Military Children

In my lab placement, one student's father is in the military. The little girl and her family have moved more times than she can remember. Her latest move was all the way from Egypt. On many occassions, she has told me that she can't read because her dad has made her move so much. She says, "It's his fault." She seems very bitter about it. For such a young child, that seems like a heavy load to carry. She should be going into the second grade, but didn't pass the first grade markers. On top of that, she is moving again in a few weeks.

I imagine moving so much really does cause problems. It is difficult for an adult to adjust, much less a child who is still figuring things out. Every teacher is different, with their own ideas and methods of teaching and every state is different with their required objectives. I can only imagine how different a military base in Egypt would be.

I admit feeling a bit helpless when she tells me these things. I want to offer her an encouraging word, but have to dig really deep. It is hard for me to imagine what that lifestyle must be like, and how confusing it must be for a child. The first time she told me she wasn't good at reading, I said, "How do you become good at something?"

She said, "Practice."

"Exactly." I said. "Becoming good at something just takes practice. That is why you are here in summer school. To give you extra time to practice." She seemed content with that answer.

The next time she told me she wasn't good at reading, she went into more detail about her dad. She blamed him for everything. Perhaps I should have just listened, instead I offered words of advice. I said, "Can you control what your dad does?"

"No." She said.

"Whose actions can you control?"

"My own." I went on to tell her that sometimes things happen that are out of our control. We can control our own actions though, so we should always try to do our best no matter what.

I suppose that lesson is for me too. When it comes to my students lives outside my classroom, I have no control. However, I do have control of what goes on within my classroom. What can I do to help students like her? Definitely something to think about...

Military Child photo recieved at: <http://www.viswiki.com/en/Military_brat_(U.S._subculture)>