Gladly Would I Teach

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A few weeks ago, I explained in a post that I had decided to retire since so many younger teachers were losing their jobs.  Although it was difficult to walk away from a job I loved and students I adored, I cleaned out my classroom a couple of weeks ago, and I’m moving on to the next stage of my life.

In the next couple of months, I’ll write about the lovely retirement reception that the kind souls in my department held for me, and I’ll write about how it felt to walk out and lock my classroom door for the last time. For now, however, my emotions are still spinning, and descriptions of those last days of teaching will have to wait until I can think clearly and without all the tears that keep welling up whenever I think of not sitting inside my own classroom in August.

Thank you for reading my teaching blog! I sincerely appreciate your support and enthusiasm. If you want to follow my thoughts during my retirement, I’ve started another blog that you are welcome to read. I may not be a teacher in the future, but I suspect that many of my posts will revolve around teaching, teachers, and students. It’s impossible to just walk away from teaching after 32 years!

Leaving School

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Throughout my career, I have seen teachers celebrate during their 30th year of teaching, their final year of work. They laughed during faculty meetings when they learned of new programs, new procedures, and new paperwork for the following year because they knew they would not have to do it.

They celebrated a year of lasts: last first day of school, last Open House, last report card, last research paper,  last. . . last . . .last.

With ten years of teaching experience, I laughed and celebrated with these teachers. With twenty years of experience, I celebrated their retirement, but I was also secretly envious.

With 32 years of teaching experience today, I am just stumped and often avoid the issue of retirement.

I started this school year with big plans to retire from high school teaching and find a job teaching college. So far, I have had little luck finding a new job, and I’m starting to wonder.

Do I retire anyway?

Do I retire and then teach half day?

How much longer can I continue to make such a long daily commute (2 1/2 hours)?

If I retire, will I get bored?

If I love my students and my job and am effective, should I retire?

Ten years ago retirement seemed like such an achievement, a reward for decades of service.

Today, the decision just seems too difficult to make. I welcome all advice.