Why every classroom needs military children's books. Month of the Military Child
Growing up my father was in the army and would often be gone for drill and other training courses. When I was in middle school he was deployed to Iraq and that really affected me during that time. Middle school can be a challenge for any kid, especially when you didn't know the next time you would hear from your parent if everything would be fine or not. It was a really hard time at times, but it made me who I am today. The military life can really be a challenge and we often put military families off to the side and say, "you get to travel to so many places", when majority of people just want consistency.
The books
listed above are some of my favorite military related books. I think it’s
incredibly important to have these books especially showing that moms, dads, or
sometimes both parents can be in the military. I show my students in the
beginning of the year where these books are located. I love to read aloud to my
students, but with these books I hardly ever read them aloud. The reason being
is when you are a military child and going through things you may not be ready
to read or listen to it. Instead, I show my students where these books are
located and if they want to ever read any of them, they know where to find
them.
My love
for working with military children really started in college. I had the
opportunity to work on 3 different installations and work with military kids.
It's hard to describe what being a military kid is like, but I had a connection
to these kids. I knew what it was like to be one, and I thought if I could help
one person go through what I did then I could really make a difference. Since
then I have been able to work for several years as a third-grade teacher to
schools that are made mostly of military kids. Below is a list of reasons as to
why every teacher needs to incorporate these types of books within their
curriculum.
3 Reasons why you need military child books in your classroom.
1. Non-military kids need to know and be aware of what is happening to other kids their age.When my dad was gone there weren't many kids that could relate to what I was going through. It can open classmates eyes to see what others go through and how their life is completely different.
2. It allows military kids to relate to something.
I was very fortunate growing up because we never had to move like so many in the military. My dad was mostly sent to different bases for training courses and school. He rotated between active duty and the National Guard. I wish there were books like these shown above because it would have reminded me that I wasn't the only going through what was happening. It would have shown me that other kids go through these same experiences and they can come out on top of it in the end.
3. Kids enjoy learning about other cultures, experiences, and current events.
To this day a lot of my classroom library is made up of non-fiction books. Kids enjoy learning about different cultures, current events and sometimes politics. Kids are naturally curious and we need to allow them to ask questions and engage in sparking their curiosity.
So as we begin April this year with so many things going on I encourage you to remember not only those who serve, but their children. Purple Up!
