By Meg Flanagan
When I moved to Camp Pendleton in 2010, I noticed parents talking at command events about how lost their kids felt in school or how they were pulling them to homeschool because moving had left so many holes in their education. On a whim, I posted an ad on Camp Pendleton Yard Sales advertising my tutoring and homeschooling services. I had an immediate response.
When I moved to Camp Pendleton in 2010, I noticed parents talking at command events about how lost their kids felt in school or how they were pulling them to homeschool because moving had left so many holes in their education. On a whim, I posted an ad on Camp Pendleton Yard Sales advertising my tutoring and homeschooling services. I had an immediate response.
As an elementary and special education teacher, I know how vital educational continuity is for kids. As a military spouse, I understand how disruptive our frequent moves can be. MilKids Education was born out of the need I saw around me for someone to make sure at least some of our children were getting those gaps filled - someone in the education field who understood the military lifestyle. Initially, I was a tutor, but have decided to take things to the next level as a blogger to hopefully reach more people and affect greater positive change.
Having consistency is especially important for our children with special needs. Many of the families I worked with, both military and civilian, were really struggling with understanding the special education system. Understanding how the process works is challenging; it is a tough nut to crack, even for teachers! The referral, assessment, evaluation, and creation of a plan takes up important time. For military families, making sure that Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and other special education programs are honored and available from location to location is really hard. Will occupational therapy services be offered or covered at our next station? What does the autism program look like at schools near where we will live? With the added stress of frequent moves, it is important that military families especially understand the ins and outs of the special education system and can plan accordingly.
Having consistency is especially important for our children with special needs. Many of the families I worked with, both military and civilian, were really struggling with understanding the special education system. Understanding how the process works is challenging; it is a tough nut to crack, even for teachers! The referral, assessment, evaluation, and creation of a plan takes up important time. For military families, making sure that Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and other special education programs are honored and available from location to location is really hard. Will occupational therapy services be offered or covered at our next station? What does the autism program look like at schools near where we will live? With the added stress of frequent moves, it is important that military families especially understand the ins and outs of the special education system and can plan accordingly.
For military families, making sure that Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and other special education programs are honored and available from location to location is really hard. | My goal is to eventually become a go-to authority on how we should educate our military children, especially those with special needs or learning differences. Right now, MilKids Education is building a reputation as a friendly site where families can turn for straightforward, accurate, |
legally sound educational advice. I'll be tackling the IEP/504 process, how to become an advocate for your child, and advice on building relationships with teachers. On the lighter side, I also will also have fun items like Top 10 lists, reading ideas, and snapshots of how my own educational journey with our toddler is going - right now, we're into chalk in a big way!
By building MilKids Education, I am making steps to help our military children have as consistent an education as possible. It is important to make sure that we have a unified national educational system that allows all children to be their best selves without any gaps. I would love to be an educational consultant or special education advocate full time, but would be equally happy knowing that I have helped families move forward in their educational journeys with better information.
Many Kind Regards,
Marguerite Flanagan
Read about one writer's fight with the school district here.
Meg Flanagan, the creator of MilKids Education Consulting, is a Marine Corps spouse, special education teacher, elementary teacher, and mom. She holds an M.Ed in special education and a BS in elementary education. She has taught in public, private, and home schools; inner city, suburban, and rural. She has worked with kids who are four grades above their chronological age and kids who are nonverbal. She’s worked in CA, MA, and VA, and hold licenses in all three states in both of her areas of expertise. She can be reached at [email protected].
MilKids Education Consulting Logo credit: Rochelle Hickey Design
Original photo credit: Pabak Sarkar Flickr
By building MilKids Education, I am making steps to help our military children have as consistent an education as possible. It is important to make sure that we have a unified national educational system that allows all children to be their best selves without any gaps. I would love to be an educational consultant or special education advocate full time, but would be equally happy knowing that I have helped families move forward in their educational journeys with better information.
Many Kind Regards,
Marguerite Flanagan
Read about one writer's fight with the school district here.
Meg Flanagan, the creator of MilKids Education Consulting, is a Marine Corps spouse, special education teacher, elementary teacher, and mom. She holds an M.Ed in special education and a BS in elementary education. She has taught in public, private, and home schools; inner city, suburban, and rural. She has worked with kids who are four grades above their chronological age and kids who are nonverbal. She’s worked in CA, MA, and VA, and hold licenses in all three states in both of her areas of expertise. She can be reached at [email protected].
MilKids Education Consulting Logo credit: Rochelle Hickey Design
Original photo credit: Pabak Sarkar Flickr
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