5 Years at War — Go Teach Kids. Why Demobilizing Teachers Is Brilliant and Ridiculous

Picture the ideal school of the future. A veteran with five years of trench pedagogy walks in. He can explain the difference between 120mm and 82mm mortars in a second. He knows how to survive when everything around is “zeroed in.” And now he’s supposed to teach kids basic math. Is the Ministry of Education ready to accept 10,000 such “specialists”? Petition No. 41/011074-26ep, published on October 7, suggests exactly that.

On paper, the idea seems logical: a soldier with a teaching degree who has served five years without AWOL or disciplinary action gets the right to demobilize — provided they go work at a school. No AWOL, no disciplinary action — and you’re a qualified teacher. If you ran from the trenches, you won’t be hired. The requirements for a teacher, as we see, are stricter than for a combat commander.

Now let’s be honest: how many of these 10,000 veterans have PTSD? How many can calmly handle children screaming during recess? How many are ready to explain why 2+2=4 instead of “target destroyed”? The Ministry of Education apparently isn’t asking these questions. It’s just happy someone will fill the vacancies.

The state acted simply: first it took all teachers to the front because “the country is at war.” Now that schools are short-staffed and parents are sounding the alarm, it decided the best way to bring them back is a petition. Not a law, not a reintegration program, not psychological support. A petition. Because some soldier wrote one, and the Cabinet has to consider it. And that, apparently, is the only working mechanism.

There’s something brilliant about it. Five years of continuous service — and you have the right to teach children. No refresher courses, no adaptation. You just come from the trenches into the classroom, and the kids have to listen. If you have PTSD — that’s your problem. The main thing is to fill the position.

But there’s another side. Many teachers genuinely want to return to school. They fought not because they wanted to, but because they were mobilized. They’re exhausted. For them, this petition is a last hope. But will the school be ready to accept them? Will children be ready to learn from a teacher who was recently shooting? Will society be ready to pay a veteran teacher the same salary as a regular teacher? Questions without answers.

The funniest part is the requirements. Five years without disciplinary action. So if you never argued with your commander, never refused an inhumane task, never ran away — you’re fit to teach children. But if you’re a normal human who sometimes makes mistakes — keep fighting. Wonderful logic.

Finally, the petition appeared on October 7, and by October 8–9 there was a wave of coverage. Demobilization is the most painful issue for soldiers who have been fighting for three or four consecutive years. And instead of passing a demobilization law, the state waits for someone to write a petition. Then, maybe, it will do something. Or maybe not.

So we have a brilliant plan: fight for five years, then go teach kids. No adaptation, no psychological help, no salary increase. Straight from the trench to the classroom. And this is called “solving the teacher shortage.” Funny? Yes. But if you’re a teacher who has been at war for five years, you’re probably not laughing.