Matthews, 62, earned his diploma from Russellville High School and enrolled in Morgan State University in Baltimore. More than 40 years later, he came home to St. Stephen and took a job at Cross High School with a few goals in mind.

Matthews, the senior Army instructor with the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, is one of dozens of former military personnel now teaching in public schools throughout the Lowcountry. The service members affect the lives of the students they teach using a distinct level of discipline and leadership.

"I didn't have a silver spoon, but I didn't know at the time I was rich," Matthews said. "Rich with values. Rich with respect for people.

"When I look at these kids who say, 'I don't have this or that,' or 'I'm poor,' I ask them, 'What's poverty? What's wealth?' "

As a leader, Matthews said his personal mission is to provide training for jobs and for life. He makes one demand of the students he is preparing for graduation and careers: They must leave their excuses at the door.

Hardships such as racism and poverty won't go away, but they can be overcome.

"I've been there, done that," he said. "I'm coming from a segregated high school and a Christian background. My parents never allowed us to say 'I can't because I'm black.' They said, 'Don't allow someone else's issue to become your own.' "

Former soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen can enter the classrooms in several ways, including by serving as JROTC instructors or by gaining accreditation through the Troops to Teachers program.

In the Charleston area, most local high schools have JROTC programs, and many classroom teachers have military backgrounds. Seventy-nine teachers have entered the classroom through Troops to Teachers, a $14 million-a-year national initiative established in 1994. The program has placed about 8,875 service members nationally in teaching positions.

Reports from Kuwait

Lt. Col. Jon E. Jordan, with more than 20 years' experience in the Army, offers a rare perspective to his students at James Island Middle School. Jordan, who as a member of the Army Reserve was called up in December and is serving in Kuwait, is an eighth-grade math and social studies teacher in civilian life.

His wife, JerriAnne Johnson-

Jordan, who teaches sixth grade at the school, said her husband sends pictures, postcards and other memorabilia to his students.

Jordan, a teacher for 19 years and a Citadel alumnus, recently visited a mosque and sent back a video about world religion and tolerance, his wife said.

"He misses the students here, and when he gets to e-mail, he asks about them," his wife said. "He is someone who cares about them and also someone that they see standing by their word and following through on commitments he's made."

Aside from having military teachers in regular classes, students can join the JROTC programs, which emphasize citizenship and leadership mixed with personal training and extracurricular activities.

At Fort Dorchester High School in Dorchester District 2, the Air Force JROTC program is one of the largest in the state with about 350 students, said Lt. Col. Robert Ticknor, the senior program instructor.

"The structure and discipline we teach and expect, they might not get it anywhere else," Ticknor said.

To ninth-grader Dana Johno at Cross High, JROTC is practical.

"In your regular classes you learn information; here you learn life skills, the things you'll need later on," said Dana, 15, who is in her first year of JROTC and was honored with the school's Superior Cadet Award.

Teacher of the year

Before coming back to Berkeley County about two years ago, Matthews worked for a national education and training program and lived in 13 states. In college he had a double major in business administration and economics while working full time. He has been in the Army Reserve for 34 years after serving in the regular Army.

Matthews, who was named the school's teacher of the year in March, recently organized a job-readiness seminar in Cross that brought employers and students together. Six students were hired and others have pending offers.

More than 85 percent of the nearly 450 students at Cross High School live below poverty level. The school serves students in grades seven to 12 and had a graduation rate of 83 percent last year - the highest in the school district.

Matthews calls his colleague, Sgt. Donald Woods, who spent 21 years in the Army Medical Corps, the backbone of the JROTC program at Cross.

"I think it is something that is needed in all high schools because there is a lack of discipline in high schools," said Woods, who has served nine years in Berkeley County schools.

The area around Cross and St. Stephen used to be a farming community, but change has crept in slowly. One thing that has stayed true is strong family ties, and

Matthews said he does not want to the community to lose that.

"Every time I came back here I thought about my childhood experiences," said Matthews, who has settled with his wife, Laura Armstrong Matthews, on land next to his late father's house. "Many of my students say, 'I'm leaving Cross and I'm never coming back.' The kids should be grateful."

Matthews is going to teach them that.

Reach Yvonne M. Wenger at ywenger@postandcourier.com or 745-5891.

SIDEBAR

To find out more about teaching jobs for former military personnel, visit www.military.com/teaching. The site includes job hunting resources, a resume builder, a salary calculator and a veteran employment guide. The site also has information on the national Troops to Teachers program, which can also be found at www.proudtoserveagain.com.