As vaccinations roll out, health experts still urge families to stay the course and remain vigilant about COVID safety measures. After nearly a year of disrupted learning, research shows students are affected socially and emotionally as well as academically. For some military-connected students, all this upheaval comes on top of a move or deployment. Not much about this year has been easy. Connections—to friends, family, and feelings—can make the difference for students in the home stretch of the pandemic. The good news is that keeping kids connected doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as going back to basics.

Go Outside and Play

With so much of life happening via computer screen, it’s easy to get stuck inside all day. For healthy breaks, encourage kids to spend a few minutes outdoors each day—with a friend or a sibling, if possible. The combination of fresh air, a change of scenery, a little exercise and companionship—as simple as that sounds—can lift low spirits and break through boredom.

Pull out the warm coats and mittens if necessary. Amy Bushatz, army spouse and coauthor of Stories Around the Table: Laughter, Wisdom, and Strength in Military Life, made a commitment in 2017 to spend at least twenty minutes outside every day, no matter what—and she lives in Alaska.

“It’s never been more important to spend time outside,” says Amy who blogs and podcasts at Humans Outside. “It doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to happen.”

When possible, take indoor activities outdoors. To help her daughter make friends after a pandemic-season move, Air Force spouse Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman, coauthor of  Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers, created a backyard book club. Stacy wrote discussion questions to help break the ice. The girls read and discussed a book while socially distancing on the back patio.

Turn off the TV

The pandemic has offered families more time together, but it’s easy to slip into too much screen time. With everyone doing work and school from home, evenings might turn into extended work time, further isolating family members in the same house. Make a commitment to turn off screens, even the television, before dinner a few nights a week to talk or play a game together.

Corie Weathers, army spouse and author of Sacred Spaces: My Journey to the Heart of Military Marriage, experienced deployment in the midst of the pandemic. To connect with her two growing sons, Corie renewed her commitment to spend unplugged time with them. One night, for example, they gathered around the backyard fire pit to roast hotdogs for dinner.

Have a Cookie

Even simple activities have power to connect: baking cookies, sharing a pot of tea, playing cards. It’s not about the game or the cookies but the conversations that happen in those moments. Kids miss being with their friends, but time spent with parents and siblings is better than a substitute. It’s a healthy necessity that strengthens family bonds.

Create connections the old-fashioned way, by writing letters. Students can correspond with grandparents, cousins, or friends from other assignments. Social worker and professor Dr. Carolyn Curtis, writing for Edutopia, suggests connecting students from other states or other schools via epals.com.

Don’t give up on virtual connections either, even if the novelty of playing virtual games has worn thin. Seeing the faces of friends and family still makes a difference, so change it up a little. Dial back the technology and try a real activity together. Share a simple recipe with a friend or a group of friends and make plans to cook together by video. Set up a screen at the kitchen table and have dinner with grandparents or good friends.

Talk About It

When it comes to getting back to basics, connecting with friends and family is key. It’s also important for students to connect with their feelings about the experiences of the past few months, both good and bad. Discussing their feelings will also help them realize how they’ve grown and what they’ve learned. Here are some questions to consider when talking to kids about their experiences:

• What are you most looking forward to that you have missed for the past few months?
• Was there anything you give up during the pandemic that you didn’t miss that much?
• Has this experience changed the way you think or feel about going to school?
• What did you miss about going to school that you didn’t think you would miss?
• What did you learn or discover during the pandemic that you want to remember?

It might also help kids to make a list, write in a journal, or create a vision board for their hopes for the coming year. These questions and activities could provide openings to talk about how they feel, how they’ve changed or grown in this experience.

Playing outside, eating together, talking to each other. It’s pretty back-to-basics stuff, but for a complex problem like getting through a pandemic, the simple things might be the best. Right up there with cookies.

Terri Barnes is a veteran military spouse, journalist, and author of Spouse Calls: Messages From a Military Life. As senior editor for Elva Resa Publishing, Terri was the lead editor of  Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers.

More about supporting students in pandemic circumstances:

• Stormy Season of Leaving: PCSing During the Pandemic
• Online Resources for Learning at Home
• Bringing School Home: Focus on the Possibilities

The post Keep Kids Connected by Going Back to Basics appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

According to the summary report, the Military Kids Now survey, conducted over several months in the spring of 2020, polled more than five thousand respondents—including military-connected students, parents from all branches of service, and an array of education professionals. Questions covered the academic, social, and emotional experiences of military-connected students.

