Celebrating Retirement

"Overwhelming" pretty well sums up my experiences over the last two weeks of employment.  By the time I delivered my "honored teacher" address at commencement followed by 4 hours of socializing with my colleagues, I was about as exhausted as I've ever been.  I think I only recovered as a result of sleeping 24 hours on and off.

Perhaps the most common question posed to me has had to do with the curiosity of "has it hit me yet" that I am no longer gainfully employed.  In reality, the answer may not emerge until the end of August when I have customarily returned to work after having summers off.  In fact, I haven't worked in the summer for the past 13 years, and this summer will be no different...that is, until the last week of August.  So...maybe I'll have more to say on the subject at a later time.

As I unwind from all of the celebrating, I take pause to remember why I changed careers to begin with.  My students seemed to enjoy the opportunities to share their feelings about our classroom relationships.  I don't know why I have been so fortunate, or what I have done to deserve such praise.  The same is true about the cards, notes, comments, and hugs I've received from my colleagues.

This all leaves me with one final thought.  The only difference between retirement parties and funerals is that you get to hear the speeches.  At least now I know whom to call to deliver my eulogy ;-)

Exit Interviews and All That Jazz

I recently had the opportunity to sit down and chat with our school district human resources director.  She had a prepared list of questions (apparently asked of all retirees) designed to provide our superintendent with important "post-employment" feedback about our work experiences years.  The only problem was...those weren't the questions about which I wanted to expound.

So...in typical Schwartz fashion...I decided to pose the questions I wished I had been asked.
1.  How would I redesign our District's approach to education in order to meet the community's objectives?
2.  How can the District restore its commitment to providing a comprehensive high school education?
3.  In what ways can the District incorporate new curriculum that resonates off of the MN Governor's Workforce Development Council rather than knee-jerk to test scores?
4.  How can our District remain competitive in light of alternative charter school options?

The final (big) question that no one seems to want to ask is "How can our District promote responsible, effective parent involvement in the education of our students instead of passively supporting political criticism of all teachers?"  What seems to be missing in our conversations with retiring teachers is the truth about why we are retiring.  So many good teachers are leaving the profession because our political leadership lacks the courage to confront irresponsible, ineffective parenting (perhaps fearing that they, too, would be lumped into that category).

When parents are contacted because their son/daughter does not complete homework, skips class, disrupts the learning of others, disrespects the teacher, and a myriad of other obnoxious behavior issues, the parents' response should be, "What can I do to help?".  Unfortunately, the response often consists of a blame-storming exercise followed by an admission of parental impotence (as expressed by the often-expressed cry of "I don't know what I can do!").

Minnesota voters (and legislators) can do whatever they want with teacher seniority, unions, trigger laws, and so forth.  Until they are willing to confront the most serious education issue of our day--parent irresponsibility and ineffective laissez-faire child-rearing--I am convinced that many more good teachers will simply throw up their hands and find a more rewarding, supportive vocation that doesn't constantly label them as societal pariahs and failures.

As for me, I look forward to sub-teaching and volunteering with our students after my retirement.  At least my days of dealing with poor parenting will be history (and somebody else's problem).

Notice to the Public - Retirees are Job Creators, Too

Every year at this time, public education in our state goes through a very bizarre employment ritual.  Superintendents underproject next year's enrollments, school boards marginally increase student/teacher ratios, principals get their revised (downward) teacher body counts, and pink slips begin to fly.  Then--at the beginning of the next school year when enrollments don't go down--principals have to beg for reinstatement of lost teacher positions and pink-slipped teachers from the previous year await their call-back notices.

Imagine--if you can--being told at the end of February that you do not have a job next fall, and then continuing to teach (with a cheerful disposition) for the remaining 3 months of the school year.  As disruptive and inhumane as this process may sound (and is), teachers and our unions have attempted to provide some degree of sanity to those who have made the longest life commitment to teaching our young people.  As much as some politicians disdain tenure and seniority, such benefits do provide a modicum of sanity in an otherwise insane employment process and practice.

I share this rather shameful employment story in order to reveal an important observation.  If I divide the amount of money paid into social security--by me as well as my employer--throughout my 45 years of working by my projected monthly benefit, it will take approximately 11 years before I will be drawing my benefits from the "public trough," so to speak.  (Everyone can figure this out for themselves by simply taking the numbers provided by the annual Social Security report.)  In other words, I am not costing today's taxpayers a single cent for my retirement until I am 76+ years old.  And...this assumes that I won't be making any additional social security contributions while working part-time during Phase 4.

