Retirement

I really don't believe in retirement, yet officially I retire next year. I started my teaching career in middle age, albeit a young middle age, 36 years old. I have been teaching for 23 years- not counting 3 years teaching adult education in the seventies. I have decided to take a $20,000 incentive to "retire" early from this district. Beyond that I am looking to teaching some classes at the Junior College level, play and perform more music and do a bit more painting. Along with a modest pension I hope this will be enough to bring me though the next - how many years? It's a mystery.

Last night was our retirement dinner. One woman, now in her seventies, had been teaching kindergarten for 44 years. Another man went to the same high school where he had taught for 40 years. Only six years of his life from the age of 14 to 60 had been in the same county to get his degree and teaching credential. I cannot imagine having my life take place all in one place. Part of the reason I took retirement was to force me into another change. Another part of it was the desperate lack of funding for education in California. This lack of funding places more and more pressure on teachers to grade more papers, to manage larger classes and to dip into their own pockets for the odds and ends of teaching.

I applied for my first new job yesterday. Empire College has an Information Technology Program and my hope is that I can teach one of their information technology classes. I will look into other programs also such at Santa Rosa Junior College and University of Phoenix. I have some music skills, some artistic skills and some technology skills. Perhaps I will piece together some combination of those to supplement my income. So beyond my trip to Europe this summer the future is an adventure and a mystery.