Michael Rauer has traveled the world through a career in the U.S. Army. Now, he brings these stories to the classroom as a social studies teacher at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria.
Rauer gained his love of history from his parents, who met in Europe during World War II. His parents’ service inspired Rauer to join the armed forces after college. He began his 21-year Army career in 1972.
While he was in the Army, Rauer met his wife Ginny, who was a nurse in the Army. If the general “wanted you to have a spouse, they would issue one to you,” Rauer joked. “So we joke that I was issued to her, and she was issued to me.”
Rauer’s Army career helped him grow in the faith. He fostered a devotion to St. Michael the Archangel and carried a St. Michael medal on his dog tags. During their 11-year stay in Europe, the Rauers visited every Marian shrine and church they could find.
During his final duty assignment at the Pentagon, Rauer discovered that he could put his background in social studies education to use and become certified as a civilian high school teacher. After his certification, Rauer retired from the Army in 1993 as a Lieutenant Colonel. He began substitute teaching for Bishop Ireton the next summer.
Some 27 years later, Rauer uses his Army experience and European travels to engage students in social studies. For example, when he teaches students about WWI and WWII, Rauer describes his travels to the same battle sites covered in textbooks.
Rauer enjoys incorporating the faith into his teaching. Each class begins with the St. Michael Prayer, and Rauer presents a saint of the day. Rauer also incorporates stories of the saints into his lectures on world history, such as St. Helena’s discovery of the cross and other relics. Rauer also uses his travels to European churches as examples of how church architecture spread across Europe.
To mix things up, Rauer takes his students outside the classroom for hands-on assignments, projects and field trips. His art interpretation lessons require students to visit a painting at the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art in Washington, take notes on the painting and write a paper on their findings. In his military artillery class, Rauer teaches his students ROTC skills, such as reading a map, working a compass and using a P-38 military can opener.
Rauer’s field trips fully immerse students in their studies. During a recent trip to the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, his 17 students examined and even climbed inside a restored B-17 bomber used in WWII. For his military artillery class, Rauer took his students to Fort Hunt park, where they practiced prospecting and mapping in teams.
Rauer even engages the other faculty in his lessons. During an exercise in military counseling, his students simulated a counseling session with a faculty member, who pretended to be a problematic soldier.
Nearly three decades into his teaching career, Rauer hopes to inspire new generations of Bishop Ireton students to spread their faith with the world.
“The kids energize me; I really enjoy them,” Rauer said. “Teaching the children of our future, of our country,” gives him hope for the country’s next generation of leaders, he said.
Harvey can be reached at [email protected].
