A School Counselor Withdraws from School

Twenty-two years working in education and the time has come for me to withdraw from day-to-day school life. Along with the additional twenty years of other careers, internships, volunteer work, and raising my own two daughters, I have been working with children and teens for forty-two years. It is time for me to take an extended summer break!

I’ve given myself permission to step away– just a little bit. I will continue with two projects that will still support young people. More on these two projects later!

I am grateful for the doors that opened up my curiosity and for learning about the emotional development of children, the dynamics of families, and the human spirit when faced with hard life circumstances. This curiosity and learning have led to my purpose and life’s work.

My mission: To help any young person uncover their strength to get through hard things.

This simple mission statement has led me through my careers, volunteer work, and especially in my role as a mother. It has also been a personal statement for me.

We all need to uncover our strengths to get through hard things– including me.

I will forever hold in my heart each story of each child I have met through the years. They will always be in my prayers.

For those children, I feel so blessed to have met, whose lives were way too short on this earth... I will always look up and thank them for the time they shared with me... and the beautiful lessons they taught me about facing hard things in life.

The stories I have encountered through the years are as unique as each of the children I have met in so many spaces. There are so many stories filled with difficult and painful life circumstances, and I struggled to believe how any of them could possibly happen to a child. There are also so many stories with beautiful moments of children learning about themselves and thriving along their individual paths of childhood.

They have all impacted me. They have all taught me. They have all inspired me.

Children learn from what is in front of them– whether it is good or bad. They arrive with a determination to learn and experience everything. They truly want to do their best to become their best selves.

I hope I helped. I hope I made a difference.

Most days I know I did.

So many times, in these safe spaces where I sat with a child or teen, I was so lucky to observe a young person sit up a little straighter, hold back their shoulders, and with a brighter face exclaim “I will keep trying… I will try again… I will go on!”

Following these moments, my day was done. That was all I ever needed as I went home each day.

If I helped a child find a little more strength and courage to keep trying at whatever difficult circumstances surrounded them, that was overwhelmingly enough for me.

Mission completed.

There were most definitely hard days... when I didn’t know if I helped at all. Those were tough days... usually followed by sleepless nights. But, like so many children in front of me, who showed me so many times how to do it, I rose again the next day, to begin again... to try again. I would persevere because they showed me how to do it... and I would be someone who kept showing up for them.

And then there were the celebrations! Incredible, momentous, and happy moments of success about anything... anything that was important to that child... I was there to celebrate with them! Those were magical moments, I will always remember why it’s important to notice and celebrate every success... big or small!

It has all been worth it. To reflect and cherish this lifetime of work means everything to me. This work is where I have been able to immerse myself in learning from countless children and families in front of me. I am grateful I was there to help when they were going through hard things. I am grateful I was able to be just one person, who was able to notice their strength shining through... and cheer them on through the hard things and celebrations of life.

By the grace of God, I have never felt alone in my work. I have always felt a greater power around me giving me the strength to keep doing this work. This is what I was called to do.

I am grateful for the many teachers, colleagues, and mentors who have encouraged, empowered, or challenged me. I became a stronger professional because of them.

This is hard work we do.

It’s okay to say when we need to step away or change it up.

This time has come for me.

I am beyond grateful for the ongoing love and encouragement from my husband, my daughters, my family, and my friends. They have held me up through the years much more than they likely know.

And so, it’s been an incredible ride through all careers, experiences and now retiring from day-day school life.

Time to focus on the next projects...

Coming soon... news about Youth Mental Health First Aid classes and the You Can Do Hard Things book and project!

This work of taking care of people– especially young people– will always be needed. My work will continue.

Take care. mkb