Teaching Them How to Take Command

Teaching Them to

Take Command of Their Lives THE VALUE OF MILITARY SCHOOL IN DEVELOPING TODAY’S YOUNG MEN INTO CONFIDENT AND HONORABLE ADULTS By Brigadier General Richard V. Geraci, USA (Ret), MMA President

I’ve recently seen several stories in the media about higher education offering classes and workshops on “adulting” across the United States, at schools such as University of CaliforniaBerkeley, Wichita State University, University of Nebraska-Kearney and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Young people are actively seeking these classes on how to be an adult. Outside of their parents’ protective homes, they’ve found that their education to this point has focused on academics, but they don’t know how to navigate their lives with basic, everyday life skills. In these adulting classes and workshops, they find practical help, such as how to change a tire or prepare their own taxes; as a parent, grandparent, teacher and president of a military school, I believe what they are really seeking is less tangible than those practical skills — and far more important. They seek the confidence that they can manage their own lives. Somehow they got this far without many critical life skills necessary to truly succeed.

“[Educators] are trying to build sturdier adults in the context of what they describe as a mental health crisis,” reports Stephan Bisaha with the Kansas News Service, as shared by NPR last November. Bisaha adds that “mental health advocates hope the workshops can also temper the stress caused by academic pressure and a lack of know-how about living beyond the reach of hovering parents.” We can’t prepare our young people for every scenario, but we can teach them to handle — with confidence — the challenges, disappointments and opportunities they encounter. We can teach them how to take command of their personal lives and futures. This is what we do at Missouri Military Academy. Military boarding school is not for every young man, even though I firmly believe that all could benefit from the principles we teach and the values we instill. We have and maintain high expectations for cadets. As a military college preparatory school, MMA takes pride in our structured and disciplined environment with emphasis on accountability — MMA is for families committed to support their sons in reaching their full potential. Families may arrive here with a son who is fully ready to enroll, one who craves the structure and discipline, has goals and immediately thrives in our environment of scholarship, leadership and camaraderie among brothers. Or they may arrive with a young man who is drifting in his current school situation and has really not thought about his future. These are the cadets who later are often our biggest alumni advocates, who have come to realize that Missouri Military Academy provided the foundation and guidance they were missing, and the experience that catapulted them forward in life. We do not let cadets sit on the sidelines. At times, this experience is uncomfortable for them, but it never fails to be life-changing. We facilitate and guide their learning and growth with support from their peers, so they can take command of their future with a high degree of confidence. We take cadets beyond academic success. Cadet involvement in every aspect of the Academy’s 360° Education requires hard work, perseverance

Staff member Brian Donaldson helps a cadet catch up to his group during an early morning hike.

and grit on their part. For those who take full advantage of our programs, we see them thrive and grow. Inside and outside of the classroom, we develop life skills, such as respect for diversity, selfreliance, problem-solving and building personal relationships. We teach cadets more than critical thinking and problem-solving — we teach them to be decisive and to deal with stress as they work under pressure. We teach them what it means to be a global citizen, to be flexible and adapt, and to negotiate and resolve conflict. We teach them self-reflection, so they evaluate what decisions they are making, and how to overcome mistakes. Our military school educational model provides lessons and experiences as no other school can. Through relational teaching, we know your cadet inside and outside the classroom. We care and don’t let cadets quit! From the classroom to athletics to barracks life, we provide a safe, supervised environment for cadets to learn to take responsibility for each other and themselves. We are experts in balancing adult supervision with cadet leader responsibilities to facilitate all aspects of cadet growth. The cadets must do the work. Doing so builds their self-confidence, sense of self-discipline and self-reliance. We do not accept excuses. We are highly focused on each cadet, but we never do the work for them. We push them to be leaders, to support each other and to work as a team. Our academic program provides a well-rounded liberal arts education differentiated from other schools by our upfront academic assessment, individualized attention, cadet success teams, 4x4 block schedule, college and career counseling, and different opportunities to serve varied cadet interests, from university-level classes to fine arts to technical school courses. We constantly monitor cadet progress, communicate among his faculty team and with parents, and provide aggressive advising to motivate him to move forward. By working with the commandant and his team, cadets learn followership and leadership. We are proud to be recognized as an Army JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction through the leadership and citizenship demonstrated by our cadets and supported by the JROTC curriculum. It would seem paradoxical to many that sending your son to military school requires a high level of involvement between you and the Academy, but it does. Others outside the circle of military schools may not appreciate the sacrifice you make and dedication you must have to support your son’s success. We know the truth, however. His success stems from our partnership with you — parents, guardians and families. I attended a military school, as did two of my sons. From my perspective as a parent, educator and military school president, I understand the emotional, social and financial complexity of a family’s decision to send their son to a military school. I also know how simple the decision can be when you see the long-term benefits for your child as I have seen for myself and my sons. Cadet Bruno Pozzani ’20, commander of Delta Company, was assisted in serving as company guidon bearer by middle-school cadet Lincoln Sladzianowski ’25 during the Valentine Weekend Review. “ “ “We can’t prepare our young people for every scenario, but we can teach them to handle the challenges and opportunities they encounter.”