Amanda and Stacy expressed the hope that the data in the survey, by validating and quantifying issues and challenges, will inspire and inform policymakers and organizations who have the power to make a difference. The authors talked about the survey results and answered questions about the needs and experiences of military-connected students.

Tools and Knowledge

Amanda: My hope is that support organizations and schools will look at these types of surveys and use them to train their faculty and their parents. It still surprises me when I speak to school districts and to parents who haven’t heard of the Interstate Compact. They know of the challenges and feel them on a personal level but don’t know their resources to ease the burden. I hope this survey will help the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission, MCEC, Educate the Educator (and other support organizations) create a new platform to build awareness on every level.  These reports and policies should be discussed at every newcomer meeting for a base, at every out-processing before a PCS, and at every TAPs training before leaving the military. They should also be discussed in teacher preparation classes, professional development, and team meetings.

Stacy: Surveys like this one are like buoys, keeping these important issues visible and on the surface, continuing the conversation between parents and schools. With every piece of data curated by survey can bring us closer to real policy changes in the schools. I think the burden has been placed on military parents over the years, because it was our responsibility to take on schools every time we moved. Parents had to be the ones to keep a check on the process, to teach schools how to deal with our children’s transition needs, to plead our kids’ cases. I feel a shift, a change in the winds. I feel schools, once we get past the challenges of the pandemic, will see the value in being proactive versus reactive to the unique challenges of military-connected students.

Differing Perspectives

Amanda: The discrepancies between parents and educators responses about the top needs of students was very significant. For example, students, parents, and teachers differ in what they see as the top social and emotional concerns. Students and parents focused on the need for support and making friends, respectively, as their top two needs. Teachers placed these needs at three and four and listed dealing with parent deployment/reunion as the number one concern. I find this difference important because … a student should be met at their point of need, not what the teacher perceives as their top need. In Seasons of My Military Student, in both Season of Arriving and Season of Growing chapters, we focus on the student’s need to be accepted, the need to fit in, and the need to make friends. When these needs are met, then many of the other needs are also met as secondary benefits. A feeling of belonging meets the social/emotional needs as well as building a platform to help meet academic needs.

I was pleased to see agreement across the board on the top ten academic concerns. Each of the participant groups placed learning gaps as either the number one or two categories of concern. In Seasons of My Military Student, we include gaps in learning alongside the parallel frustration of overlaps in learning. These gaps and overlaps make it difficult for both students and educators, no matter when a student moves to a new school.  Over the years MIC3, MCEC, Educate the Educator, Common Core and various other programs have attempted to minimize the gap/overlap experience, but students and teachers still encounter the challenge on a regular basis.

“Surveys like this one are like buoys, keeping these important issues visible and on the surface, continuing the conversation between parents and schools.”

— Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman

Stacy: What stood out to me in this survey was how confident education professionals were in their own understanding, but how little parents felt they (educators and schools) actually understood the academic, social and emotional challenges related to their military-connected students. Obviously, there is a disconnect there for the parent-teacher team. I hope our book can serve as the missing piece, because we address the points of view of students, parents, and educators.

Also, there is a lack of understanding, implementing, and enforcing the Interstate Compact from both parent and professionals. The Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission may need to step up to help schools understand the spirit of the compact if enforcement is not added. I think this survey can be helpful to all fifty commissioners.

Another concern I have is that COVID has brought on new challenges not covered in this survey. Gaps in learning that will be exaggerated by transition next year will be something to track, as well as military kids who are not adjusting after moving during the pandemic. For those who have no outreach from schools during the pandemic closures, social and emotional issues will be much more profound by the end of the school year. I hope there will be an effort to capture that data now so we know how much work needs to be done to “find” these kids that may get lost in the aftermath of the pandemic.

First-Hand View

Amanda: As an educator, I think seeing students’ needs described in their own words will help teachers be more aware of academic and social/emotional learning.

 “As an educator, I think seeing students’ needs described in their own words will help teachers be more aware of academic and social/emotional learning.”

