I was the biggest difference in his life, and I’ll always treasure that,” the former sergeant first class continues. “No amount of money in the world can provide the reward of helping someone turn his or her life around.”

Smith, 42, touches students’ lives each day as an assistant principal at Colorado’s Fountain Middle School, which has 70 teachers and 850 students in the fifth and sixth grades. Chief among his duties is managing the school’s special education program, comprising six teachers and 80 students. He is responsible for compliance with federal and state regulations, and oversees the learning of not only his special education students, but those from other district schools sent to Fountain. The rest of his time is divided between administrative meetings, evaluating and advising teachers, and talking to students.

“One thing the Army taught me was how to communicate effectively, whether you’re speaking to a private or a general,” Smith says. “The same applies here, as I interact with a variety of people, from other administrators to teachers to students.

“The military also instilled pride in me — to always focus on excellence and the mission at hand,” he continues. “That’s something we strive for here at Fountain: giving these kids the best education possible.”

Finding Someone to Believe in Him
Smith has first-hand knowledge of how a teacher can affect a student’s life. The San Diego native was himself neglected growing up. His mother married many times, they moved constantly, and Smith wasn’t enrolled in school until the third grade. By the time he was in the eighth grade, he could barely read or write and was a “behavioral nightmare.”

“I was smart, but had a major attitude problem,” Smith says. “But my eighth-grade teacher really believed in me. She saw my strengths, helped me channel my energy toward studying and bettering myself, and inspired me to learn to value school. After her class, I never earned less than an ‘A’ in any class.”

When he graduated from high school in 1981, Smith knew he wanted to do something important with his life, but he wasn’t sure what. His best friend was enlisting in the Army and was offered a promotion if he could get a friend to join. So he asked Smith if he would be willing to meet with his recruiter.

“I agreed,” Smith says. “I liked the idea of traveling and getting money for college, but I originally envisioned staying in only four years. I never thought about the Army as a career. Ironically, my friend dropped out of basic training, and I never heard from him again, though he played an important role in my life.”

After completing basic training and artillery school at Fort Sill, OK, Smith embarked on a career that would take him on assignment to more than 100 countries. Among them was a stint at Fort Riley, KA., as an artillery instructor.

“At Fort Riley, I discovered that I enjoyed teaching and speaking from a podium,” he says. “It was the first time I began think of the Army as a career. I knew I wanted to work as an instructor of some sort.”

He got another opportunity through his next assignment with the Training and Doctorate Command at Fort Irwin, CA. He taught war-fighting tactics to Special Forces from all branches of the military as well as foreign armies. This was during the Cold War, Smith says, and his curriculum comprised artillery techniques used by the Soviet Union and how the Army could counter them – “revising the war manual,” he says.

Subsequent assignments included serving as an advisor to Lithuanian troops when that country gained its independence after the Berlin Wall collapsed, and as a defense attaché in the Latvian embassy. Smith’s final duty station was at Fort Carson, Colo., working with Special Operations soldiers to clear out land mines in Bosnia (he later helped start a de-mining academy for the Bosnian military).

A Curriculum for Success
Although Smith loved the Army, his long deployments (nine months at a time were common) were wearing on him and his family. In 1996 — 15 years into his 20-year career — he and his wife mapped out a five-year plan allowing him to attend college, build a financial nest egg for his retirement, and pursue his dream of teaching.

“We planned really well,” Smith says, “because new teachers don’t make a whole lot of money and you incur more living expenses as a civilian. Thanks to our plan, when I retired in 2001 I was able to become a teacher, and we didn’t have to endure a huge financial blow.”

Once their plan was first established, Smith began working toward a degree from the University of Colorado. He also got in touch with the university’s office of Troops to Teachers — a program started by the Department of Defense to help retiring military personnel, Guard members, and Reservists pursue teaching full-time. Those eligible can receive a stipend of up to $5,000 to attain a teacher’s certification, or a $10,000 bonus for teaching three years in a “high needs” school, which Smith did.

When he retired from the Army, Smith had earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and his teaching license. In 2003 he earned another master’s degree, in educational leadership, from the University of Colorado. And during his brief teaching career, he has dealt with special education and “at risk” students from kindergarten through the eighth grade.

“I can’t imagine a better job than teaching kids,” he says.” I could be working as a government contractor making a lot of money, but that wouldn’t be nearly as fulfilling.n“I can tell you one skill that veterans have that makes them irresistible to employers: We’re used to being in front of people,” he continues. “In teaching the key is not so much developing a curriculum — you learn that in college — but managing a classroom and dealing with people. Someone coming out of the military has already mastered those skills and is more mature than someone who went from high school to college to teaching.”

But, he says, there are several things crucial to a successful transition to a civilian career:
Get your education. “This is the number one essential. In the military, we’re taught to think one way, and we believe the whole world operates the same way. Higher education can not only broaden your perspective, but it allows you to add your valuable experience and insight to classroom discussions.”

Have a plan. “Most unhappy retirements stem from a lack of planning. You become bored, your life has no purpose, and life becomes short. Or you have money problems and end up in a job you hate. Avoid this by developing a plan before you leave the military.”

Love what you do. “You’re beginning a new phase of your life. Embrace it with passion, and do something you love. That’s the way to discover career satisfaction and truly make a difference in others’ lives.”