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.

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.

No matter what kind of classes are planned for the coming school year, building a strong student-advocacy team is essential, and it starts early. The foundation for that team begins with the initial communication between education professionals and incoming military families. Whether the first meeting happens in person, by phone or video chat, teachers and parents of military students want to make the most of their time together and cover essential transition topics.

For the first encounter, everyone on the student-advocacy team, including parents, teachers, and the student, should come prepared to talk about what concerns them most. Parents can streamline this conversation by sending an email to the school counselor to introduce the student before the first meeting. This email should detail past moves, curriculum changes, education needs, and any social-emotional concerns, particularly in light of moving during a pandemic. This sets the tone and agenda so the first meeting can focus on problem solving.

With pandemic concerns in mind, parents and students will want to know how the receiving state and district are approaching decisions about virtual school options. Many schools throughout the country are planning for possible on-site instruction and also offering online options for students who need or prefer to learn at home.

The receiving teacher needs to know about a military-connected student’s academic and personal history, including the number of moves, past schools, and possible upcoming family separations or deployments. Discussions should include any possible gaps and overlaps in a student’s learning, past experiences with virtual learning, and ways to help the student engage socially and emotionally with classmates.

Social and emotional adjustment is important to the overall well-being of any student but especially one who has just moved to a new place. Students want to make new friends and connections. Teachers hope build class camaraderie, perhaps starting in a virtual setting in preparation for an eventual return to face-to-face learning. The team should discuss strategies for helping the student connect and feel included at a new school.

Along with the social and emotional impact, parents, teachers, and students should also discuss the student’s academic experiences with online learning. What were the positive or negative effects of virtual classes or lessons? What strategies will help this student thrive, whether in a real or virtual classroom or at home?

Families and teachers should know the provisions of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Students and how they can help in any transition to assure educational services, appropriate class placement and more.

Student involvement in these conversations is helpful, especially for secondary students, but elementary students can also take part in parent-teacher conferences as a way to learn self-advocacy and good communication skills.

It’s important for everyone who participates to listen and respect one another’s unique perspectives. The coming school year holds many unknowns for everyone. Effective communication and a strong student-advocacy team is more essential than ever for military-connected students to thrive in all the Seasons of Transition^TM.

Adapted from Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers by Amanda Trimillos, EdD, and Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman (2018, Elva Resa Publishing)

• How Schools can Help Military Kids Moving in a Pandemic by Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman in Military Times
• New School: 5 Tips to Prepare Your Student by Amanda Trimillos

The post Start Early for a Strong Student-Advocacy Team appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

In military communities, students who are not moving feel the effects of the Season of Leaving when friends move away. Whether they are leaving or not, students may have to say goodbye to good friends and even best friends.  Children whose friends move away experience the same grief and need the same care and attention they would need if they were moving.

When friends move away, the familiar landscape of life shifts, even for kids who remain in the same place. The student left behind is surrounded by reminders of the friends who have moved—the soccer field, the neighborhood park, houses where friends used to live. Even a child’s own toys can become reminders of how much they miss spending time with a special friend.

No matter who is doing the leaving, being separated from friends is difficult. It’s important to recognize the pain for both those who are moving and the ones left behind. The emotional reactions of kids on both sides are very similar and need similar care and attention.

Make Time for Goodbye

Saying goodbye is very important, both for students who move away and those remaining. There are many ways to say goodbye, and kids need the opportunity to say it. A good goodbye acknowledges the importance and value of the friendship and validates the sorrow of being separated. When friends are moving, make time to say goodbye, whether at a party or in quiet moments together.

Plan ways for friends to stay in touch through technology, writing letters, or making plans for a visit if possible. A valuable friendship is worth the effort of staying in touch. Making this effort demonstrates the power of friendship to overcome time and distance.

Make Room for Feelings

Encourage children to discuss how they feel about a friend’s departure and let them know their feelings are real and recognized. Don’t dismiss their sorrow or try to remind them of disagreements or other negatives about the missing friend. Reassure them that friendship is valuable and important, and having friends to love is worth the pain of saying goodbye.

Let children have their own timeline for their feelings. Deal with waves of sadness as they come. Children may be overwhelmed by grief right away, or they may not seem so sad at first. The loss may hit them later when they see something or go somewhere that reminds them of their missing friend. They likely will experience a series of emotional ups and downs and will need comfort and reassurance as the need arises.

Make Friends for Life

After a friend has moved away, encourage children to connect with friends nearby and make plans together. Kids may be hesitant to seek out these connections out of loyalty to the friend who left. Let them know having other friends doesn’t change the love they have for the one who moved. They can enjoy friends who are nearby and stay in touch with those who are far away.

