I was not a restful day.

My daughter is not old enough for college yet, but I have been helping my best friend’s daughter get organized for her first year of college. My best friend works a lot and I am off in the summers, so I rose to the occasion and got involved in list making and shopping trips and packing, packing, packing.

One cool tool I did not have back in the day was the CampusReady app on Facebook. You can do everything from design your dormroom in 3D before you even more in to setting up a gift registry so your friends and family knoiw what you need to prepare for the big move.

I keep adding items to the lists, remembering that day when I moved into campus for the first time and found myself a whole lot less prepared than I thought. However, since we are smack dab in the middle of the information age, making up for things you have forgot to pack is easier than it was twenty years ago.

For example, Sears department stores has an innovative program that allows you to browse and buy online almost anything your new college student might need (like microwaves, dorm fridges, twin XL sheets and other bedding) and then have the items made ready for you at a Sears store closer to your child’s school. It sure beats trying to over-pack your car trunk or rushing around after you’ve arrived in a bustling University town trying to locate everything you need. And, who wants to pay shipping? Not me. I love that you can just pick the stuff up at any Sears store.

I mentioned XL twin sheets in my last paragraph. Don’t overlook these. Most colleges have beds in their dorms that use extra long mattresses and a standard twin sheet set is not going to fit right. XL sheets do not cost more than standard sheets, but you need to make sure you have the right size for your bed. If you are unsure, then Sears allowing you to order and pick up at a local store is just the thing for you. Check your kid into the dorms, measure the mattress, fire up the laptop and go to Sears,com to order your sheets. Not a bad way to get things done, huh?

And, while you’re ordering from Sears, make sure you make all of your purchases via Upromise.com. Upromise members who purchase on Sears.com are automatically entered into CampusReady for a chance to win money to use toward your child’s tuition. You can also enter for free by going to sears.com/campusready.

I love that I am able to segue from my associate job into the classroom teacher job, at the same school I was at last year. I know most of my students and am already comfortable at the school. I have a support system in place, several good friends on the staff, and know what I need to do to fit in and be a productive part of the school community. It’s a blessing to not have to fumble along in a brand new school and face class after class of students I have never seen before.

All those years ago in college I had thought I wanted to be an English teacher. I had an adviser as well as the chair of the communications department talk me out of that plan, instead convincing me I had a great career in writing. My career has been exciting, involved a lot of writing, and allowed me to accomplish a great number of interesting things. However, I never stopped knowing I would make a good teacher.

So, when I got divorced, I took a look at my life and decided to start over and accomplish some of my original goals in life. It feels good. I love my job and I adore the students. I relish how each day is different and the challenges keep coming my way. It is also easy to admit that having the summers off to be with my daughter is a dream come true. It is actually a little bit like having the best of both worlds – a satisfying carer AND the time I need to spend with my child.

Do I dare to load Photoshop on my laptop, though? It would probably buck and scream and start to smoke. I am pretty sure the district will not be giving me a computer when I get a teaching job (unlike Pasco County), so I will probably be taking the cheap HP to school with me. I won’t be too concerned with damage or theft, but will it do the job if I need to load a lot of new software?

In the meantime, this afternoon I got an offer from the high school where I interviewed last week. I had to ask the gal in personnel to give me two days to work out my issues and hand her a final answer. I really do prefer to go back to my old school, but we have to ensure the spot is actually open. I do not want to turn down the other high school if I cam not 100% certain things are going to work out at my old school. And, we probably will not really know about that until Wednesday morning.

High. Anxiety. Situation.

That would mean I would have an advocate at that school. Even better, it would mean a vacancy at my old school! I have to jump on this one.

I need guidance.

I’m hoping and praying that something opens up at my old school. That is where I really want to be.

For some kids, reading is a chose. For others, it is a delightful escape. No matter, all children need to be reading as often as possible. The more they read, the better they get at reading. The better they are at reading, the more they read. It’s an unending circle.

More often than not, someone just needs to spend one-on-one time with a child and help them to find at least one book that captures their interest. I LOVE to read, but a textbook on Economics puts me to sleep and is often a struggle for me to comprehend on a satisfactory level. I’m no different from anyone else. If we are honestly interested in what we are reading, it is easier to read.

For some kids, the text that hooks them might be a sports magazine, or a book about robots, or a story about a princess. One genre I have found interests a wide variety of children of school age is fantasy adventure. It just seems to resonate with children, probably because children have more vivid imaginations by nature than their adult counterparts.

Here then, is one reading suggestion along these lines: Chin and the Magic Stones: Book One – Becoming Guardians by L.J. Salazar.

It has adventure chock full of riddles. It has an entire world of fantasy vivid with the potential of magic. It has lessons in the value of positive thinking, and it has a protagonist that kids can relate to in our modern world. If you think your child would find joy in the fantasy genre, this is a good first book to give them as they embark on their new reading journey.

Clocking in at a brief 108 pages, Chin and the Magic Stones will not overwhelm a struggling reader. And, it will leave more confident readers anxious for the next book in the series. It is generally suited for young readers from the ages of 7 to 11, but we all know that kids read at many different levels at any given age, so this is a book actually appropriate for a much broader age range.

And, in the end, it all comes down to helping our children make reading choices that will not only engage and excite them, but also have a positive impact on their lives. Anyone who experiences Chin’s adventure along with him will come away with the benefits of some of the lessons he learns about believing in himself and understanding that positive thoughts lead to self esteem and the fulfillment of dreams. These are lessons we all need to learn – over and over.

