While recognizing our nation’s veterans, here is Shane Larkin, US Army vet and high school social studies teacher from Columbus, Georgia. Photo credit: Ledger-Enquirer

Our nation is indeed fortunate that many individuals who serve our students in the classroom have also served in the US military. One of these is Shane Larkin, a high school social studies teacher in Columbus, Georgia.

Before he became an educator, Shane served ten years as a staff sergeant in the US Army. While in the military, he participated in firefights with combat units deployed to Bosnia, Kosovo, and Iraq.

It was while he was stationed in Kosovo that Shane accepted his first position as a teacher. There he taught the English language to Serbian students. “I loved almost everything about being an infantry squad leader,” he once told the local newspaper, the Ledger-Enquirer, “but I felt completely comfortable and inspired while teaching those students for several hours a week,” he said. “It was truly rewarding for me to be part of making a safe zone for those kids who were not safe to even go into neighboring towns,” he continued. “It was at that point I realized the true meaning and power of education.”

Currently, Shane teaches history and world studies at Early College Academy in Columbus, Georgia. The school partners with Columbus State University to expose students to resources, rigor, and the intensity of college-level academics.

For his work in the classroom, Shane has earned many accolades. In 2017, he was named the Muscogee County Schools Teacher of the Year. In 2018, the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation (MEEF) selected him their Teacher of the Year. To read more about him, see this article published in Education Week Teacher.