Air Force Capt. Tammie Li Langley logged hundreds of hours guiding massive refueling aircrafts through the skies of Europe, the United States and over war-ravaged sections of the Middle East. She served the United States during the first stages of the Afghanistan conflict and she traveled the globe teaching young pilots and navigators the basics of aviation. Today, though, the unflappable veteran faces what may be her toughest assignment yet – the sixth grade.
“Right now, I’m just trying to survive end-of-year testing,” says Langley, who teaches math and science at Kannapolis Intermediate School, 25-miles north of Charlotte, N.C. “But, I love it. I teach some of the best kids in the world.”
A natural born teacher, Langley, 36, enrolled in the federal government’s Troops to Teachers program, following nine years of service in the U.S. Air Force. The program helps former soldiers earn their teacher's license by offering financial assistance of $5,000 or $10,000 in exchange for a three-year commitment to teach.
“It’s a fantastic program,” Langley says. “I really think it takes a lot of the stress off of getting your teaching license.”
Langley arrived at Kannapolis in 2008 and quickly endeared herself to co-workers, students and parents. Because of her military background, she says, parents and co-workers tend to be more at ease around her and confident in her teaching abilities. The kids also get a kick out of hearing about her past endeavors – even if it punctures a hole in a few preconceived notions.
“I think at first the kids are a little surprised when they learn about it (her military service),” Langley says with a smile. “They expect what they see on TV, big guys in the Army, not their goofy teacher.”
After completion of the Troops to Teachers program, Langley made the conscious choice to teach at what was considered an undesirable school. It didn’t take long for her to realize though, that perception is not necessarily reality.
“A lot of people tend to miss out on the lower Title 1 schools, because they tend to be stereotypically less desirable,” she says. “But the kids don’t know what socioeconomic class they’re in. They don’t know how much money their parents make. It’s really a shame.”
Never one to travel the beaten path, Tammie chose to enter the Air Force in 1996 after earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in criminal justice. The daughter of an Air Force veteran, Tammie’s seemingly natural attraction to adventure led her to train to become a navigator, where she was primarily responsible for planning, coordinating and carrying out flight plans.
“Basically, I did what the GPS does in your car,” Langley says. “And, I tell the pilot how fast or slow to go.”
After serving three years in the cockpit, Langley shifted her focus from the thrills of flying mid-air refueling missions to the relatively serene task of teaching 22-year-olds how to handle mammoth hundred million dollar flying machines. Except for a brief tour through Afghanistan in 2002, Langley finished out her service as an aviation instructor at the Naval Aviation Schools Command, eventually separating from the military in 2005.
Although her life these days isn’t quite as action-packed, she says, it still brings her plenty of joy.
“I always enter every job with the thought that I’ll do it as long as it makes me happy,” she says. “And I’m very happy.”
Langley is a current client of First Command Financial Services, Inc.