Inside a classroom nestled in the D2200s hallway, questions fly and Starbursts are thrown as a new Advanced Placement (AP) World History teacher commands the room. For Mr. Michael Allison, the setting has changed but the mission of service continues. After a long career working on and off the battlefield, Mr. Allison guides the classroom, his experience on the front lines of national security reading like a textbook itself. 

Mr. Allison’s resume reads like a spy novel: 20 years in the military and 15 years as a federal civilian. Starting off as an infantry officer in the military, Mr. Allison continued to move up in rank until he was introduced to the Foreign Area Officer Program. 

“They teach you a language, they give you an advanced degree, and you travel the entire region,” Mr. Allison said. “I was [in the] Middle East, and those feel like skills. You’re learning something [and] you’re picking up something that differentiates you from other people. That seemed awesome to me.”

His work in this program defined the rest of his career where he advised three-star generals and above — top military leadership — on Middle Eastern affairs. In 2010, after retirement from the army, he spent 10 years in the National Intelligence Council, eventually working as an intelligence director for Army Futures Command in Austin. 

“There’s thousands of stories I could tell,” Mr. Allison said.  “I was in the military from 1990 to 2010, so you might guess I was deployed many times. Then, serving at the national level, I’ve done everything from bilateral visits with foreign countries to briefing the president of the United States.”

Mr. Allison’s unconventional route to Westwood began with the completion of a rigorous accelerated program. Starting in May, Mr. Allison worked on coursework over the summer, including online courses and field observations. Upon meeting certain qualifications, schools began reaching 

“The schools are out there recruiting and trying to find teachers because they have openings,” Mr. Allison said. “When I looked into Westwood, I’m like, ‘this is definitely a different kind of place.’ These are different kinds of students, and it’s a different kind of program. It’s an IB (International Baccalaureate) school, so I jumped at the chance.”

Prior to joining the Westwood faculty, Mr. Allison worked as an adjunct professor at George Washington University for seven years, discovering his interest in teaching. Finding fulfillment in the newfound path, he decided to switch to public education, furthering his passion of giving back to the community. 

“I had retired from federal service intentionally to become a public educator,” Mr. Allison said. “I’d always thought about doing it. I always wanted to do it, and all of the variables in my life lined up so that I could do that.”

Since the beginning of his career, Mr. Allison has been serving the public. Although he retired from the intelligence community, Mr. Allison continues to pursue this mission by teaching high school students. 

“If you’re older, like me, and you’ve got all these experiences, you feel like you’re still serving your community,” Mr. Allison said. “Maybe you’re helping people along. That’s really important to me. If I’m not serving, I’m not going to be happy.”

Mr. Allison’s real-world experiences with global politics and conflicts can be valuable to teaching the global trends and topics that appear in AP World History, such as providing insight into his time working on the battlefield during the Iraq War. 

“I [was] a young major [assigned to] give a brief to the chief of staff of the army on Iraq,” Mr. Allison said. “I said, ‘Sir, I’m Major Mike Allison, and I’m here to brief you on Iraq.’ He just laughs and pushes his head back. He goes, ‘Son, I’ve forgotten more about Iraq than you could ever hope to know.’ I [was] stunned, and I just froze. The civilian sitting next to me takes his notebook, slams it shut and [says], ‘Well, general, have a nice war.’ [Then] he gets up and walks out of the four-star general’s office, so I get up and I don’t know what’s going to happen to us.” 

This tense moment happened early in Mr. Allison’s line of work, and became a career-defining lesson that stuck with him throughout his time in the military. 

“That is the hubris and the arrogance of people that don’t want to listen,” Mr. Allison said. “No matter how hard you work, that’s going to happen. Don’t take yourself too seriously, but as soon as that happens, get right back up and do your best again.”

Experiences from his time in the army, where history unfolded in real time, reinforced Mr. Allison’s appreciation for the lessons of the past.  

“I’m a history nut,” Mr. Allison said. “I’ve always loved history, and if I’ve got free time and I’m going to read something, nine times out of 10, it’s about history.”

The biggest piece of advice Mr. Allison has for his students is the importance of authenticity and being true to yourself. 

“It’s very hard for a young person, especially here, where they’re very competitive and they’re trying to prove themselves,” Mr. Allison said. “You can violate [your morals], and so try not to do that is what I would caution everybody. The rest will take care of itself.”

Mr. Allison has set various short-term and long-term goals for his first year at Westwood, including making a difference on the social studies team and becoming a certified teacher.

“I would love to be able to do it for five or more years,” Mr. Allison said. “If I’m walking down the hall next year and I’m lucky enough to be here next year, and a student says ‘Hi, Mr. Allison,’ that’s a win.”

This story was originally published on Westwood Horizon on September 23, 2025.