Children may also resist new relationships to avoid painful goodbyes in the future. Parents and teachers can’t push kids into making new friends, but they can offer reassurance that friendships are an important part of life. Saying goodbye is hard, but not having friends at all is much harder.

Many friendships in military life transcend time and distance, even—or especially—friendships formed in childhood. Sometimes military moves reunite friends from past assignments, and sometimes military families maintain strong relationships with good communication and occasional visits.

Helping children understand the value of friendships both old and new builds strength and security as they grow into adults. When children discover the sustaining power of friendship in spite of time and distance, they will treasure longtime friends and be more open to new ones.

Terri Barnes, senior editor at Elva Resa Publishing, has moved at least twenty times in her life as a military child, military spouse, and mother of three military children. 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 helping students in the Season of Leaving:

• Why saying goodbye is mportant: Good Goodbyes and Building Resilience
• Healthy tips for moving with kids: Healthy Ways to Handle PCS
• Benefits of journaling: Write it Out: Journaling Helps Kids Process Emotions

Vain kehonrakennus anavar kansallinen kehonrakennusvalmentaja pidätettiin Elchessä anabolisten lääkkeiden kaupasta.

The post The Other Side of Goodbye: When Friends Move Away appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

As schools around the world respond to the spread of coronavirus by shifting to online classes for essential instruction, military-connected students and their parents are bringing school home. While schools create virtual learning environments and provide curriculum, parents find themselves involved in their children’s education in new ways every day.

Amanda Trimillos, EdD, and Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman, military spouses and coauthors of Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers, say parents don’t need to panic about the class time their students will miss. They and other experienced educators agree this is the time to take a deep breath and focus on possibilities rather than limitations.

Give Grace

“First, give yourself, your students, and your school time and grace to settle into a new routine,” says Amanda, a teacher and mother of four, who is managing varying levels of instruction for her four children now at home. “We’ve had difficult days like everyone else. It will take time to find our groove but we will. We’re all on a steep learning curve, but we can come out of this with new skills and a new appreciation for each other.”

Stacy, whose two children are also learning at home, says establishing routines and keeping balance is essential for parents so they can provide stability for their children.

“My kiddos are looking at me for their emotional compass,” she says. “If I’m showing cracks, they’ll take it on themselves. So, my day is filled with lots of forgiveness and grace.”

Reassure

Home school mom and Marine Corps wife Lindsay Swoboda says parents who now have their children home during the school day should remember their primary role is to reassure their children, especially when they are affected by the uncertainty of the times.

“My hope is that they won’t just be their child’s teacher,” she says. “Be their parent. Be a safe place to land in all this craziness. For all of us, the best we can do is our best … in this time, what we have to give has to be enough. We are not required to be any more of a super-parent than we already are. What is required is more grace, more forgiveness, more resolve to rest in the love in front of us.”

Claire Wood is an army wife with experience in education, both as a classroom teacher and home educator of her three children. She reassures parents that a change in schooling method, even missed days of instruction won’t necessarily deter academic success. She suggests thinking about the possibilities now open instead of the schools now closed.

Find Fun

“Let it be fun,” says Claire. “Let this be a time to fan the flame of their own natural curiosity, love of learning, and engagement with the world around them.”

Both Claire and Lindsay emphasize that learning at home does not take as many hours as a day in a full classroom. Parents don’t have to fill every hour with schoolwork or feel obligated to provide entertainment.

“Let this be a time to fan the flame of their own natural curiosity, love of learning, and engagement with the world around them.”

–Claire Wood

“What might take more than a day with twenty-plus students in a classroom can be streamlined to mere hours are home,” says Lindsay. This means more free time, which calls for creativity, especially when getting together with friends is not an option.

Parents can give kids responsibility for filling some of their own time, providing age-appropriate parental supervision, of course. Parents also need to take time to keep themselves healthy and spend time doing things they enjoy. Getting outside for sunshine and fresh air when possible and incorporating movement and exercise each day—even when you have to stay indoors—helps create a healthy routine for both parents and kids.

Claire adds, “There is no right or wrong way to use this time. Let your kids do something they enjoy or study something they want to learn more about. Help them look for ways to engage their minds and their hearts.”

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.

Amanda, Stacy, Lindsay, and Claire offer these practical ideas for learning at home.

• Choose a historical period and read about influential people from that era. Watch a movie or documentary that highlights events and people. Talk about what was surprising, new, different from the world today.
• Read, read, read! Don’t forget audiobooks, ebooks, or movies about books and authors. Many libraries offer digital resources to check out online.
• Send (real) mail! Kids can write to veterans homes where residents can no longer receive visitors and to family members and friends who are far away. Handwritten letters and homemade cards are fun to create and always appreciated.
• Find science experiments online that can be done safely at home.
• Take a virtual field trip. Search online for virtual tours of museums, zoos, and national parks, and more.
• Play, read, or study outside when possible. Recharge with sunshine and fresh air.
• Involve kids in household chores. This teaches kids what it takes to keep a house in order and helps get chores done.
• Give creative time. Build with Legos; work on jigsaw puzzles; solve math or word puzzles; create art projects.

