Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers, by Amanda Trimillos, EdD, and Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman received Gold/First Place for best reference book at the Military Writer’s Society of America 2019 awards. Each year, MWSA recognizes excellence among military authors and their books. This year’s awards were announced September 14 at a ceremony in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the MWSA 2019 national conference.
Amanda and Stacy are military spouses and moms with professional experience in education and a desire to support military-connected students.
“We wrote this book to support those who did not ask to serve but serve nonetheless—our kids,” says Stacy.
Both authors say the top honor from MWSA for their book gives more visibility and priority to the unique experiences faced by students in military families. These students change schools six to nine times from pre-K to high school graduation, as well as facing frequent deployments and other family separations.
“This award recognizes the challenges of military-connected students transitioning from school to school, and also that Seasons of My Military Student offers parents and teachers the boots-on-the-ground support for those students,” says Amanda, who has taught high school at civilian and Department of Defense Education Activity schools.
“Moving is never easy,” says Stacy, “and moving with school-aged children can bring a whole new level of worry and frustration to military families.”
Amanda says those are the issues the book was created to address, offering “support and guidance for military-connected students, their parents and teachers as they navigate seasons and storms of military life.”
Kris Patterson, board reviewer for the MWSA award, writes that Seasons of My Military Student is a “must-have, how-to manual for new parents, caregivers or teachers of military-connected children,” and “provides parents and teachers pragmatic and innovative ways to help these children thrive in their ever-changing environment.”
Calling the book a unique blend of research, practices, techniques, and personal accounts from parents and educators, Kris says the book should be given to new arrivals at every military installation.
“It is such an honor to have Seasons of My Military Student be recognized by MWSA as a Gold winner,” says Amanda.
“We hope our book serves as a reminder to parents and teachers,” says Stacy, “that moving is the easy part and that changing school without set-backs takes a plethora of committed adults.”
Released in paperback in June 2018, Seasons of My Military Student was previously awarded Gold/First Place in education at the 2019 Benjamin Franklin Awards given by the Independent Book Publishers Association for excellence and innovation in publishing.
About the Authors
Amanda Trimillos is an Air Force spouse, mother, and national board certified teacher. She is coauthor of Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers and wrote “School Choices and Changes” in Stories Around the Table: Laughter, Wisdom, and Strength in Military Life.
Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman is an Air Force spouse, mother, freelance writer, military life consultant, and advocate within the military spouse community. She is coauthor of Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers and wrote “Dot to Dot, Friend to Friend” in Stories Around the Table: Laughter, Wisdom, and Strength in Military Life.
About the Publisher
Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers is published by Elva Resa Publishing, an independent publisher based in St. Paul, Minnesota, whose mission is to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Its primary imprint specializes in books for and about military families.
Seasons of My Military Student is available in softcover and ebook from MilitaryFamilyBooks.com, Amazon.com, and other booksellers. More information is available at SeasonsofMyMilitaryStudent.com. A free book club discussion guide and professional development program are also available.