Veterans become teachers, help with shortage of educators nationwide: They've 'built resiliency'

DENVER – School districts across the country are hiring military veterans as teachers.

This comes as school districts nationwide face teaching shortages. 

Eighty-six percent of public schools reported challenges in hiring teachers this past school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. 

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Each state sets its own requirements for military veterans to qualify to become teachers. (See the video at the top of this article.) 

In most states, these individuals need to have a bachelor's degree and pass a background check. 

Ryan Pavel, who served in the Marine Corps for five years, is now CEO of the Warrior-Scholar Project. He said he realized he already had many of the skills needed to teach. (Ryan Pavel)

Veterans who have become teachers said they encourage others to do the same. 

Ryan Pavel said he served in the Marine Corps for five years.

"When I got out, I had a notion I wanted to be a teacher, but I didn’t know exactly what that would look like," Pavel said.

Veterans have "built resiliency as the result of the things they have had to do."

Pavel said he questioned how he could keep serving something bigger than himself after he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. 

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Pavel said that thanks to help from nonprofit Teach for America, he became a 9th grade English teacher in Detroit.

Pavel said he found he already had many skills needed to teach.

In March 2024, there were 163,000 openings in the "private educational services" industry, and 92,000 hires, according to BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover data. (Kennedy Hayes/Fox News)

"Every veteran has had to work with a diverse group of people," said Pavel. "They have had to be able to accomplish some type of mission, and they’ve built resiliency as the result of the things they have had to do."

Now, Pavel said he is CEO of his own nonprofit called the Warrior-Scholar Project. 

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The program helps veterans earn degrees and find careers across the United States.

ASPIRE to Teach, another program, said it's helped 2,500 veterans earn their teacher's license. 

The nationwide teaching shortage is continuing in America's public schools. (Kennedy Hayes/Fox News)

ASPIRE to Teach is an alternative teacher preparation program in Colorado. The program is available for teachers in all Pre K-12 educational settings.​

Jessica Bell graduated from the ASPIRE to Teach program in Colorado and is a 7th grade literacy teacher at a school in Denver.  

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Bell said her time spent serving inspired her to talk about mental health in the classroom.

After focusing on her own mental health, she realized it was a subject she could educate students on to make a difference.

Jessica Bell is a 7th grade literacy teacher at a school in Denver. (Kennedy Hayes/Fox News)

"It doesn't have to be seen as something that hinders who you are. It's what makes you better," Bell said.

Bell added that she is not teaching just to make a living — it’s become her passion. 

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"I do feel [that if] there are veterans that feel like this is their talent and this is their joy — then they should step into the role of teaching," Bell said.

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