November 9-13 is the National Association of School Psychologists annual School Psychology Awareness week. The theme this year is Connect the Dots and Thrive. To kick off the week, we at Families on the Home Front feel it is important for parents and educators to understand the role of the school psychologist as it pertains to military-connected students. Becky Harris, NCSP and Managing Partner at Families on the Home Front, shares her perspective on the role a school psychologist plays in a … [Read more...]
ParentCamp USA: Through My (Mom of 2 Military-Connected Kids) Lens
When I received an email about ParentCampUSA from my Managing Partner with the subject line “GO TO THIS,” I RSVP’d immediately. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to go to a camp for parents at the Department of Education? As I read more about the objective for ParentCampUSA, I realized I could not pass up the opportunity to go to a conference dedicated to helping me become more engaged in my children’s education. Really? Someone out there besides me thinks I should be engaged with the system that is … [Read more...]
Nurture These Character Traits In Your Child To Prevent Bullying
A parent can play an important role in preventing bullying by nurturing character traits in their child. A child of character who exhibits moral character, behavior which influence one’s conduct regarding their treatment of other people, demonstrates respect, empathy, fairness, generosity, tolerance, kindness, and integrity toward other people. Remember, on your parenting journey what you say and do matter immensely, and you play a significant role in your child’s character … [Read more...]
4 Ways Parents Can Prevent Bullying
As a school psychologist, Bully Prevention wasn’t relegated to a month of awareness. It was a topic we addressed all year long. As a professional it was a frustrating topic because although we could implement effective school wide strategies it always felt we were a few steps behind intervening. As a parent it is heart breaking reading the stories from victims of bullying. That being said since MY children weren’t bullies, and MY children weren’t victims I haven’t thought much about the topic … [Read more...]
Top 8 Tips for Parent-Teacher Conferences
The first quarter of school is quickly coming to an end and with that will be Parent-Teacher Conferences. At my kids’ middle school, they have something called “Touching Bases.” It's a three-hour block of time where all the teachers gather in a giant room, and all the parents run from teacher to teacher getting their “conference” about their child. I have two kids with six teachers each; that’s 12 teachers I will meet with. I have no idea what to expect. It sounds like speed dating; it sounds … [Read more...]
9 Schools by the 7th Grade…Why Didn’t Someone Tell Me?
Why didn’t you tell me my son would attend nine schools by the time he reached the seventh grade? The other day I was late to an event because I started obsessing over these numbers. We will be moving this summer, so I wanted the answer to the common question, “Which number move is this for your family?” It will be my eighth move as a military spouse, my 12-year-old’s seventh move and my 10-year old's sixth move. Then I thought about the number of schools my children have attended. It … [Read more...]
Importance of a Battle Buddy
When my husband deployed I had a close friend who’s husband was also living away from their family because of his assignment. We did a lot together that year just for fun and also for survival. It made the time as a temporary single parent easier to manage with a friend who was going through something similar. In the military spouse community when a military service member deploys, the spouses left at home are encouraged to find a “battle buddy” - someone they can trust, confide in, and rely on … [Read more...]
Military Kids’ Life Magazine: Useful Strategies For Challenging Situations
Transitioning to middle school can be a tough change for many kids. Recently, a 7th grader came home from her first day of school and told her father she did not want to go back to school and wanted to be home schooled. Her description of her first day of middle school was somewhere between Alexander and the No Good Very Bad Day, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. You would think she was auditioning for a movie the way she threw herself on the couch listing ALL the things that went wrong. A week into … [Read more...]
Tell Your Child’s Education Story: Teacher Communication
Telling your child’s education story within the first few weeks of school is critical. A parent recently contacted me looking for advice on how to introduce her child to his new teacher. The child will be new to the school, has some “unique” needs and his parents would like to speak with his teacher early in the school year, if not before the first day of school. Many parents find themselves in this tricky situation at the beginning of each school year. A child is a parent’s primary … [Read more...]
Our Back-to-School Advice: Throw a Party!
As a military family, we have moved eight times in 15 years. For me, that means eight sets of new communities, neighborhoods, and friends. Experience has taught me that the neighbors and new people I meet are very welcoming and helpful when we first arrive, but it can be challenging to keep that momentum going long enough to establish a friendship. I have found one of the best ways for me to establish friendships with new people is to throw a party within the first month or two I am in a new … [Read more...]
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