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New anthology tells stories of DODEA students, teachers over 75 years

Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman
by Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman
October 11, 2021
New anthology tells stories of DODEA students, teachers over the last 75 years
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This year the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) will celebrate 75 years of providing education to military-connected families both overseas and at home with a new anthology and accompanying exhibit that opens this month.

The school system first opened to military-connected students in October 1946 in Germany, Japan and Austria at the end of World War II when President Eisenhower ordered American troops to stay in place in Europe and Japan. To keep his upper brass more content and less homesick, Eisenhower knew he needed to bring military families along for the ride. Because families often bring young children, a Department of Defense school system was formed. To continue the support, the order to keep American troops in place, which was thought to be temporary, has lasted a span of more than seven decades and expanded into dozens of additional countries.

New anthology tells stories of DODEA students, teachers over the last 75 yearsTo capture some of the little-known but incredibly rich personal history of the schools, DODEA educators and daughter-father team Dr. Circe Olson Woessner and Dr. Allen Dale Olson wrote and edited “Schooling With Uncle Sam.” The new anthology also includes a foreword by DODEA Director Tom Brady and artwork by former DODDS teacher Joan Olson. The project, presented by the Museum of the American Military Family & Learning Center (MAMF), features nearly 100 different authentic stories and voices of the military-connected students who attended DODEA schools and the educators who dedicated their lives to teaching them.

“‘Schooling With Uncle Sam’ not only tells the history of the system but also opens windows on what it really is like to teach in or attend a typical American school on a military installation overseas,” said Olson, secretary and head of public affairs for MAMF.

“There are laughter and thrills, smiles and fears, adventure and tranquility highlighting the unique relationships among teachers and students. It’s important to collect and preserve these stories not only because history is always important, but also because they present a human dimension to military deployments, alignments, closures, and missions not normally known to the public.”

Read: Here’s How a Parent and an Educator Joined Forces for Military Kids

DODEA, for example, has had staff teaching English to Afghanistan soldiers and officials and has had a school in Asmara, Eritrea, Olsen says. The Defense Department has schools for military children in places like Iceland, Bermuda, the Azores, Puerto Rico, Bahrain and South Carolina, as well as in better-known places like Germany, Japan, England, Italy and the Philippines.

“The teachers and students in these schools bring a perspective on world issues and affairs not available to school systems at home,” he said. “Unless their stories are told and preserved, the stories of these places and these experiences will be lost, and no one will recall that teachers and students were also a part of the nation’s military mission.”

New anthology tells stories of DODEA students, teachers over the last 75 yearsThis unique collection of stories and photos can also be found on display at MAMF in Tijeras, New Mexico. The exhibit “Schooling With Uncle Sam” opened to the public on Oct. 11.

Dr. Olson says the DODEA had a lot of positive impacts.

“Undoubtedly the acquisition of state-of-the-art facilities is one of the biggest,” he said. “No more Quonset huts, portable classrooms, borrowed space from chapels, barracks, theaters. And the continuing evolution of teaching strategies — from digital classrooms to the innovative programs brought by a diverse faculty and availability of in-service training contracts with several U.S. universities and colleges. I also believe that the relationship between teachers and students in DODEA is unique in the way they bond, share intercultural experiences, and support one another in making a home and community away from home and community.”

According to DODEA, today it operates 160 schools in eight districts located within 11 foreign countries, seven states, and two territories across 10 time zones. There are nearly one million military connected-children of all ages worldwide, with more than 60,000 enrolled in DODEA schools served by more than 8,000 educators.

“Schooling With Uncle Sam” is available for purchase on Amazon or at the Museum of the American Military Family. Proceeds from the book support MAFM’s literary program.

For more on the history of DODEA, visit the 75th anniversary website.

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Tags: DODEAMilitary children schoolingMilitary schoolsMuseum of the American Military FamilySchooling with Uncle Sam
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Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman

Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman

Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman is an Air Force spouse, freelance writer and advocate with a passion for military-connected children and their families. She’s dedicated the last decade to understanding the challenges military kids face when changing schools. Stacy is the co-author of the book Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers. With her writing partner, Amanda Trimillos, EdD, they continue to promote awareness of challenges facing military-connected students in education through professional development for schools and support organizations as well as through their writing. Together they have been featured in multiple national podcasts and articles. They also manage a large Facebook support group for parents and teachers of military-connected students. As a former trainer parent educator for the Military Child Education Coalition, Stacy led workshops and seminars on many topics related to the education of military-connected students. Her passion for military-connected students has led her to many paid and volunteer positions, both stateside and with Department of Defense Education Activity schools overseas, and with multiple Parent Teacher Associations over the last decade. Stacy is a featured writer for Military Spouse Magazine, where she covers parenting topics, and is a guest writer for several national blogs. Her articles can also be found on the popular blog Scary Mommy, Military Times, and search site Niche.com. Stacy also started the military family website dedicated to education transition Families on the Homefront. In her “other” life, she worked in public affairs and project management for the city of Las Vegas for 14 years. She was the executive director for the Las Vegas Centennial. She led the way to baking the world largest birthday cake, hosting a 100,000 person parade, marrying 100 couples at once, organizing a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert and managing 450 other events, programs and public relations celebrating her hometown birthday! She is a graduate of the Greenspun School of Communications at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

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