Called to Serve: A Narrative Exploration of a Marine-Turned-Superintendent

• In Event: Experiences Shaped by Beliefs, Service, and Faith

Abstract

This study explores the lived experience of a superintendent’s 53-year career. His narrative is nested in a perceived call to service, commencing with enlisting in the Marine Corps, continuing through teaching and administrative positions, and ending with continued service to his community during retirement. This narrative provides a glimpse into the experience and skills veterans are able to bring with them if they transition to the field of education after their initial service. With only 5% of veterans pursuing work in the fields of health and education (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020), and this population having unique pathways to teacher credentialling in most states, they are poised in a way to help alleviate teacher and administration shortfalls in many communities.

Authors

• Adam Fullerton, American College of Education

• Christopher M Gill, University of Alabama