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Karen Robinson wears a dress was made for her by the aunt
of the boy she tutored. The pattern was made from the
Vanuatu flag. The walking stick was a gift from teachers
of SE Ambrym in appreciation for the five-day
literacy workshop she ran.  Photo by Tim Stepien

“The tag line said ‘5 percent of our volunteers are 50 plus,’ ” she recalled. “When I saw that I said, ‘bingo.’ Now that is a good reason to retire.”

Robinson, 64, said she loved being a school counselor, especially for the primary grades. But it was time for a change.

“I was able to take my teaching and counseling experience and skills and use them in Vanuatu where I was a teacher trainer in the Peace Corps,” she said. “I developed and facilitated workshops for primary teachers in the area of literacy.” 

She worked with a boy in Vanuatu, a volcanic island chain in the Pacific Ocean, between Fiji and Australia.  

“When I met him as a third-grader he didn’t even know what letter his name began with,” she said. “He never completed a year of school.”  

Now he attends school every day, and the week she left Vanuatu, he called her and said, “Karen, hemi aoraet sapos mi ridim wan buk long yu? (Karen, is it OK if I read a story to you?)”

“I was so excited, because he now thinks of himself as a reader,” she said from her Highland Beach condo. “I am looking forward to seeing him when I return in September.” 

She has memories of her days on the islands, including the time she stayed in a bamboo hut and watched the World Cup on a large TV powered by a generator. 

Robinson, who is divorced, taught in several states before settling in Pennsylvania, where she started her school counseling career.  

“My last assignment was at a school where I got to not only use my counseling skills, but also my dance background,” she said. “I worked closely with the chorus director and choreographed both the winter and spring concerts each year.”

Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? 

A. Rochester, N.Y.  I went to the University of Arizona for two years and then transferred to the University of Michigan, where I earned my bachelor’s and then a master’s in guidance and counseling.

Q. What are some highlights of your professional life?

A. One of my most memorable professional highlights is having worked with a student from the time he was in kindergarten until I left for the Peace Corps.  He is now going into 11th grade.  He was the type of student that drove his teachers nuts and I understood that, but I also developed a relationship with him that was built on trust. And so even after he graduated to middle school and then high school, I continued to meet with him once a week to help him stay organized and complete his work.  I was also able to communicate with many of his teachers, some of whom were then able to see him as an individual, understanding both his positive qualities as well as the challenging behaviors.  He is now one of the top football players, going into 11th grade and doing well in all areas.  When he was in eighth grade, his English teacher discovered his ability to write amazing poetry.  Three of his poems and his picture helped decorate my room during the time I was in Peace Corps. He was and is a constant reminder of how important it is to find the good in each individual, even when it is challenging.

Q. How did you choose to make your home in Highland Beach? 

A. My parents bought here in the ’70s and my sister and I have held on to it.  This is the first time that I have spent more than a couple of weeks at a time here. When I was still a full-time counselor in Pennsylvania, I could only come here during school vacation time.

Q. What is your favorite part about living in Highland Beach?

A. The ocean and the library.

Q. Where are you going next (with the Peace Corps)?

A. I have plans to visit my family and friends in Vanuatu in September.  In October I am traveling to Guanajuato, Mexico, to take a Spanish immersion course.  After that I would like to volunteer again, I’m just not sure where or with which organization;  perhaps the Peace Corps, United Nations or Save the Children. 

Q. What is the last book you read? 

A. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. I would recommend it. Now I am reading Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett. 

Q. What are your hobbies?

A. Anything that involves movement: dance, yoga, tai chi, swimming and walks on the beach.

Q. What music do you listen to for inspiration? When you want to relax?

A. I really like all types of music, anything I can move to, whether fast or slow. I like to listen to world music, whether from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean.

Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions? 

A. There are three sayings that I think of when making a decision. The Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. 

Barry Stevens: Don’t push the river. It flows by itself .

Lao Tzu: The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?

A. I am who I am today because of all my previous experiences and relationships. It is because of this combination of people who have crossed my path and the experiences that I have had that I continue and will continue to make the life decisions that I make. 

What’s next?  Aside from my trip to Vanuatu and Spanish immersion course in Guanajuato, I really don’t know what is next, the unknown can be very unsettling and yet exciting.