karesnextchapter

As I turn the page to the next chapter of my life, I will be sharing the journey with others who might like to travel with me. In addition to sharing bits and pieces of what led me to make a conscious decision to pause and reboot my life I will share my personal journey as I go from page to page: Creating space, Reconnecting, Exploring, and preparing for Reentry as described in Reboot Your Life.

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A moment of reflection on the eve of a new school year. 3 years ago I left Michigan on a journey to reboot my professional and personal life. After a year living as a nomad, I landed in Ocean City, MD. My sons are thriving as each achieves his goals: law school graduate, college graduate, and senior year in college for my youngest. Working as many hours as possible at as many jobs as possible to keep the bills paid was challenging, yet I am thankful I had the strength to persevere towards my dreams. The past nine months brought gain in my professional life and great loss in my personal life as both of my parents crossed over into heaven.  Life is a process that requires I keep pedaling and moving forward if I am to keep my balance. Consequently,  I am thrilled to be teaching first grade again as I did my first year of teaching out of college. I have truly begun again. Buckingham Elementary School and Worcester County Public Schools welcomed me in October 2014 as a substitute, then Educational Assistant, then long-term substitute, and now as a full-time classroom teacher. My friends and students fill my bucket every day, and I am truly blessed. As the sun rises over the ocean and sets over the bay I breathe in the salt air knowing I am where I am to be in this season of my life. When I welcome my “sunshines” tomorrow, I will do so with a grateful heart. As for my personal life...tomorrow is a new day.

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You can't control the outcome of events, but you can control what you think and what you do.

Spencer Johnson

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Time to pedal on and start another chapter! I am back in the same "tent" I rented last year with a lease until June 30th after renting a room in Bethany Beach for most of summer. It has been two years since I pulled out of Michigan and one step at a time, one joy, one challenge at a time the journey continues. I've made new friends and kept my "old" friends😄, worked more hours then I thought possible as a substitute, childcare provider, customer sales associate at Michaels (promoted to Customer service manager for the summer), and manned the hut at a local mini golf. God continues to provide. Needing to spread out spending time with my guys is painful at times, yet, I know they are strong, wise, attaining their own adult goals, and very supportive of me to press on. We, my guys and their girls, celebrated as a last minute spot opened up in the local school district for me to be employed as an educational assistant overseeing the Digital Learning Lab for Pre-K -4th grade for Worcester County Public Schools. "Teach at the beach"😄 Yes, it is not a bona fide teaching position, but that will happen next. I spent most of last school year with a great faculty, staff, and students. So many connections and being in the right spot at the right time came together. My first day of inservice was today and without exception every teacher stopped by to congratulate me and say how thrilled they were for me. Go where you are celebrated. Pedaling on...

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If you cease to betray yourself, the self-sabotage in your life simply stops."

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[bibliolectors]

[firstbook]

90% of brain development happens in the first five years, so every moment is an opportunity for a young child to learn! Talking, singing & reading to kids ages 0-5 provides them with the stimulation to make connections & the capacity to learn more new things.

[from-student-to-teacher]

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June 1st is here and I've moved out of my temporary winter digs to...not sure yet but for a couple weeks staying with family while I continue the search. Love being in Ocean City, substituting in the local schools, and working a couple other part-time jobs. Rebooting my life takes grit, patience, and enjoying every bit of joy from a child's hug to a sunrise walk on the beach. What does the future hold? I've got my flip flops on and am ready to take the next step.😎

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One of my favorite quotations comes from Goethe and speaks to this truth: “If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.”

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"Darkest before the dawn", "tie a knot and hang on", "focus on what you have instead of what you don't", "there's no where to go but up"...you get the picture

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BE FEARLESS IN FEBRUARY

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.” Eleanor Roosevelt

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BE FEARLESS IN FEBRUARY

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot." Eleanor Roosevelt

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"A schedule is not restrictive; it is liberating"

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Time continues to pass whether we take responsibility for every moment or not. I choose to be mindful and redeem the time by reflecting on the progress I'm making while waiting on God to continue to open doors.

I am thankful that since I "pitched my tent" in Ocean City, MD three months ago that I am making progress.  Work consists of substituting practically every school day in a variety of positions, working part-time at Michaels, and providing childcare for families in the area. That is a foundation for becoming part of the community and a step towards a full-time teaching position. While still "dating" churches in the area, I have joined the Atlantic Bell Choir and am looking forward to participating in a festival with over 600 ringers in March. As for relationships/friendships, that will take time, yet, I continue to be welcomed at every turn. Since winter breezes in and out here, I am able to ride my bike, walk the boardwalk and the beach in the middle of January. This is quite a change from winter in Michigan.

I've missed my guys immensely over the last three months especially through the holidays and look forward to seeing them soon. They encourage me to press on through this transition time as they press on with their schooling. Thank you my friends who continue to support me through phone calls, email, snail mail, and prayers; your belief in me propels me on.

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A new year full of possibilities, grace, and love. As I contemplate my goals for the year, I find it is best to formulate a 30 day plan with specific activities and habits that need to be added or subtracted from my day to day life. I am committed to recalibrating at the beginning of each month by analyzing the results of my changes and creating a fresh 30 day plan.  Will small, sustainable changes result in measurable differences? Will challenging myself to do something different, new, or simply differently, enable me to ascend the ladder more efficiently in every area of my life? It is time to climb as high as I can in January and not look down.

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Turning the page

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"A new beginning-where what can't be forgiven or forgotten may at least be relegated to the past."