— Amanda Trimillos

The survey reiterates that military-connected students are not looking for an advantage. They are looking for a level opportunity to succeed both academically and in extra-curricular activities. Often it feels that policy prevents advocates and decision makers from erring on the side of the child. When the policy dictates come first, the one who then suffers is the student. Rather than err on the side of policy, we should put more weight on the needs of the student.

The goal is to help families and educators and policy makers see that these experiences are not single-lived events. These challenges both academic and social/emotional are on-going. They are occurring in every military-connected student generation. They are impacting both new and veteran educators.

Stacy: This survey brings to light the ongoing challenges of supporting military-connected kids in school, not just the academics, but socially and emotionally. The remedy is to have simple, easy-to-understand professional development to help schools reach out. They can keep military families from falling between the cracks or constantly struggling through transition or deployments.

Read more:

• Jill Biden Joins MCEC for Military Student Survey Release
• Military Kids Now 2020 Survey Summary Report from MCEC
• Military Kids Seek Understanding, Level Playing Field, from Stars and Stripes

The post Survey Brings Attention to Experiences of Military Students appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

The summit opened with a video address by Dr. Biden, a teacher, military mother and grandmother, and the wife of president-elect Joe Biden. In 2012, as part of the Joining Forces initiative with then First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Biden created Operation Educate the Educator to bolster support and understanding for military-connected students.

“We made some important progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” she told MCEC summit attendees. “That’s why your Military Kids Now Survey matters so much. MCEC has brought the voice of the military child forward. Children responded with thoughtful answers about what they wished their peers and their parents and teachers understood about their experiences; and parents, counselors, and educators weighed in on what resources they needed to best serve military-connected children. With this critical information we’re going to be able to chart a better path for students, parents, and schools.”

The survey, covering students’ academic and social-emotional needs, polled more than 5,100 individuals. Respondents included military-connected students (13 and older), parents of military kids, and educators, from 21 countries. Students and parents were from all branches of the U.S. military, including active, reserve and guard components, as well as veterans. Educators in the survey included administrators, counselors, classroom teachers, and other education professionals, as well as school district personnel. Public, private, charter, virtual, and home school environments were included in the survey.

MCEC conducted the survey over several months in the spring of 2020 and intends to use the findings to deepen “understanding of ongoing education challenges for military-connected students” and to “meet the needs of military-connected children through research informed solutions,” according to the report summary.

Read the full Military Kids Now 2020 Survey Summary Report from MCEC.

More about the survey from Lisa Smith Molinari in Stars and Stripes: Military Students Seek Understanding, a Level Playing Field 

The post Jill Biden Joins MCEC for Military Student Survey Release appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

Documenting a student’s progress during high school years looks a bit different for military-connected students than for their more stationery peers, says experienced military mom and financial coach Kate Horrell.

“If they’ve moved, they can’t count on their current high school or community to have records of their accomplishments, awards, and community involvement,” says Kate. “That makes it more important that students keep their own folder or binder tracking volunteer hours, awards, and letters of recommendation.”

Start Early

Planning ahead can avoid a mad scramble in the weeks before an application is due. Students and parents can begin as early as middle school to consider accomplishments and involvements that provide positive preparation for the future. The Education Binder is the ideal place to file certificates, school honors, letters of appreciation, and document volunteer work. When it’s time to fill out an application or build a student resume, the binder becomes a valuable reference.

“Most college applications ask for information from your high school years, so definitely start keeping track once you start high school,” Kate advises students.

As far as what to save and record, the more the better, she says. Records of honor societies, athletics, clubs, faith group involvement, and community, charity, and volunteer work can all be helpful.

“Better to have too much information and the luxury of choosing than to be scrambling to find things at the last minute,” says Kate.

Be Intentional

Starting early to document activities also allows students to be more intentional about their involvements and achievements throughout their high school years. Students can review the binder occasionally to evaluate whether their grades and activities match up with their career and education goals. Regular reviews can reveal ways the resume could be bolstered and remind the student of their accomplishments.

Reviewing the binder is a good activity in the Season of Thriving, encouraging students to set goals and determine what they will do to meet them. Military kids, particularly if they move during high school, may need to be more proactive to show a pattern of involvement and personal development for future applications.

