Reason 84: *66
100 Reasons I'm Retiring
4 years ago, part of an old school email address was *66. At that point in time, I had fully planned on retiring from teaching when I reached the age at which, according to Social Security, I could collect “full benefits.” My husband’s need for round-the-clock care was exhausting me and while I had no big severance package awaiting me, I thought with both Ron’s and my social security, my TIAA-CREF payment, and some part-time teaching someplace, I could make it work.
That was my plan in June of 2019. One more year in the blackboard jungle.
It’s taken me four more years to finally make the move to leave my little blue room at the end of the hallway. My husband’s unexpected death in July of 2019 moved that date up a bit, not only for financial reasons but also because I just couldn’t even think about something new and different that September. I was still too raw from my loss, trying to help Allen with his grief, and taking it day by day as I tried to build a life for myself and my autistic adult son.
I was attempting to be gentle with myself as I walked with my grief.
I’m not always known for being gentle with myself, not always good at accepting that my plans must change, but in this case, I gave myself the grace I needed. Since retiring then was no longer an option, I thought it easier to return to what I already knew.
I’m glad I did. The students and the faculty at West supported me through that first challenging year. And I love them all for it!
Each of them will forever have a special place in my heart.
If you have retired, what do you miss the most? Or what do you think you will miss when you do retire?
It's been almost eight years since I turned in the keys for Room 41 and what I miss most is my work family. We shared our day-to-day challenges with students, parents, performance expectations, as well as personal milestones. We laughed together, sometimes cried together, exchanged teaching strategies and good food (mostly the high sugar kind). I think it's wise you didn't leave teaching after the loss of your husband. The connection of students and staff gave you a familiar place to adjust to your new normal. From reading your previous posts, now seems a much better time to make your exit. Wishing you all the best as your full-time teaching careers winds down.