Sgt. Andrew Brechko has years of teaching experience under his belt, so when the New York National Guardsmen headed to Afghanistan, it was easy to transition into his new role. Brechko has been hosting seminars aimed at helping Afghan teachers improve their work in the classroom, according to the Army's official website.
So far, the seminars have been a big hit – each time Brechko has held them they have been filled to capacity. He focuses on teaching the educators techniques and strategies they can use in their classrooms and leaves curriculum specifics out of it. Brechko feels he is playing a diplomatic role, however small, between the two countries.
"During the seminars I never make reference to curriculum, nor do I try to place the U.S. education model on the Afghan one," Brechko told the website. "It's actually a good opportunity to establish a bond between Afghanistan and the United States. It kind of takes away the uniform and gives them a commonality between the two."
Schools are not the only place where American troops have been instructing Afghans. U.S. troops have also been training Afghan soldiers to take over security of their country. Recently, Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai said his country's forces may be ready to take the reins sooner than expected, according to The Associated Press.