How consistent academic intervention can provide stability for military children, no matter where their families are stationed.
At Higdon Learning Solutions, we have the privilege of working with several military families across the country. It's one of the parts of our work that I find especially meaningful.
Military families make tremendous sacrifices, and those sacrifices extend well beyond the service member. Military children must frequently adjust to new homes, new communities, new schools, and new friendships. Just as they begin to settle into a routine, another Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move may be on the horizon.
For children who struggle academically, these transitions can be particularly challenging.
Every New School Can Mean Starting Over
Imagine being a student who has worked diligently with a reading interventionist for an entire school year. You've built a relationship with your instructor, made progress with difficult concepts, and finally started to feel confident in your abilities.
Then your family receives orders to move.
Suddenly, you're attending a different school, using a different curriculum, and working with teachers who have never met you. Your new school may approach reading or mathematics differently, and the intervention program that was helping you make progress may no longer be available.
Even when families are diligent about transferring records and communicating with their children's new schools, there is often an adjustment period.
For students who need structured, consistent academic intervention, that interruption matters.
Why Consistency Is So Important
One of the most important components of effective academic intervention is the relationship between the student and instructor.
When an interventionist works with a child consistently, that instructor learns far more than which spelling patterns or math concepts the child finds difficult.
The instructor learns how the child thinks, what causes frustration, which explanations make sense, and when to provide additional support.
Perhaps most importantly, the child develops trust.
For students who have experienced academic struggles, that trust can make an enormous difference. A child who is hesitant to attempt an unfamiliar word or challenging math problem may be much more willing to persevere with an instructor who already understands those frustrations.
These relationships take time to build. Military children shouldn't have to start from scratch every time their families move.
Your Child's Interventionist Can Move With You
This is one of the reasons I'm such a strong advocate for virtual academic intervention.
At Higdon Learning Solutions, we provide individualized, one-on-one intervention to students throughout the country. Because our services are delivered virtually, a military family's next PCS move doesn't have to mean finding an entirely new interventionist.
A student who begins working with us in Virginia can continue those same sessions after moving to Texas, Florida, Washington, or another duty station.
The instructor remains the same. The relationship remains intact. The instructional goals continue.
And perhaps most importantly, the student doesn't have to spend another several weeks getting comfortable with someone new.
For a child whose life may already involve considerable change, that continuity can be invaluable.
New Schools Mean New Curricula, Too
Another challenge military families face is navigating differences in school curricula.
A student might attend a school using one approach to mathematics, only to transfer to a school using an entirely different program. Reading instruction, spelling sequences, and expectations for writing can also vary significantly from one school to another.
This is particularly relevant for families moving between classical schools, Catholic schools, and traditional public schools.
At Higdon Learning Solutions, we specialize in academic intervention for students attending classical and Catholic schools, with particular expertise in Orton-Gillingham literacy instruction, Singapore Math, and Saxon Math.
Our interventionists understand that students may need help not only mastering foundational concepts but also adjusting to the expectations and instructional approaches of their new classrooms.
We can help bridge those gaps while continuing to address the student's individual learning needs.
A Familiar Face During a Season of Change
There's something to be said for a child knowing that, even when everything else is changing, Tuesday afternoon still means meeting with the same reading instructor.
The same person who celebrated that difficult word finally being decoded.
The same person who patiently explained a challenging math concept.
The same person who knows when the child needs encouragement and when to push a little harder.
I think we sometimes underestimate how meaningful that familiarity can be.
Our interventionists aren't simply delivering lessons. They're developing relationships with students, learning their personalities, celebrating their accomplishments, and helping them develop confidence in their academic abilities.
For military children, those relationships can continue regardless of where their families are stationed.
Supporting the Whole Military Family
Frequent moves require an extraordinary amount of coordination from parents. Finding a new home, enrolling children in school, transferring medical records, and establishing routines in an unfamiliar community can be overwhelming.
Finding appropriate academic support shouldn't have to be another task that begins from scratch with every move.
When a family establishes a relationship with Higdon Learning Solutions, our goal is to provide continuity in one very important area of a child's life.
We can maintain instructional records, monitor progress over time, communicate with parents, and, when appropriate, collaborate with classroom teachers as students transition between schools.
That ongoing relationship helps ensure that instruction remains focused on the child's actual needs rather than repeatedly beginning with the process of getting to know a new student.
To Our Military Families, Thank You
As we recognize Veterans Day, I want to express my gratitude to the military families who have entrusted us with their children's education.
We recognize that service to our country often requires sacrifices from the entire family, including children who must repeatedly say goodbye to friends, teachers, and familiar surroundings.
We're grateful for the opportunity to provide a little consistency along the way.
One of the greatest privileges of running Higdon Learning Solutions is watching relationships develop between our interventionists and the students they serve. Knowing those relationships can continue through a family's next PCS move makes this work even more meaningful.
Your duty station may change, but your child's academic support doesn't have to.
To our veterans, active-duty service members, and military families, thank you for your service, your sacrifices, and the trust you place in us.
God bless our veterans and military families!
Academic Intervention That Moves With Your Family
Higdon Learning Solutions provides individualized virtual academic intervention for students throughout the United States, specializing in:
Orton-Gillingham Literacy Intervention: Explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, spelling, and reading fluency.
Singapore Math Intervention: Individualized support for students using Singapore Math, Dimensions Math, and Math in Focus.
Saxon Math Intervention: Targeted instruction that complements the structure and sequence of Saxon Math.
Executive Functioning Support: Helping students develop organization, planning, task initiation, and independent study skills.
Our intervention programs are designed to provide consistent, individualized instruction, even when families relocate.
Moving soon? Already anticipating your next PCS? We'd love to help your child maintain academic continuity wherever military life takes you.
Learn more at www.higdonsolutions.com.
