Even if that college happens to have a campus dotted with real marble columns and ivy covered walls, rather than one that simply exists in cyberspace, do we learn everything we need to know professionally there? Many professionals may in fact come away with a great deal of debt, and many high level skills, but not always the brimful he or she had expected to acquire. Luckily, many non-profit organizations support continued career development. I noticed that my own town’s Chamber of Commerce offers an empowering “W.O.W.” meeting each month. Glastonbury Connecticut’s Chamber of Commerce offers free “Women of the Workforce” workshops on a variety of professionally and personally enriching topics. Charities also offer a number of volunteer and training opportunities. My friend Maisie, a CPA and college professor, serves on the executive committee, as treasurer, for two multimillion dollar charities. Although accomplished at her paid jobs, Maisie finds the leadership opportunities provided by these charities to be extremely valuable for her success at work, and that the inspirational workshops provide her with more than enough confidence to complete grueling gym workouts and add to her overall positive well-being.

My next door neighbor, Melissa, working mom of two teens and one college student, recently spent a week-long volunteer vacation in Sea Girt, NJ, which lies still devastated by Storm Sandy. “We helped a lot of people on our Habitat for Humanity Mission, most of all, me!“ said Melissa, mom of Anna, our fourteen-year-old, weekly parent-helper.  “Anna’s mom is on a mission, a real mission” I told my friends, Renee and Jenny-Anne, who admired Anna’s freshly done dark purple nails and my crisp, lemon yellow ones, as we all enjoyed our dinner and a folk music concert at the local Whole Foods. With Melissa as our tireless inspiration, Anna and I will certainly give the hour that we spent being pampered at the salon back to the community by working at several local charity events this summer.

Personally, I have been learning from the professional development workshops offered by the Connecticut Reading Association since I first became a certified teacher back in 1999.  More recently, I felt that I would benefit from serving in an executive board position, and also honing my own public speaking skills as a presenter for adults. Although I completed two graduate programs and earned state credentials as both a reading teacher and a reading administrator, I picked up helpful additional training through my volunteer work, such as many business skills, which are not included in most educator preparation programs, but do in fact come in handy, especially as teachers take on more leadership responsibilities. In the summer of 2012 I took part in a Leadership Development Workshop for The Connecticut Reading Association led by Marcie Craig Post, the International Reading Association’s Executive Director and Rayann Mitchell, IRA’s Leadership Development Associate. These experienced leaders provided members of our organization with professional development that active members of any charitable group would find extremely informative. Ms. Mitchell explained IRA’s philosophy of an inverted pyramid hierarchy.  Both women placed themselves at the bottom point of the inverted pyramid. Ms. Post and Ms. Mitchell both tirelessly advise the boards of directors of reading associations across the globe, who in turn help the educators who ultimately serve the many students and parents in their respective communities. Our local affiliate organization, www.ctreading.org,   is fortunate to have so many dedicated members and the helpful guidance of the IRA’s central office. Along with a dozen other dedicated Connecticut educators, I have the opportunity to obtain additional training, by again meeting with Ms. Post and Ms. Mitchell this month. Here I am at a previous meeting with Marcie Craig Post, and Rayann Mitchell.

Spending time away from my pre-school age daughter, in order to ensure that I gain the skills to be the best that I can possibly be is well worth it to our family; and I’m forever thankful for the luxury of having my parents and my in-laws all within an hour’s drive of my home and workplace to offer their time and support in raising soon to be three-year-old Annie.  Being a mom, whether you work outside the home or not can be a challenge, and often the best place to find support is through a volunteer organization such as the local PTA, which usually offers free baby-sitting during meetings. If you find some free time and a reasonable childcare arrangement this summer, try to stay off the couch and sign up instead for a volunteer job, perhaps for a fun-filled local sporting event. If you feel that you have the skills to serve your community in a leadership position, consider running for a town board position or becoming a board member of a charity.