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Last week I talked about
current world events and how the sacrifice of our Armed
Forces is being felt in the workplace, at home, and in
our schools. I stated that our schools have a very supportive
role to play because many of our service members are likely
to be the parents of our students.
Within our military communities,
understanding the deployment of a loved one and what families
go through when a military family member has been deployed
is important to all of us—students, parents, school
personnel, and community members. We need to be especially
sensitive to our students at this time and do everything
we can to create an environment of normalcy for them while
at school. I encourage parents of deployed spouses to
develop a close relationship with their children’s
school and teachers. Depending on the grade level of the
child, I encourage parents to contact their children’s
teacher or teachers. I also want parents to feel free
to speak with the principal, assistant principal, and/or
members of our pupil personnel services team, including
the school counselor, psychologist, or nurse. Separation
and reunion both place additional strain on family balance.
School personnel stand ready to help, and communication
is the key to successfully meeting the needs of our young
people in these trying times.
Deployment can be very unsettling
for children because it interrupts the natural order of
things. Emotional responses can vary in degree and nature
from child to child. Children may feel fear, loss of control,
anger, or loss of stability. Signs of stress and increased
vulnerability may show up by decreased productivity, quality
of school work, or academic performance; acting out behaviors;
unexplained mood changes; relationship problems with peers;
eating pattern changes; or increased irritability, nervousness
or sadness. It is important that teachers know when major
changes are taking place at home because it gives them
a better understanding of what the child is going through.
In school, we want to ensure that we understand and are
sensitive to our children’s emotional issues and
at the same time provide them with stability, a normal
routine, and a safe and secure environment.
I urge parents to work closely
with school personnel in support of our children who have
a deployed family member. Through this process we will
be able to provide needed support either by individual
or small group counseling. We are also able to offer educational
and informational meetings on deployment-related issues
for both school staff and parents. It is vitally important
that we work together during these challenging times.
As educators, we have learned
from past conflicts and deployments that schools are one
of the most important quality of life factors affecting
military readiness and success. When military service
members have confidence in our ability to take care of
their children, they are better able to fulfill their
mission. Our schools will continue to operate in a normal
fashion, ensure the safety of our students, provide a
stable and supportive environment, and make every effort
to offer all DoDDS Pacific children a top-notch education.
Nancy C. Bresell
Director, DoDDS Pacific
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