A Navy veteran is using her training in a new way. Instead of ships and radar screens, she is focused on fractions and eighth graders at Miami Norland Middle School in Miami Gardens.

From combat to classroom service

Chastaine Starke spent six years in the Navy as an operations specialist. She also served in combat. At 5-foot-1, she is often mistaken for a student in the hallway. That works to her advantage. It keeps students on their toes and makes her classroom feel approachable.

"Sometimes they don't even see me walking," Starke said with a laugh. "When they're running I say, hey, slow down. They turn around and say, I didn't see you there."

Teacher accelerator program opens doors

Starke is in her first-year teaching at Norland. She got there through Achieve Miami's Teacher Accelera

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