Salazar is the father of an 11-year-old son, so you can rest assured that this story is coming from someone who understands the age group for which he is writing. On the surface, this is the exciting adventure of a boy and his dog (the extraordinary Eagle). On a deeper level, it’s a handbook for positive thought.

Take a look at Chin and the Magic Stones on Amazon’s website. You can pick it up for less than $10.

However, that wasn’t my point. Sorry about that tangent.

My point is that, as parents, we need to make sure our kids still have opportunities to learn over the summer break. It is true that a good bit of time at the beginning of each school year is spent reteaching some of the skills kids seem to lose over the summer months. That’s not going to change.

You can help your kids stay just a little bit sharper, though, with minimal planning and effort.

Keep your kids active.
When I was a child, summer meant being outside from morning until late-night sundown. We ran and built forts and skateboarded down hills. We built dams in the creeks behind my neighborhood and explored old civil war bridges and chimneys in those same woods. Of course, I grew up in the DC outskirts of Virginia, where summers were temperate. Here in Florida I have to put a little more effort into figuring out places we can go to be active without getting to heatstroke. We load up on water and hit the local beaches and parks.

Help your kids stay interested in reading.
Especially with struggling readers, summer can mean months without picking up a books. Sit down with your child and help them find a book or magazine that is in their interest area. Find fun reading material that will wake up their imaginations. And, no matter how old your child, offer to read aloud to them. Even your teens will benefit from some reading aloud by mom or dad.

Find some fun lesson ideas.
If you are really motivated, you might even do some research and find some fun lessons online to help bolster any areas your child struggled in this past year. You don’t have to be a teacher to find a search engine and type in “lessons multiplication grade 4” – or whatever the relevant subject may be. You would be surprised at the massive cache of free worksheets and lesson ideas out there floating around in cyberspace.

I found some worksheets and learning strategies I am going to use this summer to help my daughter with some of the reversals she struggles with in reading and writing (b, d, p, etc.). I am also going to take things a step ahead and work with her on multiplication and division. She did not cover that in Kindergarten, but she loves math and actually delights in working ahead.

Anyway, my message is simply this – use the summer to keep your kids sharp. Believe me, the teachers will love you this fall. Parental involvement is something that has been proven to make a difference and teachers can tell which kids are receiving more parental involvement than others.

It’s a hard pill to swallow, because I pointedly made a move to change careers three years ago. I went back to school and got certified to teach. I know my new career is not over and this is just a bump in the road, so I have decided to take the time that has been handed to me to do even more coursework.

Teachers are a group of people who enjoy learning. Therefore, teachers are continuously taking classes, going to trainings, and voluntarily adding to their knowledge base. Often, at their own expense and on their own time. I’m taking a series of courses on how to teach reading right now. And, I am looking for other courses that will add to my knowledge and make me more hirable for my next interview. My preference, due to being a single mom, is to take my classes online.

No matter what your professional field may be, continuing to add to your knowledge base is always a good thing. Not only will you stay on top of the most cutting edge Job skills and theories in your field, you will position yourself above other job candidates when you are up for a new position.

Of course, your resume will reflect your degrees and additional training, but now there is also another way to showcase your expertise. Learn.com recently launched a program called Skill Score. Think of it like you would a credit rating. Your Skill Score will directly reflect your skill, knowledge, and job readiness in any given Job Profile. You can take courses that increase your expertise in a particular field or access continuing education courses for fields such as nursing, teaching and accounting. You can even earn entire certifications.

Employers will ideally be able to look at your Skill Score and use it as a valuable tool in the hiring process. It is a simple indication that you are actively seeking to gain new knowledge and keeping ahead of the pack. A Skill Score is a measure of your potential worth as an employee.

I decided to check out how Learn.com’s system works by signing up for a free account and taking a course. Now, it looks like Education is not yet available as a Skill Profile or a Course category, but I have faith they will adding it soon. Just take a look at their IT category and you’ll understand why I say that. It’s full of amazing courses and other categories will follow suit.

In the meantime, I poked around a little more and in the Business section I found an entire category of coursework on Instructional Design. I’m not sure why this does not come up when you search “education”, but it should. More and more schools and businesses are offering training and coursework online. Even when looking for a teaching job, I am seeing more opportunities for people who know how to design courses that are being offered on our state’s virtual high school platform.

One of the Skill Profiles that interests me is Human Resources, Training, & Labor Relations Specialists. Based on my career before teaching, this is the area I am now looking for work outside the schools. Now that I have been in education, I see that training and instruction is my passion. Once you sign up for a particular Skill Proifile, you simply begin working through the courses. It’s all planned out for you.

Since a lot of employers will see my skill set as suited to HR, but look at my lack of experience in the field, working through my Skill Profile will show me where I already have strengths and where I need to focus on improvement and skill aquisition. This is going to be a more valuable tool for me than for anyone interviewing me

Another series of courses I’m excited about is the package that would give me an entire year of access to course work in Instructional Design. The cost is amazingly reasonable. And, if you only want a 6 month access window, you will pay less than you would eating out at a fast food restaurant for 2 adults and a child. I kid you not.

Instructional Design has five separate courses – Design Concepts; Analysis and Objectives; Evaluation; Planning and Implementation; Process, Needs and Roles. These are the kinds of skills I really want to be able to add to my resume. I’m looking forward to the additional confidence these courses will afford me when it comes time to apply for instructional jobs that may have been out of my comfort zone before.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: online learning is such a gift. As a single mom, I can be here at home with my daughter and still continue to advance my learning, add to my qualifications, and ensure that I stay at the head of the pack in this tough job market.