Maybe they were taking classes during that time. Maybe they have real world skills they could use, (LOTC, JROTC, technical aspects of their military job, etc.). With only 2 years of service they can't get out anyway. Plus they still have to pass the content portion so maybe it's modeled after the way Texas is going after the CTE folks. I'd rather have a former welder teaching welding than someone who studied welding for a 3 credit class in college and then gets to teach it because they also took Ed Psych and a few SPED classes....

The teaching degree isn't the end all be all. If it was we wouldn't have bad teachers in the classroom. It isn't insulting if your skin is a little thicker. If I want to learn how to fix things around my house I watch/ask the folks in the trades. If I want to learn how to invest I learn from folks in that industry. If I want to learn how to play an instrument I learn from a musician, (yes, we band directors are teachers but we are probably musicians first).