“Some military kids struggle because it can be hard to break into sports teams and leadership positions, so that’s a definite challenge,” says Kate. “If you can’t find something at school, perhaps look to the community. Things like scouts are great, because they’re typically available almost anywhere, so you can build some continuity there. You also might consider volunteering at the food bank, or local hospital, or animal shelter.”

Another consideration for students in a military community is that educators and other adults might also move away. Either way, Kate advises being proactive about requesting letters of communication, rather than waiting until it’s time to fill out applications.

“It may be hard to track down a letter of recommendation from the person who supervised a camp where you volunteered last year if that person has moved,” she says. “Ask those adults for letters of recommendation just after the event, or the award. And keep in touch with them. You never know when that connection will come in handy. Maintain those relationships.”

Use the Resume

If a student needs letters of recommendation when they are new to a school or community, having a solid Education Binder is helpful here too. The student can make an appointment to discuss their request for a letter and provide the letter writer with the student’s resume with relevant accomplishments at previous schools. It’s probably not necessary to bring along the whole Education Binder, but the student can provide certificates or documents as needed.

“Create a resume highlighting key points and interesting facts to help recommenders,” says Kate. “Include educational, community, and personal information, especially if it is unique or explains oddities in a student’s official record. Maybe your child moved from an international school to a standard US high school, and their transcript looks wonky, or they took a bunch of freshman classes their senior year to meet their new school’s graduation requirements. Make it an asset—this is a flexible kid—instead of a liability that they took freshman classes as a senior.”

Emphasize the Positive

Kate also suggests drawing on the experiences of military life when crafting essays for college applications. Military students may need some help to realize the way they grew up is unique, because it was simply normal life to them. Parents and educators can help students see what is unique about their experiences and offer positive perspectives.

The challenges of military life often have a positive flip side, offering opportunities for growth and learning. Some of those lessons are difficult to capture in the Education Binder, but an ongoing record of a student’s education provides a solid foundation for telling the unique story of life as a military-connected student.

Kate Horrell is an expert in military family finances, a military spouse and mother of two. She blogs at katehorrell.com and is also a contributor to the Paycheck Chronicles on Military.com.

Read More:

• Creating an Education Binder
• Student Resume: Collecting Skills and Materials
• Proactive Communication for Students in Every Season
• Advice from Kate Horrell on college finances and using the GI Bill

The post Power of Education Binder Goes Beyond Graduation appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

Amanda, Stacy, and their military families are in the thick of this pandemic-year experience. Both their families PCSed this summer to new communities and new schools. Amanda, a middle school teacher, is leading a combination classroom, with some students attending in person and others participating by video. Her own four children are also learning in various hybrid situations in their new schools. Stacy’s children are attending schools that offer only virtual classes for now.

Along with the challenges of adjusting to new classrooms, making friends can be difficult, sometimes leaving students feeling isolated. Supportive and involved parenting is more important than ever, Amanda and Stacy agree. They offer these encouraging ideas for families to improve their student’s social, emotional, and academic outcomes:

Find the positive. Don’t lock in on the hardship of the situation. Acknowledge that hardship and frustration exist, but also encourage students to find something positive to hold on to. Look for new positives each day, as well as positives that could come from the whole experience. Encourage students to write down what they discover.

Keep a journal. This is a historic time, so encourage students to write about it, to create their own historic record. Journaling can supplement learning, give students a way to practice writing, explore current events, and process their own experiences and emotions.

Create a routine and a schedule, even if kids are taking virtual classes at home. A schedule gives structure and creates normalcy, just as it does after any move. Making a schedule and keeping track of assignments will keep students on track and provide reminders for what is due and when.

Take regular breaks from screen time as part of the schedule. Get students outside for exercise and fresh air whenever possible. Take advantage of the mental health benefits of the family pet. If pets are too distracting to remain in the room during class time, let kids play with them and pet them during breaks.

Plan computer time as a family. If the whole family is working from home at different times, internet bandwidth and available screens may be at a premium. Regular family meetings help when planning who needs to be online and when. Determine who has priority, and let teachers know about any conflicts that might keep students from attending online class.

Keep teachers informed. Start a phone or email conversation, especially when in-person meetings aren’t possible. For new students, give teachers some background so they will know how to connect with students. Teachers may also be able to help connect new students with others who have similar interests or suggest ways to connect. A teacher will also know about other new students who are looking for friends.

