Troops To Teachers

• Please complete the Counseling Form to help us provide the best guidance in the process of attaining your teaching certificate.
• Assisting you in transitioning to a career in teaching is our mission. Partner with us to discover whether teaching is right for you.
• We provide individualized counseling to assist you in exploring and selecting the best pathway to teach based on your unique needs and goals.
• We provide informed guidance on how to meet state teaching certification requirements and how to select a certification program.
• Ongoing support and mentorship can assist you in successfully transitioning and thriving in your new career.

• The VA offers a testing and licensure reimbursement program. You must complete VA Form 22-0803 (Application for Reimbursement of Licensing or Certification Test). Use the VA Reimbursement form created to accompany your application.
• The state recognizes that as a military service member, you are well prepared to meet the overall needs of diverse learning environments and will give you up to 5 Years teaching ‘experience’ for your active duty service.
• You are required to complete only 6 semester hours of professional education coursework from an accredited college in your remaining requirements. Your professional education coursework must include a college course addressing classroom management and general or subject specific pedagogical principles.

• Skills you honed in the military — leadership, initiative, discipline, integrity and the ability to thrive in an ever-changing environment — are a natural fit for the classroom.
• If you have a degree in science, technology, engineering or math, there is a special need for you in our schools. The concepts and approaches at the heart of the STEM disciplines — curiosity, inquiry, creativity, exploration, collaboration and critical thinking — are the skills that will most likely assist students in becoming successful in higher education, in the workplace and as citizens of the world.
• While classroom management is often one of the most significant challenges for new teachers, as a military service member, you are well prepared to meet the overall needs of diverse learning environments. School administrators overwhelmingly report that veterans have a positive impact on student achievement and are more effective in instructional and classroom management practices than traditionally prepared teachers with similar years of teaching experience.

• The path to becoming a teacher with the Troops to Teachers program is typically completed through the state's Alternative Certification process. This process provides an opportunity for individuals with non-teaching degrees to teach in Oklahoma accredited schools. The Alternative application is a multi-step process.  Our office is here to assist you with any help you may need along the way. more...

• Finding a job can be tricky, but our veterans have built strong reputations for success in the classroom. Several school districts reach out to our office for a list of Troops to Teachers participants to actively recruit to fill teacher vacancies.
• We will also provide information of vacancies and local job fairs to help you find the right fit.
• Follow the link to see a list of job boards and local school district vacancy announcements.

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