For more resources, see this list of Online Resources for Learning at Home.

To connect with Amanda, Stacy, and other supporters of military-connected students, join the Seasons of My Military Student Cultivation Team Room on Facebook.

Read Lindsay’s blog at Uplifting Anchor.

Listen to Claire’s Advice Not Given podcast and read her blog The Story of Our Lives.

The post Bringing School Home: Focus on the Possibilities appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

Resources are free unless otherwise indicated.

• Especially for parents and teachers: Connect with education experts and supporters of military-connected students in the Seasons of My Military Student Cultivation Team Room on Facebook.
• Legacy Kids Writing Workshop is a virtual writing class designed for military kids. Cost is $10 for eight self-paced sessions.
• Tutor.com offers military-connected kids free online help for all subjects.
• Khan Academy is offering free resources during school closures including schedules to help with planning and other resources for parents and teachers.
• Brain Pop has free content available for families or schools impacted by closures.
• Mystery Science offers free, easy science for remote learning especially for school closures.
• Quizlet has flashcards and quizzes on any subject and is offering free access through June 30, 2020.
• Scholastic News  is a free online magazine, with editions tailored to various age groups.
• We Are Teachers and Teachers Pay Teachers are sites where teachers upload both paid and free resources for K-12 students. Payments benefit teachers who create the resources.
• Open Culture is a source of free cultural and educational material.
• Smithsonian Institution has all kinds of material just for kids.
• Paris Musées, encompassing the fourteen municipal museums of Paris has a treasury of free art. Scroll down to “Images in the Public Domain.”
• Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems via the Kennedy Center. In this program, hosted by a children’s author and illustrator, kids can watch, download resources and post their own artwork.
• Brains On is an podcast for kids and adults from American Public Media.
• National Geographic Kids offers Brain Games.

The post Online Resources for Learning at Home appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

A good book club is an opportunity to gather with friends, enjoy favorite beverages, snacks, and good conversation. The best book clubs are those where everyone in the room is engaged in the book, eager to know more, and ready to dig into the content. This describes the book clubs I’ve attended to talk about Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers. Many of the participants come with stories to share and a list of questions to discuss. The pages of their books are bright with highlighted sections, the margins filled with penciled notes, because this is a book that speaks to their experiences, both personal and professional.

The pages of their books are bright with highlighted sections, the margins filled with penciled notes, because this is a book that speaks to their experiences, both personal and professional.

Seasons of My Military Student book clubs are for groups and individuals interested in supporting military-connected students. In these clubs, parents, teachers, administrators, and civic organizations can engage networks of support while learning about the lives and perspectives of students in military families.

These groups have a common focus on understanding military-connected students. They include parents, school counselors, administrators, faculty, school liaison officers, and others, all with a desire to create a community of support for themselves as well as for students.

Seasons of My Military Student covers the Seasons of Transition^TM that mobile military students experience with each school change, offering tools and strategies for each season and storm of military life. The book gives parents and teachers a closer look at how the education of military-connected students is affected by each challenge these students face. Reading as a group gives everyone a chance to discuss their own perspectives and hear from others.

Getting Started

Any group or individual interested in supporting military kids can start a Seasons of My Military Student book club: a parent-teacher organization, family support group, military spouse organization, school advisory committee, school administration, faculty, parents, civic group, or local church.

The essentials include:

• Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers book for each participant
• Downloadable Seasons Book Club Guide, which includes Discussion Guide and Getting Started Guide
• A comfortable place to meet for one to four sessions

Each book club may choose a different focus depending on the needs of the attendees. For example, one group could be geared toward families in the community who are facing deployment, to discuss how family separation affects a child’s education. Another might be for families who have just moved into the community—or those who are preparing to leave. Still another group might be aimed at the needs of military-connected high school students and their parents, or parents helping their elementary students transition to middle school.

Seasons of My Military Student is designed to address various challenges for students in military life and offer practical and healthy ways to meet those challenges. Participants learn about maintaining student records in an Education Binder, how to use resources such as the Military Child Interstate Compact Commission, essential questions for parent-teacher meetings, and more.

An ideal group ranges from five to fifteen people, small enough for meaningful conversations and large enough to include a variety of perspectives. Larger sessions are possible too, with good planning and enough time to allow discussion.

