BRANDON, Fla. — We’re about to introduce you to a remarkable teacher at Mintz Elementary School in Brandon but here’s the twist: She isn’t your typical educator.
She’s one of two teachers in Hillsborough County who’ve been hired through Florida’s groundbreaking program that allows military members to teach without a bachelor’s degree.
Leitha Hazelwood’s journey is a testament to courage, resilience, and the power of education. Providing her students with some lessons they won't find in any textbook.
"The kids, I love the kids. I am kind of a nurturer by habit so it’s like my family, every year we call each other our family," the trailblazer said.
The Air Force vet says she skyrocketed through Florida’s Military Veteran’s Certification Pathway Program, which helps our troops make an easier transition to a teaching career.
“It’s a great program, it really helped me a lot,” Hazelwood said.
But Leitha says her journey isn't just about credentials; it's about heart and perseverance.
“Teaching first graders is very similar to working with people in the military,” she said.
Now Leitha’s traded her flight suit for a different mission and that’s shaping young minds.
“Do or do not, there is no try," she said. "Same way in the military, you got something someone gives you to do, and you got to get it done.”
Her classroom isn't a battlefield, but she says it's where she fights for knowledge, compassion, and growth.
“And if you bubble wrap them where they never make a mistake when they do make a mistake it's going to be more devastating, but if you let them make mistakes now they’ll realize its not the end of the world,” Hazelwood said.
And she says her little platoon enjoys learning and conquering those challenges together.
“All the organized chaos that happens in here, we all get the job done though,” she said.
And while she admits teaching first grade might be her toughest assignment, she’s acing the test with flying colors.
“I finally found my place, I found my home. I love teaching,” Hazelwood said.
With a significant teacher shortage in Hillsborough County, about 500 teachers, she urges other veterans to take advantage of the veteran’s pathway program and maybe find a new passion in life.