It's Not Me, It's You....

and other things I have been meaning to share

~ By Kristie Jones

When I tell people that I have to pinch myself every day knowing that this beautiful little place that is Peace of Mind exists, it's true. It has and continues to exceed my greatest hopes and wildest dreams.....

Peace of Mind is more than just a space for tutoring, it is a community. In addition to our primary purposes for private tutoring, advocacy and consulting, Peace of Mind also houses a micro school for grades K-12.

Our community extends beyond these programs to include a monthly book club for adults led by Jessica Daly, local branch manager for the Richland Library. Anne Miller of Rooted Columbia led a family yoga night in the outdoor space of Peace of Mind in the fall of 2021. Our students and families have participated in several outreach programs, donating books to schools where there is a greater need and collecting coats through a winter coat drive to send to underprivileged kids who were without. Our Peace of Mind students supported several Adopt-a-Family projects during December of 2022 and our Sunnyside Academy micro school students facilitated these projects as well as regularly volunteer delivering food for our local branch of Meals on Wheels.

The educators at Peace of Mind are experts in specific fields such as foreign languages, special education, pre-school readiness, AP test preparation, autism specific services, college preparatory

support and emotional, social and behavioral backgrounds. This diversity is intentional and it is designed and desired to always evolve to meet the needs of those who join us. We are focused on education but at the base of all of what we do is to create and to provide Peace of Mind.

Peace of Mind celebrated our one year anniversary in August 2022 and in our first year we have seen over 125 students from 25 different schools and from 7 different counties in our state. At Peace of Mind, students ages 3 to 23 work together, developing friendships, helping each other, laughing,

reading, studying, sharing and simply being. It is my greatest hope that if we do nothing else, each one of these students know that here, they have a space and a place where they are welcome, safe and loved.

At Peace of Mind we strive to meet kids where they are and to help them discover and develop ways they can be their personal best. John C. Maxwell is quoted as saying, 'you're only as good as the people you have around you'. There isn't a more true statement. I facilitate excellence within our program by surrounding myself with a team of exceptional educators. In addition to this, being able to collaborate with the heroes that are the classroom teachers is truly a gift. So many local professionals graciously allow us to join their village each day with open minds and hearts and the willingness to work together with the underlying belief that together, through collaboration and collective support, we can help all students succeed.

All of that brings me to the point of this blog. While I have personally put all of my heart into this beautiful little space and often think of it as the most special third baby I never had, the bottom line goes back to the title of this post: It's not me, it's you. I created a space but each of you filled it. Together, we have created a community beyond my wildest dreams and that has grown and exists well outside of any plans I could have imagined. As we move into year two and I consider whether or not this blog space will be something we want to continue, it only seemed fitting to at least start with this post.

Thank you to the fantastic educators, the trusting and supportive families and most importantly, the incredible kids we are so fortunate to get to spend time with each day. Thank you for filling our space and for building our community. You bring joy to my life each day by encouraging and fostering growth and positivity that is needed and infectious. I can't wait to see how we all continue to grow together. ~ Kristie