Idaho elementary school teacher and former Air Force serviceman Brian Marinelli

Throughout the country, there are many dedicated educators who have also served our country in the military. One of these is Brian Marinelli, a retired Air Force serviceman who is now an elementary school teacher in Boise, Idaho.

Brian spent 23 years in the Air Force, and retired as a Senior Master Seargeant. While in the service, he traveled the globe working in satellite communications. Once he retired, Brian didn’t know what he was going to do, until he spent time as a volunteer in his daughter’s classroom. After that experience, he knew he wanted to be a school teacher. While still in the Air Force, Brian registered with Troops to Teachers (TTT), a government program that offers advice, support in getting a teacher certification, and assistance in finding a teaching job.

Brian is now in his seventh year as an elementary teacher at Collister Elementary School  in Boise, Idaho. He is currently teaching fifth- and sixth-grade gifted students. He teaches three different math courses, two science, and one language arts course each day.

“I take to my classroom the same fire and commitment I had on the flight line in the Air Force,” asserts Brian. “If you were dedicated to your work in the military, you will be dedicated as a school teacher also.”

Dr. Gerald Bell, Marinelli’s principal at Collister Elementary School in Boise, praises the former serviceman’s work with young people, “Brian is an outstanding individual. He has great enthusiasm and passion for teaching and has a backbone for doing the right thing. He connects immediately with his students. He is a leader — confident, but with humility and ready to learn new skills,” says Bell.

To learn more about the TTT program, consult this link: Troops to Teachers.