Up Close: Charlie Toth

By Jeff Koslofsky

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

During his 40 years as an educator, Charlie Toth, 64, of Ashburn, has taught children all over the world. He teaches children of military service members and Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees -- children who would otherwise not have a proper education.

Toth, a 1966 graduate of West Virginia University, was recently named principal deputy director and associate director for education with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). He and his wife, Larissa, have been married for over 31 years. They have five daughters and three grandsons.

In this e-mail interview, Toth discusses his unique position with the DoDEA, the experiences his work has brought him, and how he ended up living in Loudoun County.

Q: You recently became the principal deputy director and associate director for education with the Department of Defense Education Activity. Tell us about your responsibilities in this new position and about the primary role of the Education Activity?

A: DoDEA's mission is "To provide an exemplary education that inspires and prepares all DoDEA students for success in a dynamic, global environment." DoDEA's schools serve the children of military service members and Department of Defense civilian employees throughout the world. DoDEA operates 192 schools in 14 districts located in 12 foreign countries, seven states in the United States, as well as schools in the Azores, Puerto Rico, Bahrain, Cuba, and Guam. The DoDEA instructional program provides a comprehensive pre-kindergarten through 12th grade curriculum that is competitive with that of any school system in the United States. DoDEA maintains a high school graduation rate of approximately 99 percent and all schools within DoDEA are fully accredited by the NCA-CASI-AdvancED accreditation agency. Approximately 8,700 educators are among the 13,000 DoDEA employees who serve and support more than 84,000 DoDEA students and their military families overseas and in the continental United States and its territories.

Photo courtesy of Charlie Toth

Charlie Toth of Ashburn was recently named principal deputy director and associate director for education with the Department of Defense Education Activity. He as taught children of military service members and Department of Defense employees around the world for 40 years.

Q: In your career, you have had an opportunity to live overseas and to travel extensively. What has been your favorite overseas experience?

A: Having lived overseas for 28 years in the various locales of Germany, England and Korea and having traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia, my family and I have found uniqueness, opportunity, adventure, and excitement in every environment. Wherever we have lived, we have immersed ourselves into the culture, traditions, and customs of the local community and have benefitted tremendously from the opportunity to live and work in such ethnically and culturally diverse environments. From a personal perspective, living and working in Germany was an awesome experience. The uniqueness of each area of Germany can be found in the culture, customs, dress, traditions, and foods of that specific area and having the opportunity to live and experience this uniqueness in northern, western, central, and southern Germany has truly been a very rewarding opportunity for me and for my family.

Q: In your travels, what have you been able to learn about education from a global perspective? What could American educators learn from the way other countries educate their children?

A: I have learned that there are many things educators around the world can and do learn from each other simply by discussing and sharing personal teaching and learning experiences. From instructional strategies to classroom management, grading policies and lesson planning, there are many unique and successful approaches to educating children that are being employed around the world. The more proficient educators become versed in quality teaching strategies, the more successful they are in reaching all students. When teachers have the opportunity to share their experiences with others, it is always very personally and professionally rewarding.

DoDEA schools participate in an extensive host nation program that not only exposes American students living abroad to the customs, language, culture, dress, and traditions of their host nation but also allows personal and professional discourse among educators on teaching philosophy, teaching styles, teaching strategies, best practices, etc. DoDEA students truly do develop a global perspective of the world they live in because they have accompanied their parent to a duty assignment in a foreign environment. I have participated in many international educational conferences and symposiums overseas, and I am amazed at the impact American educators have on their counterparts' instructional skills and strategies in the international school and the host nation teaching communities. I am a staunch advocate for the American educational system and I firmly believe that what we, as a nation, provide for ALL our students educationally, is not replicated by any other country. I think educators around the globe truly identify with the encompassing 'ALL' of American education because learning opportunities for ALL students is not the norm in many, many, many nations.

Q: Tell us about your most memorable experience as a teacher with the DoDEA.

A: I have had many memorable moments as a teacher with DoDEA, and I have seen many significant changes to DoDEA operations over the years much to the benefit of our students and much to the quality of life benefits to our service members. Currently I am engaged in developing a comprehensive virtual school program for DoDEA that will be of great benefit to our students in support of the transitional and multiple deployment issues military children are facing today. DoDEA is expected to initiate student access to a fully accredited grade 9 through grade 12 virtual school program for DoDEA students by August 2010. This is a very challenging, yet very exciting venture for our agency.

Q: When you were making the decision to become a teacher, how did you learn about the possibility of teaching for children of military service members?

A: I initially heard about DoD schools and teaching opportunities on overseas military installations from my brother who was stationed at Sembach Air Base, Germany, at the time. A few years later my wife accepted a position teaching German at Osterholz High School, and I accompanied her to that assignment. I was eventually employed to teach at the school as well.

Q: From your experience, how easy (or difficult) do you think it is for the children of soldiers to adjust to their new environments in other countries?

A: Military children are very adaptable to new and strange environments. In my experience American students totally embrace the opportunity to maximize the experiences offered to them by living overseas. I would encourage anyone to visit alumni Web sites for overseas schools and read the personal testimony of students who have attended and/or graduated from DoD schools overseas and read how special their experiences were as they matured from childhood to adulthood, while living and learning at an American school in a foreign country. Time and space prevent me from sharing the unique similarities and differences students experience being educated in a DoDEA school. There is truly a sense of family, community, and common purpose found in a military community that truly gives it a small town atmosphere that is difficult to replicate in today's complex and demanding world.

Q: What do you think about the term "military brats"?

A: "Military brats" is a term of endearment used by anyone who has spent time growing up on a military installation. There are many, many prominent Americans who have grown up associated with the United States military and have lived and gone to school on military installations around the world who are very fond of this term, wear it quite proudly, and use it quite often to share their youthful experiences.

Q: Tell us why you decided to make Ashburn your home here in the States.

A:My wife and I became acquainted with the area surrounding Leesburg and Loudoun County well before the economic boom that has occurred in this area in the past 20 years and truly loved the suburban environment the area provides. Living in Ashburn places us in close proximity to our home and family in Morgantown, W. Va., our work places, as well as provides us the opportunity to do the kinds of activities we both enjoy doing.

Q: What do you miss about Loudoun when you travel for work?

A: The scenic countryside of the counties surrounding Loudoun that provides a relaxing atmosphere that cannot be found in the hustle and bustle of everyday urban life.

Q: Share with us one thing about yourself that your friends and coworkers might not know.

A: After working in the close environment of the same organization for over 30 years, I doubt if there is much about me or my life that folks don't already know.

Tagged: Ashburn, education, military, Up Close

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