'Tis the season! Your child has a few weeks of school under his belt, and it's time for an in-person progress report. The parent-teacher conference! As much as your child's teacher would love to spend hours discussing your child's talents and needs with you...there just isn't time. So you must make the most of the limited time you have. Be prepared and do your research ahead of time. We've rounded up a few of our favorite articles outlining the best questions to ask during your … [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...]
Questions and Patterns: Making Important Connections With Children Who Feel Disconnected
A simple activity in the classroom and a clever teacher could make the difference this year to your military-connected student. What makes a great teacher? A teacher who can inspire and protect all while writing on a smart board. I’m referring to those teachers who are looking out for the new kids, the shy child and the little ones who feel like they are different - all while teaching mountains of curriculum. As a military family, we have little choice but to trust a new school every few … [Read more...]
Look For The New Kid
“Look for the new kid.” That’s the advice from a mom of five amazing military-connected kids. Sharon Smith tells all of her boys, who range from 6 - 14 years of age, to look for the new kid at school. She wants her boys to seek out fellow students who are new and not quite comfortable within the school halls. Being a military family, Smith kids understand what it’s like to be the new kid at school. She wants them to develop and strengthen their empathy towards others by finding someone … [Read more...]
Goodbye Summer
Best four words in your mom vocabulary: First Day Of School. I’ve had this day marked on my calendar since the last day of school. It’s been a wonderful, adventurous, lazy and looooooonnnngg summer. There were days only wine and hope helped me through the day. I’m a creature of routine and schedules. It’s the only way I function. I’m a mother of two military kids who experienced their first full summer at our new location. With everything still new to us, there was a boatload to explore, … [Read more...]
Take Command: Create Your Own Command Center for Back to School
And so it begins. A trail of chaos follows my children the minute they enter the house after school. Backpacks randomly dropped in the hallways, a shoe in the living room, the missing pair in the kitchen, jackets lying on the floor giving clues to where I can find my children. Soccer. Scouts. Ballet. STEM Club. Parties. Open House. Doctor appointments. All of these words are written on Post-It Notes decorating my computer screen. Each one is a calendar item that will defy laws of … [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...]
The Forgotten Years: Education and the Military-Connected Child
10 ways teachers can support military- connected students during the forgotten years of grades 6th - 10th It is that time of year again. Teachers everywhere are reviewing curriculum, decorating classrooms, buying supplies, and reviewing class charts. Many schools and classrooms have already started, waiting to find their grove. We recognize most of the names in our class, but there are the few names we don’t recognize – the new kids. In elementary school, these are the kids who need a … [Read more...]
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