No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
Reserve & National Guard

Guardsmen shoulder lesson plans in New Mexico classrooms

AmeriForce Exclusive
by AmeriForce Exclusive
March 24, 2022
New Mexico

Lt. Col. Susana Corona plays a math game called with students at Estancia Elementary School on Feb. 8, 2022. Photo by Iain Jaramillo

Second Lt. Dayton Harris, an infantry officer and platoon leader in the 1st Battalion, 200th Infantry Regiment of the New Mexico Army National Guard, is currently shouldering a lesson plan instead of a rifle.

A substitute teacher at the Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science, Harris heard the call to arms when Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asked the Guard to help counter the rise of COVID-19 cases and patch the unraveling fabric of school staff throughout New Mexico.

With guidance from the New Mexico Department of Education, guardsmen added another role to their collective resumes – substitute teaching.

Brig. Gen. Jamison Herrera, director of the Joint Staff for the New Mexico National Guard, said while teaching was a new challenge for the Guard, they implemented solutions from basic templates of emergency response plans. Then slightly modified them to fit the uniqueness of the pandemic. 

Herrera met with state agencies and Guard personnel to draw up and implement plans to recruit a chalkboard brigade ready to step into the state school system.

“Its never a good time to meet your peers in an emergency,” Herrera said. 

Yet as difficult a task the New Mexico National Guard was handed, the decision to put their collective shoulders to the wheel required little debate among soldiers and airmen in the Land of Enchantment.

“That’s who we are. That’s what we do,” Herrera said. “We transform into whatever is needed for our state. These are our neighbors.”

Hard hit by the pandemic, many New Mexico schools were contending with shifting classes to online learning. Many child care facilities were forced to close temporarily when staff tested positive for COVID-19 and required a five-day isolation period. 

New Mexico
Airman 1st Class Jennifer Marquez-Urias takes attendance in the Spanish classroom at Belen High School on Feb. 2, 2022. Photo by Iain Jaramillo

And for anyone who had contact with someone testing positive, there came a domino-like isolation protocol for everyone down the line of contact. Not only were teachers affected, but it quickly trickled out to administrators and school staff.

The state sent out word to Air and Army Guard personnel for volunteers. Requirements for volunteers were nothing new or special – they followed those already in place for substitutes by the New Mexico Department of Education guidelines. Herrera and his planners plugged that into their plans and deployed their strategy.

As a result, the Public Education Department has received 988 substitute teacher license applications and issued 473 new licenses since Jan. 19. By comparison, the department received 89 substitute applications in about the same period of 2021. 

For Guard personnel like Harris, the opportunity has brought about “a great experience” and one that has given him a direction for a new calling as a high school teacher.

Harris said he has gained a new appreciation for what teachers do. While he had no real formal teaching experience, he said he often teaches aspects of soldiering to his platoon members. In another example of how military experience can translate to civilian employment and needs, Harris said that at the end of each duty day of teaching, he meets online with eight other Guard members he oversees who are assigned to rural areas. He described the meeting as their daily after-action report to discuss progress and address any obstacles anyone might be encountering. 

RELATED: ‘Beyond exhausted’: Wisconsin guardsmen train as CNAs to help health care providers

The school, according to Harris, has been extremely welcoming and assisting him in working toward the chance of getting hired on a full-time basis. He said the students ask a lot of questions about being a soldier and Guard life – and seem keenly interested in Guard life.

” I volunteered not only for the financial benefits, but also because of my future interest in being a high school teacher once I return from basic officer leadership class,” he said. “The school welcomed me with open arms. It has a good support system and this gave me a chance to dip my toes in the water.”

Mary Parr-Sanchez, president of the New Mexico National Education Association, said overall she hasn’t heard or seen anything negative about guardsmen stepping into the school system.

She said that even before the pandemic, there was a staff shortage throughout schools. The pandemic just created more layers of shortage among staff and teachers, as people not only had to do their jobs but part of someone else’s.

“From what I’m hearing, said Parr-Sanchez, “Our kids feel special that someone cares enough to come into our schools and help.”

This article was written by TS Alvarez.

Read comments
Tags: deploymenteducationNational GuardNew MexicoNew Mexico National Guard
AmeriForce Exclusive

AmeriForce Exclusive

Related Posts

OPINION: Individual Ready Reserve offers chance to ‘take a knee’

by Emily Solberg
2 weeks ago
0
Individual Ready Reserve

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is a little-known option that could help with retention, according to one reservist and military...

Read more

Citizen airman becomes 2nd nurse in history to receive Distinguished Flying Cross

by Taneika Duhaney
3 weeks ago
0
Distinguished Flying Cross

A once-undecided high-school-graduate turned citizen airman is the second nurse in history to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Read more

Deadly Buffalo blizzard prompts mobilization of 849 guardsmen

by AmeriForce Exclusive
3 weeks ago
0
Blizzard

More than 800 New York National Guardsmen took part in a week-long mission following a blizzard that dumped 50 inches...

Read more

New veterans head to Congress, including January 6-er

by Military.com
4 weeks ago
0
New veterans

New veterans will begin roaming the halls of Congress next week, contributing to one of the biggest classes of lawmakers...

Read more

Veteran’s dog-treat company honors fallen K-9s, supports canine causes

by Kari Williams
4 weeks ago
0
Canine

Jessica Harris began giving back to her canine companions through K9 Salute after she retired from the Washington National Guard.

Read more

OPINION: Finding value in the repetition of deployment training

by Amanda Huffman
1 month ago
0
Deployment training

Deployment training often includes a lot of repetition and can sometimes feel boring or frustrating beyond the point of reason.

Read more

Ads

Let's get social

The RNG Drill

News delivered directly to your inbox

Let's connect!

ABOUT US

  • OUR STORY
  • OUR TEAM
  • OUR WRITERS

MAGAZINE

  • GET PRINT
  • GET DIGITAL
  • GET THE NEWSLETTER

GET RESOURCES

  • VETERANS TOOLKIT

ADVERTISE

  • GET OUR MEDIA KIT
  • PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

SUBMISSIONS

  • PITCH US
  • SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Never miss out on the latest stories.

© 2021 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Privacy Policy | Terms | Site by Swiss Commerce

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • YOUR CAREER
    • UNIT TRAINING
    • DEPLOYMENT
    • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
    • RECRUITING & RETENTION
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • TRANSITION
  • EDUCATION
  • MILITARY LIFE
    • MILITARY SPOUSES
    • MILITARY KIDS
    • PARENTING
  • OFF DUTY
    • ENTERTAINMENT
    • TRAVEL
  • HEALTH
    • FITNESS
    • MEDICINE
    • MENTAL HEALTH
  • OPINION
  • HISTORY
  • MONEY
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • BENEFITS
  • GET THE MAGAZINE
    • PRINT MAGAZINES
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINES
    • GET THE NEWSLETTER
  • RESOURCES
    • VETERANS TOOLKIT
  • ABOUT US
    • MEET OUR TEAM
    • OUR AUTHORS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • SUBMIT YOUR STORY
    • PITCH US
    • CONTACT

© 2022 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Site by SCBW