Creating Connections

For me, the most beautiful part of a Seasons of My Military Student book club is watching group participants form support networks for themselves while learning about supporting military kids. Each participant could simply read Seasons of My Military Student on his or her own, and they do. The added value of the book club is the camaraderie, encouragement, confirmation, help, and friendship they gain, all while learning to see military life through the eyes of their students.

And that is exactly what Seasons of My Military Student is about—as a book and as a community—building teams of advocacy, building support, and building resilience for military-connected students.

Amanda Trimillos, EdD, is the coauthor with Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman of Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers. Amanda is a teacher, a military spouse, and mother of four military-connected students.

• Download the free Seasons Book Club Guide from Elva Resa Publishing.
• Get case discounts at MilitaryFamilyBooks.com.
• Contact our team if you are interested in a virtual author visit or other support for Seasons of My Military Student Book Clubs.

The post Seasons Book Clubs Engage Networks of Support appeared first on Seasons of My Military Student.

In any season, says teacher and military mom Amanda Trimillos, parents should let teachers know about deployments, taking operational security into account. Awareness strengthens cooperation between parent and teacher and allows the teacher to give full support to the student during deployment.

“I remember the first time my husband was deployed over the holidays,” she says. “He missed every single holiday from birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas—It was a difficult time for us all, especially for him because he was missing milestones with his own kids. There were several keys for us to make the time memorable for him and to help the kids connect with him so far away.”

Sending Gifts

When making holiday crafts to give parents for Christmas, Amanda reminds teachers that students with a deployed parent may wish to mail their gift. Not all classroom crafts are easy to package and send, so consider digital options for projects, says Amanda.

During one of her husband’s deployments, Amanda’s daughter’s class made a picture book of class activities. Her daughter was able to create a digital version for her dad.

“The students made books filled with pictures of them in class,” says Amanda. “I unwrapped a printed version at home. Dad opened the digital version in his deployed location. Eight years later it is still his favorite development gift.

TIP: Consider digital options for crafts that are not easy to mail.

Making and sending holiday decorations for a deployed parent is a good way for students to feel they are reaching out and helping their parent. It’s also a way to bring absent parents into the preparations for a holiday. Remember that these should be sent well ahead of the event to allow for overseas mailing.

For packages to arrive in time for specific holidays, they need to be shipped well ahead of the date.

Consider digital ways to send gifts as well, if security allows. For any gift, check with the deployed member for security guidelines for real or virtual mail at the deployed location.

Party Invitations

Sometimes parents are invited to classroom celebrations, which will also affect a student with a deployed parent. Teachers might ask the student if he or she would like to invite another family member or friend. Another option is to use technology to welcome the deployed member into celebrations at home or in the classroom, perhaps via video chat or recording.

“The military member can join a class party, read a story to the class, or be a guest speaker about what it means to celebrate the holidays from across the world,” says Amanda.

Having a deployed parent celebrate virtually adds a new dimension to parties at home and involves everyone in the fun.

TIP: Invite a deployed parent to attend celebrations virtually.

“When my husband was deployed during our twins’ first birthday, I hosted a neighborhood celebration so I didn’t feel so alone,” Amanda says. “We had Dad Skyped into the party and put the computer on a table overlooking the celebration. Everyone at the party had opportunity to chat with him for a few minutes. When we were all distracted singing to the birthday twins, Dad, from the computer could clearly see older sister sticking her fingers in the birthday cake. He was waving and calling for her to stop, but no one could hear him over the singing. She looked over at Dad on the computer, smiled, and took another large fingerful of icing.”

Permission to Celebrate

Students may feel sad when a parent is absent or be hesitant to celebrate without mom or dad. It’s helpful for both parents to offer reassurance, says Amanda.

“The deployed parent can ask about special celebrations or activities before they occur” she says, to let the student know it’s okay to talk about events the parent is missing. “Ask the student to take pictures or describe the decorations and fun events. Then let the student show the pictures to the deployed parent and talk about the fun they had – or didn’t have.”

TIP: Provide opportunities to express feelings about missing a parent during the holidays.

These conversations open up opportunities to talk about feelings about deployment and absence. Another way to connect is for the parent to show pictures or video of their holiday celebrations or decorations, especially if there are decorations the family has made and sent. Seeing their handiwork in the parent’s location gives students a connection to the missing parents and where they are.

Military families know that every day is more challenging during deployment. Nevertheless, creativity and coordination between home and classroom can bring more joy to the holidays during deployment.

Dr. Amanda Trimillos is a military spouse, mother, and National Board Certified Teacher. As a wife, mom, and teacher, she has experienced multiple deployments during the holidays, both at home and in the classroom. Amanda is coauthor of Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers and Stories Around the Table: Laughter, Wisdom, and Strength in Military Life.

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