ONE of my son's teachers is a former military man. That means I don't worry about a thing in that classroom. I figure anybody who retired from the military can handle anything (even middle school kids!) and can probably teach the kids a lot about discipline and respect.

Because of its proximity to Washington and many military bases, Stafford County is fortunate to have many former military members teaching in its schools.

Some of them came our way via the Troops to Teachers program.

According to the Troops to Teachers Web site, the goal of the program is to help "relieve teacher shortages, especially in math, science, special education and other high-needs subject areas, and to assist military personnel in making successful transitions to second careers in teaching."

Former active-duty service men and women are given financial assistance to help them become certified to teach. They are given bonuses if they agree to teach for three years in schools with higher numbers of low-income children.

Spotsylvania resident John Montez is one of four Troops to Teachers graduates working in Stafford County schools.

Montez became a teacher at Brooke Point High School after serving "20 years and a few days" as a petty officer in the Navy. His experiences in the Navy led to his desire to teach.

"Most people in the military, at one time or another, do have to instruct. I was assigned early on in my career to a facility where I had to do a fair amount of instruction time. It was a very comfortable fit," said Montez.

After one of his classes, a colleague asked him if he had ever thought about teaching. That stuck with him until he came to the end of his military career.

Despite taking college courses during his time in the military, Montez hadn't finished his undergraduate degree, an important goal for him. He decided to finish his degree, and Troops to Teachers helped him find a job.

Montez started at Brooke Point in 2002.