Monitor homework. For some students, their ability and personality may not translate well in online homework or virtual class participation. If parents realize their student’s work or grades are not reflective of his or her understanding of a particular subject, they should let teachers know and discuss solutions.

Know the Interstate Compact. The provisions of the compact are still applicable and may be helpful in some situations. Read the compact and be familiar with what it covers and what it doesn’t.

Make friends. Creating opportunities for students to make friends is part of a positive school experience, and it’s hard right now, Amanda and Stacy agree. Parents may have to be more proactive than usual to help their students find ways to connect in a new place. They suggest plugging into sports and outdoor activities whenever possible and making a point to meet neighbors.

Many other families are also looking for connections, and it’s worthwhile to take the initiative to break through the walls to new friendships—now more than ever.

On Milspouse Matters podcast, Amanda and Stacy talk about their latest moves and experiences with remote learning. Listen to Milspouse Matters Episode 47 with host Jen McDonald for more ideas and encouragement for remote learning.

Latest COVID Information and Guidance from Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission.

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Season of Leaving

• Taking any pandemic-related restrictions and limitations into account, include all the same key steps when making an Exit Plan.
• When gathering documents for the Education Binder, request or create electronic copies for easy sharing, including teacher-to-teacher letters.
• Take time to say goodbye. Make video calls, write letters, make goodbye cards or gifts for special friends and teachers.

Season of Arriving

• To establish the student-advocacy team when new students and parents can’t meet with teachers in person, introduce a student by email: Include any information normally shared in an initial meeting: how the student is handling the move, learning style, educational needs, concerns.
• Teachers and parents can follow up with phone calls to ask questions and share more complete information.
• When it’s not possible to share the physical Education Binder, share electronic versions of essential pages by email. Parents can let teachers know they have a complete record of the student and can provide more information as needed.

Season of Growing, Season of Thriving

• To establish a growing and thriving student, whether classes are in-person or online, it’s important to assess whether any struggles are caused by gaps and overlaps in curriculum, the student’s personal adjustment, or academic ability. This assessment can be complicated if the student is having trouble with virtual learning or having trouble making friends because of social distancing.
• In any learning environment, students should be encouraged to set academic and personal goals and to advocate for themselves in age-appropriate ways.

Storms

Storms of military life, deployment, combat injury, and loss, can occur in any season or any learning environment, and having a strong student-advocacy team is essential.

• Effective communication between parents and educators helps coordinate support for the student.
• Bring in additional members to the student-advocacy team as needed.

When in-person contact is limited or in virtual school situations, strategies can be adapted for any season or storm. Additionally, the provisions of the The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children are still in effect for military-connected students. For up-to date information about COVID-related changes in public and Department of Defense Education Activity schools, the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission,  provides regular updates at MIC3.net.

In changing school environments, the Seasons of Transition^TM are still a way of life for military-connected students and their families. Having an effective and adaptable game plan will make the best of any season.

Adapted from Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers by Amanda Trimillos, EdD, and Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman.

More about transitions in the COVID environment:

• Stormy Season of Leaving: PCSing During the Pandemic
• Back to School: Supporting Teachers Strengthens the Team
• Superintendent Emphasizes Support for Teachers, Students, Parents

The post Game Plan: Adapting Strategies for Every Season appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

Building a strong student-advocacy team is essential for military-connected students. As the school year begins in a pandemic environment, now more than ever, the team-building strategy should include supporting teachers, as well as students.

Military-connected students at new schools won’t be the only ones navigating a new learning landscape this year. Teachers are also feeling uncertainty and stress. For educators, going back to school in a pandemic environment is a new frontier, whether classrooms are virtual, in-person and socially distanced, or a combination. In addition to welcoming new students, teachers are preparing new ways of learning for all their students, while balancing personal concerns about staying healthy and managing their own children’s education.

Becky, a military parent and a district school psychologist in Virginia, encourages parents to advocate for their children while also giving grace and understanding to teachers.

“There are a lot of uncomfortable feelings around the start of school in many places,” says Becky. “Things keep changing. The uncertainty affects everyone and can be unnerving for teachers and parents. If educators also have kids in the district, they may be feeling what parents are feeling. They’re struggling alongside parents.”

