When my father, Odysseus, and his men sailed off to the Trojan War, they were confident their gods favored a quick victory. Instead, the siege of Troy lasted ten years. After Troy fell, the survivors made their way home to Sparta, Mycenae, Pylos, and elsewhere in the ancient Peloponnese. Neither my father nor any of his troops arrived home with the rest. We waited for years as the news grew worse. Odysseus was dead, we were told,or imprisoned, or, worst yet, he had married another woman and abandoned my mother Penelope, my brother Telemachus, and me.


If he is alive somewhere, his thoughts may wander to Penelope and Telemachus, but he won’t be thinking of me. I am the daughter he doesn’t know exists. Odysseus went off to the Trojan War when his son, Telemachus, was barely old enough to walk. His wife, Penelope, was a teenage bride, and is now a young wife, mother, and queen who has to try to rule Ithaca without him.


I was born seven months after he left. I am a hero’s daughter and a princess of his realm, but I have lived my entire life without a father. I’m nineteen now, and still waiting.


All over the world, and throughout history children grow up as I have. This website will focus on the children of those men and women who have gone off to fight America's wars, and provide information and resources for all who care about military families and want to help.

Friday, November 19, 2010

An Exceptional Teacher

I’ve talked a lot here about how important sensitive teachers are to the school experiences of military children, whose frequent moves and parental deployment can make life (and learning) difficult.  This week a teacher in San Antonio, Texas provides an example of what these children--and all others--need.  

Charli Mullen, a fifth grade teacher at Fort Sam Houston Elementary School received the KENS 5 SACU Golden Apple ExCEL Award.  KENS5 is a news station in San Antonio; SACU is the credit union co-sponsoring the award.)"I want them to be lifelong learners and to love learning. I am not here to dump things in their head every day. It's an active participation. I tell them I'm here 100 percent (and) I want you to be here 100 percent, and together we are 200 percent and think of all the awesome things we can do with that," Mullen said in her interview on KENS5 (see the link above).
Mullen is especially sensitive to how it feels to have a loved one deployed, because she is experiencing it herself.  Her husband, a Marine Corps officer is currently away on duty. "It makes me understand when they get upset or maybe their hurt feelings turn towards negative behavior. I can deal with it more appropriately," Mullen says.
"She knows how to make learning fun," says on student.  Tellingly, another of her students says, “Of all the seven teachers I've had, Mrs.Mullen is the best one.” Fifth grade, seven teachers.  If this wasn’t your school experience, try to picture starting over more than once a year.  Everyone needs teachers like Charli Mullen, but some students are clearly more vulnerable than others, and we are blessed that she is having such an impact on these few.
With my posts this week about the possible closure of on-base schools, it’s time to think long about attracting more teachers like Mullen to schools serving the children who are serving too.  Follow the link in this post to see this lovely, radiant young woman in action with her students.
Posted by About AART at 7:07 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)