Educators face many challenges that are unique to their profession, no matter what subject is their area of expertise. In addition to possessing a wealth of knowledge and at least some level of mastery in their field, teachers are tasked with engaging students and making lessons digestible and stimulating. There are many difficult aspects of teaching that apply to every area of study, but educators also contend with the challenges that are unique to their specific subject. A math teacher must find creative ways to hook the attention of their more right-brained pupils who struggle with rigid principles and orderly equations, but an art teacher might feel unable to get a math wiz to wield a paintbrush.

Like any kind of educator, history teachers have a tough job; however, teaching history is often complicated by the inaccessibility of its source material. The principles of mathematics are the same no matter what kind of paper they're written on, and a chemistry student can see the results of a lab experiment in real time. But someone who is teaching a course about the ancient Romans can't just bring a legionnaire to school for the day. No textbook can ever give students a true look at the periods of history that have no living evidence to give a testimony, making the few opportunities to meet the people who lived through their lesson of the day a rare and priceless occasion.

Throughout the year, Chapter 1008 of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) sends a group of veterans to local schools to give students an opportunity to learn about the Vietnam War from the people who saw it with their own eyes. In December, a panel of VVA members visited Donegal High School and Garden Spot High School, and the organization has additional presentations scheduled for Columbia High School and Solanco High School in the spring. Chapter 1008 members visited Lampeter-Strasburg High School on Jan. 3 to give an educational presentation and to answer students' questions about the Vietnam War.

"We're not there to teach a history lesson," said John Hoober, VVA's education chair and organizer of the school visits. "We want them to know what things were really like, which you don't get from a textbook."

The visiting veterans started the presentation by providing background information and historical context about the Vietnam War and the events that led to one of the most brutal conflicts in American history. The introduction included statistics about the combatants and casualties of the war, as well as a discussion about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. After providing some historical details about the war, the panel of veterans answered questions from the students and held a group discussion.

Hoober, who primarily handled logistics and supply mission during the war, said he typically tries to include a few veterans on the panel who saw combat in Vietnam.

"The kids always like to know about things like what you eat while you're over there, what kind of weapons you used and the type of wildlife you encountered in Vietnam," said Adam Titter, a social studies teacher at Lampeter-Strasburg High School. "They ask about the kind of training soldiers had, what the weather was like and the transition back to civilian life when they returned home."

Titter said that many students typically ask the veterans questions about specific topics they have been discussing in class. In the past, students have asked the panel how they feel about the Kent State shootings after learning about the tragic protest in a lesson. The question-and answer session also served as an opportunity for the teenagers to confirm or disprove notions about the Vietnam War found in video games and movies, such as the treatment of soldiers who returned from active duty. While some veterans share experiences that involved a hostile reception and being villainized by anti-war activists, others received a warm welcome when they returned to communities such as Lancaster that they were forced to leave due to the nationwide draft. "It blows up some of those stereotypes the students might hear, or it might legitimize them," Titter said.

After the Q&A portion of the class period, students were invited to browse a collection of artifacts brought in by the veterans, such as old pictures, military commendations and pieces of equipment used by soldiers during the war. "This is in no way fictional; it's stuff we all went through," said Hoober. "Our chapter is blessed to have members who want to share their stories, allowing us to send at least four panelists to every school."

"The most valuable thing - more than a video or anything else we can show them - is for students to hear a first-person account," said Titter. "They can watch a video about how the enemy was hard to identify because of the Viet Cong's strategy of blending in with the population, but they don't understand it until they hear the veterans' actual experience."