Educators who are also parents may be experiencing the same struggles as the parents of their students.

Sarah is a high school teacher in a military-heavy district in South Carolina, which has opted for in-person classes with a virtual option. She says there is some uncertainty around how the requirements for masks and social distancing will work out when classes actually begin in September.

“Our administration is trying to have a plan for as many contingencies as possible, but just not knowing how it’s really going to be plays a role in beginning-of-the-year fears.”

Becky’s district, which also serves many military students, is beginning the school year with virtual-only classes, which presents its own challenges. Like other working parents, teachers may also have their own children attending virtual classes from home.

“There’s also a learning curve for the technology,” says Becky. “It’s exciting, but also intimidating for those who haven’t been teaching in this manner to now have to do that. Offering that grace is so important. Remember a lot of these things that are frustrating (to parents) aren’t even in the teacher’s control. Technology issues, even decisions about virtual versus [in-person] school.”

Stress management and support are important for teachers as well as students, says Becky. As part of a clinical team in her district, she is available to support both students and educators, to be a listening ear, or offer professional development for stress management.

Stress management and support are important for teachers as well as students.

“There’s a big push for social and emotional learning (for students) in our school curriculum,” she says. “As our teachers are teaching their students, they are also reinforcing those skills for themselves, about feelings identification and how to manage big emotions. Emotional wellness is a critical part of learning. Your emotions will respond before your thinking and learning brain can activate.”

In spite of all the uncertainty, military-connected students and their parents can proactively help create an environment of understanding at a new school with good communication at the outset.

Becky and Sarah both advise military-connected parents to introduce their students to new teachers ahead of time, just as they would in any move. If a face-to-face meeting is not available, an email will serve to share any information that would be helpful for teachers to know up front.

“Let teachers know your concerns as a parent,” says Becky. “Put those in the first email, especially anything not in their records. Let teachers know your child is new. It’s true that everybody is new to this (pandemic) situation, but it’s important for teachers to know who is totally new to a community. Keep it short and clear.”

The pandemic situation is new to everyone, but teachers still need to know when students are new to their school and community.

Students attending class virtually may have a harder time connecting, Sarah adds, so an introduction, even by email, is even more important this year for connecting teachers and students.

“If the student is in middle or high school, encourage him or her to begin advocating for themselves, if they don’t already.” Older students can send an email to their teachers to introduce themselves.

Having an Education Binder of information about a student is ideal, says Becky, but if school is virtual and that’s not possible, send key information by email. Perhaps a face-to-face meeting can be planned at a later date, when parents can discuss the binder with teachers.

Sarah, who grew up in a military family and changed schools many times, knows from experience as both educator and student the importance of knowing a student’s military background. Limited contact in a virtual or hybrid classroom may make it more difficult to get to know students, so the more information a teacher has, the better. Knowing a student has attended multiple schools lets the teacher know to look out for potential gaps and overlaps in curriculum or learning.

Limited contact in a virtual or hybrid classroom may make it more difficult to get to know students, so the more information a teacher has, the better.

After classes begin, parents can support teachers by encouraging their students to engage fully in their new classes, whether virtually or in person.

“Work with your child, encourage them to participate,” says Becky. “Make sure your child is holding up their end of the bargain, getting work done, attending virtual or real classes. Teachers may feel deflated when they are trying to reach students virtually and don’t get a response back.”

Sarah will be teaching in person and will have students attending online as well.

“I am going to have to encourage those who are doing school at home to remember that they are in school,” she says. “I can only help students if they show up.”

Both students and teachers may struggle with the virtual environment, especially when it comes to getting to know one another, says Becky.

“Teachers want to be with kids, to build relationships. So much is missing when you’re doing it virtually. This is hard for them too,” she says. Becky offers a few more ideas for ways to show support for teachers while advocating for students:

• Extend extra grace, patience, and understanding whenever you can. Remember, everyone is traveling a new path together, and everyone is feeling more uncertainty and stress than usual.
• Let teachers know you are there to support them. Ask how you can support them and offer to share your areas of expertise or time if you are able.
• If you have concerns about your child, talk to the teacher, and don’t hesitate to reach out to school mental health resources as well: a counselor, social worker, or psychologist.
• Keep teachers informed about difficulties, whether technical, personal, or academic.
• When emailing a teacher about an issue or to request a time to talk, give the teacher 24 to 48 hours to respond. They may not be able to respond during non-class hours when they are at home caring for their families.
• Send teachers random notes and emails of gratitude and support. Let them know what is working well for your student and when you appreciate what they are doing.

