In addition to his career as Choir Director, Mr. Ben Silvermintz is also a Captain in the United States Army Reserve. Starting in July of 2013, Silvermintz will take leave from teaching for his deployment to Afghanistan.
Silvermintz was deployed to a base in East Central Afghanistan in (2008-2009/2009-2010?), and will be deployed again to another area of Afghanistan from July 2013 to July 2014, roughly. Silvermintz expects that about ten months of this time will actually be what the Army calls “boots on the ground” time.
“You really never know until you get on a plane, but you still really know. I’ve known all this school year,” Silvermintz said.
Though Silvermintz has known for the school year, he did not announce the news to his students until March.
“I was so shocked I just stood there for about a minute in silence,” junior Lizzy Langa said. “And then I cried like all day. I think it was something we all knew could happen, like there was always the possibility, but I was still so surprised. “
Silvermintz enlisted in the Army in the fall of 2004, was involved in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at the University of Texas, and began basic training for the Army in summer of 2005.
“I think it was a significantly different world context than the one we’re living in today,” Silvermintz said. “In the fall of 2001, I was a senior in highschool when September 11th happened . . . More pressing at the time was that we just invaded Iraq in the fall of 2003.”
According to Silvermintz, the Army’s numbers were dwindling during the time of his enlistment.
“In poorer communities and kind of socio economically challenged communities, people were using the military as a chance to kind of escape, which is a great thing to do,” Silvermintz said. “But it seemed to me as if we were going to fight a war really on the backs of people who really didn’t have anything and did not grow up in Chester-world, like I did. So to me, it seemed like, not to be kind of cheesy or corny about it, but it seemed like the right thing to do.”
This sense of patriotism was not the only influence on Silvermintz’s decision to enlist, though.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also interested in something a little different than kind of the day-to-day college student life that I was living, which was quite fun, but I felt I needed a little more meaning at the time,” Silvermintz said.
Silvermintz chose to find this meaning through the Army, but also pursued his teaching career. He worked as a choir director at the Alamo Heights Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas before beginning his work at Parkway Central, his alma mater, in 2008.
“Sometimes I joke that it’s like I’m never really sure who’s more surprised by who what my other career is, my students or my soldiers,” Silvermintz said. “A couple of my soldiers were up here dropping something off a couple months ago and they came in and looked around and said ‘Well sir, it’s a good thing you’ve got risers or else nobody’d be able to see you.’ So, you know, some things are universal.”
Jokes about his height aren’t the only similarity between Silvermintz’s two careers. According to Silvermintz, many of the skills used in each respective profession carry over to the other.
“I do think that being organized and being able to manage your time and deadlines and honor commitments, all those things kind of play in to being successful as a teacher,” Silvermintz said. “Being accountable to yourself and being accountable to other people, I can’t stress that enough. Are you someone that’s worth being in the group by your actions? In general I think there are a lot of things that translate from being able to run a classroom efficiently and being able to run a military unit.”
Despite similarities in characteristics necessary for each line of work, there are significant differences as well. These differences range from more obvious aspects, such as the actual type of work involved, to the level of involvement in everyday tasks.
“It’s interesting. I think sometimes people think that I expect like ‘Oh, your soldiers must do exactly what you ask them to do right away, that’s what soldiers do, so it’s probably really frustrating when you’re in class,’” Silvermintz said. “Well that’s not really true, that’s not my job in the army. If I have to tell a soldier to do something, somebody else has failed to do their job. So my job is to make sure my soldiers have everything they need to make sure they can do their job, which I think is somewhat different than what I’m doing in the classroom where I’m serving as the person providing everything to the students and also giving them instruction as well.”
Silvermintz plans to return to his position after his deployment. During his absence, the position will be filled by a full time, one year teacher. The process to determine this teacher is currently underway.
“I would say that I’m leaving at a spot that I would say I’m very comfortable that whoever is doing the job next year will have a great group of students to work with,” Silvermintz said. “To me, that’s the thing. Of course I’m going to miss my wife, and that goes without saying. I’m truly sad to not be here with my current juniors next year. It’s a tremendous class, and I’m disappointed I can’t be with them”
While Silvermintz is comfortable leaving the choir in its current state, the students do not necessarily know what to expect.
“I know a lot of people in the program are weary and concerned about what the program and classes will be like next year,” Langa said. “But I think we have a strong senior class next year, and I expect a lot of seniors will step up and help to hold the program together. We also, luckily, have Mrs. Marsh, the accompanist. And so regardless of the teacher, there will be a teacher who knows about all of our events and such. But it will definitely be different.”
“My biggest hope is always that the students look at it as their responsibility to kind of carry the torch,” Silvermintz said. “It’s their program. I pick the music, I run the class, but having been a student here, you want kids to take ownership in everything they do.”
