Serving in the military is a valuable option and a excellent career choice, but it won’t last forever. There is always a life after the military, but for many, they don’t know what that may be. For several Normal West staff members they chose to teach. Some also choose to maintain their military careers.

When asked why he chose to teach after the military, associate principal Mr. Hill said, “I’m still currently in the active reserve as a Captain. I’m mostly associated with the Illinois Air National Guard which is a lot like the Air Force. Being a part of the military really helped my teaching career which was what I wanted to do the whole time. It really helped me grow which is necessary when teaching.”

He then added, “I originally joined the military because I wasn’t the best student and the fact that I wanted to serve my country. The military provided me just that and I was able to continue my education afterwards.”

Math teacher and former soldier Dave Lehr explained his military involvement. “So I am currently a Command Sergeant Major which is the highest enlisted rank you can achieve. I went in the army mainly because I couldn’t afford college on my own and my dad and grandpa were also in the army.”

“My main goal was to get the college money and then either be a cop or teacher. I thought I was going to be a social studies teacher but ended up with math just so I could do better than the math teacher I had in school.”

He then added, “I chose to teach because it’s a new challenge everyday, sometimes every class is different and I would never trade it for anything.”

Social studies teacher Mr. Glen Peterson is currently on military leave in the country of Jordan training soldiers.

Serving in the military can be a demanding job; and most soldiers choose jobs similar to those they had in the military.  However, some choose to do something completely different, like teach. It becomes a whole new challenge and certainly a respectable one.