“Remember that many of us are parents too,” says Sarah. “We came into this profession because we love kids. This is a super weird and stressful time for everyone. When we enter into community with anyone, the best default is to trust. … I want what parents want—the best for their kids. If we can keep an open dialogue, things will start better.”

Terri Barnes is the mother of three military children who attended a combined twenty-seven schools, K-12. She is the author of  Spouse Calls: Messages from a Military Life and editor of  Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers.

More about supporting families and educators:

• Q and A with School Superintendent Jesse Najera
• How Schools can Help Military Kids Moving in a Pandemic by Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman in Military Times
• The Pandemic’s Toll on Teachers is Palpable by Marc Brackett, Mark Cannizzaro, and Scott Levy in EdSurge

The post Back to School: Supporting Teachers Strengthens the Team appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

Jesse Najera is the superintendent of Silver Valley Unified School District in California. He is also a member of the California State Council of the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission. Military-connected students make up seventy-five percent of Silver Valley’s 2,200 students. The district’s seven schools, Pre-K to 12th grade, serve military families from Fort Irwin and Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow.

This year, California’s COVID measures required all schools in Silver Valley to begin the academic year in virtual classes. One day after the district’s teachers and staff were back on their campuses, Jesse took a few minutes to talk about ways to support teachers, students, and parents in this new and unusual school year. 

TB: What are some of the obstacles you, your administrators and teachers are facing, personally and professionally, as you begin this school year with virtual classes?

JN: Obstacle one is the unknown, the fear of the unknown. Every day the information changes about how kids are affected by COVID. As a superintendent I want to have kids on campus, but I also want the safest choice for our students. Right now that is virtual school. It’s not just a matter of our parents and the community we serve, but also our teachers have families, and they’re concerned for their health.

I want to have kids on campus, but I also want the safest choice for our students … also our teachers have families, and they’re concerned for their health.

One obstacle for our educators is childcare. Most of our educators’ families are working families, meaning both parents are working. Teachers and staff are running the virtual school from their schools and classrooms, even though students are staying home. Distance learning means their own kids are also not going to school.

TB: What are some ways your district supports educators, including teachers, counselors, teaching assistants, and others?

JN: From the beginning of the summer we brought in leaders from every campus in our district to talk weekly to prepare for distance learning. It’s a real collaboration with our teachers and staff. Our teachers are parents. Our principals are parents and have kids in our schools. So for those educators who have to be here teaching, we’ve set up learning labs for their own kids to be here, because they can’t be home for distance learning for them while they’re teaching. Our staff has confidence that we’re not going to take shortcuts with safety. We started back this week [with teachers at the schools]. If we can’t prove we can keep kids safe when there’s a small number of kids there for childcare, we’ll have no credibility to bring more students back if we move to the hybrid model. We’re using distancing protocols, we’re cleaning … we’re wearing face masks. We’ve also given our teachers an option to work from home if they have a legitimate medical reason.

TB: How would you encourage parents of new military-connected students to approach teachers and create cooperative relationships?

JN: A lot of our military parents are trained and advised to be advocates. In a lot of places they have to go and fight to get what they need for their kids. That’s not Silver Valley. I am on the California council for the Interstate Compact Commission. We’re front and center with the Interstate Compact. We’re telling parents, “Here’s how we will support your kids according to the compact.”

When you come in as a parent and show empathy to teachers, recognize they are parents too. When a parent approaches a teacher and says, “I’m here to support you. What can I do?” a teacher knows there’s an ally there. It’s not going to be adversarial. Educators appreciate hearing what they are doing right. It makes us want to do even more for them.

When a parent approaches a teacher and says, “I’m here to support you. What can I do?” a teacher knows there’s an ally there.

Also, teachers appreciate parents who offer to help, particularly in the world of technology at the moment. I’ve seen virtual plans for family nights and PTA nights, and I’m thinking, “Wow, all this creativity!” Sometimes that comes straight from parents who say “I can help.” That’s the kind of volunteer we need right now when we can’t have people on campus. 

