Journal of Education & Social Policy

Military Veterans as Intercultural Educators
Ernest Luke McClees Jr.

Abstract
Recently there has been a shift in the language teaching community to organize and better teach culture competency. The current focus does not include many who might be good candidates and leaders for teaching cultural competency in the world language classroom. Military veterans tend to be overlooked for their skills and their application of these skills in the classroom. The majority of Americans assume they understand veterans experiences and opinions on world cultures. Sadly, this is a short-sided assumption that could potentially discount a great resource for education. Student diversity and the need for global cultural competency are rapidly changing in classrooms. Military training, coupled with the real-world experience of military veterans, could serve as a great attribute for increasing effective approaches to intercultural aspects in the classroom.

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