Feeling profoundly humbled yet grateful, seeing what the U.S. really looked like from another country gave former marine Lance Ritter a bigger perspective of what the world was like.
He didn’t come to the realization that made him reflect on how lucky he was to live in America until he visited other countries while in the marines.
After retiring from several combat tours, Ritter had a change of heart and shifted his love for servicing his country to his physics studies.
“I wanted to be a part of something that was bigger than myself,” Ritter said.
Longtime Marine Corp and current SHS student teacher Ritter has left the military in pursuit of his physics degree, hoping to gain a career in education.
Initially, Ritter joined the military because he simply wasn’t ready for college yet, a decision that stayed with him for 17 years.
During his time in the marines, Ritter faced difficult times. But at the end of the day, he pushed through because it meant doing it for the people on his left and right.
But when the most recent reenlistment date came around, he knew he was coming up on his last moments in the military.
Ritter wanted something that made himself better, so he left the marines in order to attend IUPUI, now IU Indianapolis.
And even though he gained a new passion for physics, the military will always be in the back of his mind.
“There were good times and there were bad times, but camaraderie made it all worth it,” Ritter said.
Ritter’s grown to shift his enthusiasm from fighting for his country in perspective to educating young minds.
It was quite easy for him to adjust to a new environment because he was so eager to learn about the subject that brought him so much joy.
“There’s something satisfying about seeing something happen and knowing why it happens,” Ritter said.
This led him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in physics and become an educator.
Ritter holds this subject so dear to his heart because it’s fulfilling to him to be able to help create more well-rounded humans after educating students of physics.
“I just enjoy helping others because that’s the only way society’s going to get better,” Ritter said.
For the required student teaching portion of the Master’s program he’s currently enrolled in, Ritter let the head of department know he’d like to teach anywhere south of Indianapolis, which is closest to his home.
After careful consideration, he’s now at SHS in physics teacher Stacey Matlock’s classroom.
He provides reliable assistance for the students and decreases Matlock’s workload as a whole.
Ritter runs errands for her, prints copies of worksheets or helps students in the classroom. He’s there in aid of Matlock.
“It’s really nice to have him,” Matlock said. “So I can lean on him and know that the students are still getting the education even when I’m not in the classroom.”
For Ritter, getting the experience is what’s most important about this new opportunity.
Engaging with students allows him to push his students to complete their best work, but more importantly create a personal bond with them.
Prior to coming to SHS, Ritter already had a brief understanding of how to teach in front of an audience. However, the smaller world of what teachers go through is a different story.
Currently, he’s learning how to work softwares such as Edpuzzle and Skyward in order to provide for his students.
“Little things like that are helping me prepare for when I get my own class, so I’m not scattering around,” Ritter said.
At the end of his masters program, he hopes to teach physics, or, if that’s not possible, math to high school students in his future.
“We can all chip in and teach each other things that we don’t know,” Ritter said.