TB: Military parents often worry their kids will fall between the cracks with any school transition. This year, military families who are moving into virtual or hybrid school environments are even more on edge about this possibility. How do you reassure parents of new military-connected students?

JN: We did five or six town halls for parents, telling them to ask us anything, and asking them to share their experiences with distance learning. We had 26,000 people who saw one of our town halls, and that was only because the army used their platforms to share it. We have great partnerships with both commands and with the commanders. That’s a big deal. We partner with them in many ways, and that includes communication.

We have a lot of video and media showing the technology in our classrooms. The first thing we love to do is get on the phone with them. We want parents to feel great about (their students) coming here. It’s even more important now, because they’re really concerned about what distance learning is going to do for their kids. We want to show them we have live daily instruction. We’re providing laptops for students who need them, providing hot spots for students who need internet connectivity. A student will go home with a whole suite of tools and textbooks. We’re not just telling them to log on to the computer and leave them on their own.

Educators appreciate hearing what they are doing right.

We want to help new parents know what’s coming, make a family feel better about where they’re coming. Fort Irwin is remote. I can’t do anything about the distance, but I can speak to the quality of our programs and what we’ve been recognized for.

Our school is used to military students. Especially for a parent of a high school kid, we tell them we know transcripts. We know how to bring in units from somewhere else. We’re going to get you to graduation. We have forty percent turnover every two years, but we still find ways to get them to graduation. We have had a graduation rate of a hundred percent over the past two years. We want to assure them, your kid’s not going to take a step back by any means. In fact, we’re going to catapult them forward. We have our website, a school guide; we have videos on YouTube. We say,”Read all about us.” We’re not perfect, but we have a quality program, and we’re always looking for ways to get better. 

TB: How can military parents partner with teachers in the midst of a pandemic to support their kids and help them adjust socially and academically?

JN: That’s a challenge, because that’s such a big part of school. We have a top-of-the-line social and emotional curriculum, and we’ve made it a priority. There’s dedicated time in the master schedule, whether in distance learning or on campus, for social emotional activities for team-building and social-skill development.

Sure, kids can do their work on their own later in the day, but if they do that every day they’re not coming to class … Students need to socialize regularly with peers even if it’s in Zoom.

In virtual classes, we’ve told parents we’re taking attendance daily, because sure, kids can do their work on their own later in the day, but if they do that every day they’re not coming to class and seeing other kids. Students need to socialize regularly with peers even if it’s in Zoom. We purchased the highest suite Zoom offers, so teachers have options to get kids together in breakout rooms in small groups. So for instance, four of them can work together on a project. We keep that in mind, looking for ways to get kids working together.

We also have a virtual counseling program that has been very successful and is available to any student who needs some help or attention for a particular issue.

I walked around all my campuses on our first day of school, and it’s such an eerie feeling not to see any kids. The second the county allows it, and when we feel safe, we’ll start—even if it’s smaller groups to begin with—we will welcome kids back to our classrooms.

Terri Barnes, senior editor at Elva Resa Publishing, is the author of  Spouse Calls: Messages from a Military Life and editor of  Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers.

Top photo: A teacher leads virtual learning at Silver Valley Unified School District in August 2020. Inset: Jesse Najera (Photos courtesy Silver Valley Unified School District and Jesse Najera.)

More about supporting teachers and students:

• Supporting Teachers Strengthens the Team
• Helping Kids Navigate Uncertainty from Military Family Life

The post Superintendent Emphasizes Support for Teachers, Students, Parents appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

When military families first come to a new school, whether in-person or on Zoom or via email, we are carrying an invisible backpack on our shoulders weighted heavily with the emotional stress of the last several months of moving. It will be all that much heavier this time around due to the impact of the pandemic. A simple gesture of understanding and knowledge of the Interstate Compact on the part of receiving schools helps military families in this very unsettling time.

Read more at Military Times

The post Moving During a Pandemic: How Schools Can Help appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

For military families, moving during a pandemic is like navigating the K-12 landscape through a kaleidoscope. When a military-connected child arrives at a new school this fall, teachers and administrators should understand that it has been a hard journey to get there — much more difficult than in normal times.

Read more at The74million.org

The post Mom’s View: Challenges of Pandemic Transitions appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.