Teaching a class is like going to war

The great German Field Marshal Helmut von Moltke the Elder noted that no plan survives contact with the enemy. Von Moltke’s point was that people get a voice. What works for soldiers in one battle may not work in the next because the enemy is adaptable and reactive. Public school teachers will tell you, “No lesson plan survives contact with students.”

Like combat, every moment in the classroom is unpredictable. What works for teachers in one classroom may not work in the next because students are human and unpredictable.

The classroom is a dynamic work environment, just like the battlefield, for the simple reason that teachers and soldiers try to cope with unpredictability. To do this, successful soldiers and successful teachers share many common character traits.

They are mentally agile, respond quickly to changes, are persistent and understand the unpredictability of the work environment. Both professions are extremely difficult to master and quickly find those who have a talent for the daily demands placed on them. Both professions require a sense of urgency and action, combined with endurance and patience.

To manage dynamic operational environments, we look to war theorists, the most important of whom are Carl von Clausewitz, who wrote ‘On War’ (1832), and Antoine-Henri Jomini, who wrote ‘Summary of the Art of War’ (1838) . Their works are groundbreaking and fundamental in declaring war.

Clausewitz theorized that war always involved chaos and friction (which slows or disrupts the pace of operations), but also uncertainty and what he called “the fog of war.” He wrote that creating a general theory of war was impossible because there are so many unknown human and physical variables that lead to an infinite number of end states. He believed that war is a uniquely human activity that is essentially uncontrollable and its outcomes unpredictable. Clausewitz argued that successful war is an art.

Jomini wrote that timeless principles of war – objective, concentration of forces, economy of effort, simplicity, offensive, cooperation, unity of command, security, surprise and maneuver – could be understood and applied. He believed that adhering to the principles almost always ensured victory. Done right, war can be managed and its outcomes controlled. Jomini did not ignore Clausewitz’s frictions and uncertainty, but he believed that these could be significantly reduced through the scientific application of principles and best practices. Jomini leaned towards the position of ‘war as science’.

Our best teachers unconsciously apply Jomini’s war principles every day. For example, they focus their resources on achieving long-term and daily goals. They throw away the excess and unnecessary. Teachers work together as part of a team; Just as the infantry is supported by artillery and combat engineers, teachers are supported by individualized education program specialists, guidance counselors, coaches, custodians and administrators.

Surprising students with interesting material is just as powerful as surprising the enemy. Teachers simplify ideas because complexity is the enemy of understanding. Schools increasingly had to embrace security and what soldiers call “force protection.” Teachers maneuver their content and materials to be in the right place at the right time. These are all principles of war at work.

But science can only produce a teacher so far. I believe that effective teaching is an art. The best teachers are masters of the content, but also have a natural talent for dealing with uncertainty and changing situations. Soldiers on the battlefield can’t just walk away from a firefight and teachers can’t just walk away when things aren’t going well in the classroom. Soldiers must stay and fight.

Teachers should stay and teach. Working in a dynamic work environment, both must know how to turn failures into opportunities. This starts with intensive professional training and acquisition of skills, which are continuously honed through experience. Most importantly, both understand that the art of persuasion works better with people than enforcing compliance.

The classroom is a constantly changing environment. Every day, every student and every moment is different. Like the battlefield, the classroom is a temporary anomaly that requires constant management. Time passes too quickly or too slowly, and soldiers and teachers rarely have just the right amount. It only takes one careless and tired soldier to lose a firefight, and it only takes one confrontational and bored student to ruin an entire lesson plan. Great soldiers and great teachers know, often intuitively, how to handle these situations. The battlefield and the classroom are both very difficult dynamic control environments.

Americans who have not served in uniform understand how tough the struggle is. Paradoxically, Americans who have not taught do not understand how difficult teaching is. It’s time we recognize how hard it is to be a teacher and say to them, “Thank you for your service.”

Edward J. Erickson of Macungie is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, a retired social studies teacher and a retired professor of military history at Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia.