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New Post has been published on http://militaryspouse.com/relationships/parenting/2-important-sides-of-the-mid-year-pcs-coin/
2 Important Sides of the Mid-Year-PCS Coin
Supporting both the academic and emotional side is the next best thing to having parental super powers.
Itās the first week of school for your military kid, but youāre not busting out the camera or fussing with new outfits. No, this is second first day of school in just a few short months. Itās the way of the military family and mid-year move.
Youāre staring at your childās face, willing them to be happy, courageous and optimistic. But deep inside, youāre so scared for them. You know they will be fine ā eventually. If parents could, we would will them into emotional body armor and douse them with charm spells just to ensure the new kid scenario is nothing more than a short lived blip on the screen of yesterday.
According to Department of Defenseās Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, the military moves roughly 530,000 service members and their families every year. More than half of those moves are during peak moving months of May through August. That leaves more than 250,000 service members and their families moving off season ā during the academic school year.
While moving during the summer months may add a heavy workload to the DoD, moving in summer presents an ideal time for families to transfer schools without missing crucial educational requirements for military connected children. In contrast, moving the other 250,000 military members during the school year brings an entire new set of challenges for military members.
Depending on age and personality, moving could be considered and adventure or an anxiety-laden experience. Some milkids see it as an opportunity to reinvent themselves, start over or try something. For others, itās a break in routine, a loss of a support system and academic uncertainty. Because success doesnāt happen by chance, supporting your milkid through transitions will set them up for success. Supporting both the academic and emotional side gives them a fighting chance and is the next best thing to willing them to be happy.
The Academic Side of Moving:
When changing schools during the year, there are plenty of hurdles both parents and students face. The important thing is to gather as much information and ask as many questions to school administrators and teachers after you PCS. Educational continuity is at risk each time a military child ā no matter what grade they are in ā moves to a new school. Being organized and prepared is key to a successful mid school year transition.
Information About Your New School
How does the new school handle new students with IEP/504 plans, documented academic struggles and/or academic discrepancies?
How do they program for Gifted and Talented students? Not all schools are equal when it comes to curriculum or testing.
Does the school offer a way for your child to connect with peers at school?Ā After school clubs, new student groups or pull out programs.
Compare curricula from your past school with the new school. You need to know if your child will struggle to keep up or be ahead of peers and be bored in the classroom.
Plan a conference for your childās current teacher or counselor to review the new schoolās curriculum.
Ask the new school how new students who are behind/ahead of current grade-level objectives are handled.
Secondary students: understand transferring credits, graduation requirements, ranking and how to determine appropriate academic placement
Schedule a parent teacher conference right away. Donāt wait until mid semester or quarter for the teacher to understand the learning style of your child.Ā Take notes, ask questions and set goals.
Bring as many samples of past schoolwork with you to the conference. The teacher will need to see what your child has been learning. This includes websites and resources your child may have used during the last few months for classroom support.
Being organized is key! If you havenāt compiled an education binder just for you child, start today! It will make the next move much easier. Compile a binder that is home to all of your childās important documents, including:
Report cards ā all of them, even ones from previous schools. Ā It allow teachers to know the educational history of your child.
Teacher comments and conference notes
Individual Education Plan/504 plan
Speech or occupational therapy evaluations/summaries
Letters from teachers (to teachers), including specialty teachers (music, coaches and art teachers, for example) if applicable
Test results (Cog AT, Iowa Assessments, reading readiness, SAT)
Families On The Homefront (www.FamiliesOnTheHomeFront.com)Ā offers a free downloadable Operation Dandelion Kids EducationĀ Binder to help parents advocate for their child and help tell their childās education history.
Military families have rights and responsibilities regarding childrenās education. Itās up to you to understand these rights and responsibilities. (Hereās some more help on changing schools!)
MIC3 ā Every military family should familiarize themselves with the ever important Compact! Military Interstate Childrenās Compact Commission MIC3.net is fighting to level the playing field for military family education.
The School Liaison Officerās job is to help parents navigate the local school system, every base/post has one, contact them for insights about your school or if you have problems with placement of services.
The Emotional Side of Moving:
Being organized maybe key to navigating a new school after a PSC, but listening to your child ā not talking ā is key to navigating the emotional side of moving.Ā Donāt press them for information right away, let them warm up to the new experience.Ā Ask open-ended questions after each day.Ā A few great and clever ways to understanding how you child is feeling at school is to ask the not-so-obvious question:
Where is the coolest place at the school?
If an alien spaceship came to your class and beamed someone up, who would you want them to take?
Who would you like to play with at recess that youāve never played with before?
Where do you play the most at recess?
Who is the funniest person in your class? Why is he/she so funny?
Is there anyone in your class who needs a time-out?
If you could switch seats with anyone in the class, who would you trade with? Why?
For a full list of great questions, visit the original post here.
Donāt be shy. Parents need to be involved within weeks of arrival at their new location. There will be a ton of information and insights you WONāT have access to unless you make yourself available and start connecting. Find your spot ā whether itās the PTA/PTO, inside the classroom, at your place of worship, Scoutās or sports, become a parent volunteer so you understand the school and community climate. Youāll make friends fast and so will your children.
As a fellow military connected parent, if I had the ability to will my kids into being happy and settled, I would.Ā If could conjure up charm spells and encase my kids in emotional body armor, I would.Ā But, I canāt, they have to figure it out for themselves.Ā Some say moving around a lot builds character, but for me, I have an emotional death grip on the door every morning when I say, āHave a great day at school today.ā
However, being an involved and informed parent who is poised for listening is my only real super power ā and I know my (our) resilient kids will eventually figure out that being a #MilKid is THEIR super power!
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