Military Children Face Greater Academic Challenges Due To Relocation And Emotional Stress



Michelle Hurley attended 12 different schools in six different states by the time she reached her high school graduation. She shifted between three different schools during her high school years alone.

"You just learn to deal with it," she says. "I was in the third grade before I did a full year of school without moving."

This is the reality children with parents in the military continue to face each year.

Hurley was on the move often, following her father, who was on active duty in the Army during her childhood. As he was reassigned, his faithful family followed, each time having to build new relationships and adjust to new surroundings.

Hurley remembers the frustration that came with each move and the fear that came with the midnight phone calls. Usually the wives of fellow military men called her mother for late-night support, relying on the solace of sharing their situation with others. She remembers how difficult it was when her father was gone, serving in the first Iraq war.

"You end up relying on your family to get you through," she recalls. "You just lean on each other."

According to the Department of Defense, there are currently over 2 million children of military parents in the United States. Military children typically attend between seven to nine schools before they graduate, moving approximately every two years. Each relocation brings with it the numerous problems associated with transitioning between education systems that may not translate. All these issues come amidst the emotional distress children face when a parent is absent for long periods of time, usually deployed to a dangerous destination.

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