As periennial “new kids,” military-connected students learn to adapt to each new school and environment, learning valuable skills that will serve them well all through their lives.
For military students getting ready to start yet another new school this fall, we have some helpful advice from fellow military kids, and tips on how to adapt to your new school this year and really change schools like a pro!
The Kimball family moved six times while father, Joe, served in the Coast Guard. He recently retired after 28 years of service as an officer and military aviator, serving the last three years as the Chief of Aviation Forces. The family relocated to the Washington, D.C.-area, where kids, Joe, 15, and Grace, 13, started another new school.
One thing the Kimball family tries to do with each PCS is focus on the adventure of their new assignment and community. That outlook helped shape the way Grace and Joe adapt to new situations, says mom, Shelley, who teaches media law at George Washington University and teaches online with the University of Florida, while maintaining a position as the Director of Research at the Military Family Advisory Network.
Education is very important to the entire Smiley family — dad Carlos left a career as a special education teacher to join the Navy. The Navy Corpsman plans to continue his education for yet another career while serving, working towards a Master’s in Healthcare Administration. Mom Yuki has her own M.Ed degree in reading, and is working towards another M.Ed in English as a second language, which she taught at Coastal Carolina Community College, and hopes to teach in a public school system.
The family PCSed this summer to Milton, Florida, where Carlos will be working at NAS Whiting Field. Honor student Emerson Smiley, 10, and younger brother Xyler, 6, will be starting their new schools there in mid-August, and will be putting these tips to the test!
