Teaching MHCC veterans

Michele Hampton, MHCC writing instructor, has taught the veteran classes both years they have been offered.

When she thinks about the group of veterans she had last year and the 18 vets she has in her Writing 121 class this term, she said their closeness stands out.

“They have a sense of unity some classes may take longer to develop or may never develop,” said Hampton.

“When they first come in the classroom, they all are (very) much insulated and don’t immediately reach out to each other, but that changes pretty quickly. There’s a lot of camaraderie.”

Hampton came to MHCC in 2001; she received her phone call to schedule her job interview on Sept. 11.

During her early days here, she said, “I remember being in the classroom and all these young kids being pulled out… they were called into service. Then I would see them come home… and either they were injured or emotionally had a lot of things to deal with.”

Hampton said she was moved to volunteer to lead the vet cohort classes.

“I just feel like it’s the least I could do. When I see this whole process of (students) going to war… at least through writing, I can help them get their emotions out,” she said.

Hampton’s class is not focused on military issues, but simply the same general content of any Writing 121 class.

She tried connecting her class to military related topics last year, but found that her students wanted another subject matter.

She has noticed that veterans tend to be very concise in their writing and range into diverse subject matter, same as most other students.

“I’ve witnessed a lot of personal growth in the vets’ essays and know that their ability to connect with other vets in the class has helped them integrate back into civilian life,” Hampton said.

“I like that they can share their military stories with students who understand where they’ve been and what they’ve seen,” she said.

Hampton said she admires her distinctive group.

“I think we need to respect the life and world experience they have at such a young age. I’m always amazed at what they’ve seen and done and how young they are.”

Advocate Staff