At the same time, my retirement as a teacher provides an opening for a younger teacher facing pink-slip paranoia with an opportunity to see a brighter employment future.  I feel good about this.  So...it's not just businesses that can be viewed as job creators.  We retirees create job opportunities as well...and at no additional cost to the taxpayers for the foreseeable future.

With all the boomers seeking retirement these days, employment prospects seem to be looking up for those who may be the most vulnerable in the labor market--our young people.

Independence Day – Submitting My Letter of Retirement/Resignation

This week has been THE week.  On Tuesday, I met with my principal and on Friday, I met with the Human Resources people and SUBMITTED MY RETIREMENT LETTER!  Those who have done this can attest to what a freeing experience this can be.  There comes a feeling of elation that cannot be compared to anything else.

I should know.  I’ve done this twice before.  Back in 1981 I left my first career to stay at home and take care of my two daughters.  And, in 1998, I retired from my second career and finished preparing for my transition to full-time teaching.  In each instance, that moment when you walk out that door for the last time can be extraordinarily liberating.

I still have five wonderful months remaining in the classroom.  I DO love what I do.  However, I am looking forward to changing how I interact with students by transitioning into substitute teaching without the added responsibilities of prepping, grading, parent contact, and administrative minutia.  I love to teach.  I am less fond of the other “stuff” that has complicated my professional life as an educator.

There is a lesson in all of this.  I often tell my students about their future in a world where they many have 5-6 careers before they retire.  I sometimes think that I have been a little ahead of my time.  And…best of all…the last chapter has yet to be written.

Riding the Health Insurance Merry-Go-Round

It’s not an understatement that many people my age work primarily for the health insurance.  If one goes on HealthCare.gov (one of the new benefits thanks to ObamaCare), you can select from a variety of health insurance plans once you no longer have an employer providing you with coverage.  Unfortunately, many of the options available for people my age can cost in excess of $12,000-$14,000/year (not including the deductibles).  Quite a hefty sum if one is seeking any kind of retirement (or even part-time work with no benefits).  Of course, this presumes that a retiree has not yet reached the ripe old age of 65, which is currently required for Medicare eligibility.

I am not yet Medicare-eligible.  My journey into retirement led me to explore what health insurance option(s) my own employer was willing to provide.  Thanks to little known language in my union employment contract, I have the option…at least for the moment…to purchase—at full cost—100% of my own coverage until I am Medicare-eligible.  This will save me ~$9,000/year over the cost of buying single coverage on the “open” market!  Not a bad deal by anyone’s calculations.  With the health insurance factor taken care of, I can pursue almost any creative work arrangement—with or without benefits—wherever my retirement path leads me.

My heart goes out to those who are not able to retire because of this major roadblock preventing them from achieving the next phase of their lives.  I am deeply concerned that current discussions in Congress regarding the viability of Medicare will be resolved on the backs of those of us who have paid in all of our lives so that we could enjoy our senior years without the threat of bankruptcy due to high medical costs.  Medicare is often termed an “entitlement” program, implying that recipients are getting something they haven’t earned.  Believe me, after paying into the system for 45 years, we’ve EARNED it!

Once health insurance issues are resolved, opportunities for part-time employed or volunteer retirees are wide open!

To Retire or Not to Retire…That Is The Question!

I’ve always had this “sixth sense” about when it was time to move on.  I’m not exactly sure when I came to the conclusion this time to retire from my current situation.  After all, I’ve left positions before.  However, what constitutes “retirement” has more to do with age than with simply leaving full-time employment.  Eight years in one career; sixteen years in another; and just finishing up thirteen years in my most “recent” pursuit (not to mention those 7 years of full- and part-time jobs that put me through high school and college) have all been an integral part of who and what I am today.

In all three careers I’ve loved what I was (and am) doing.  I left my first career to spend a year house-husbanding while taking care of my two young daughters.  I left my second career because of major changes in the ownership of the business (which led to major negative changes from what I was initially hired to do).  As for my current situation, I still love the kids.  However, I find myself growing increasingly weary of the extensive demands of prepping, grading and teaching four different subjects to 200+ students each semester.  I doubt that these overwhelming demands will change in the immediate future.  It’s no longer just about being a good teacher and role model for young people.  Yes…I know it is time once again for me to move on.

Given my age, my next engagement will not be so much about adopting a new career as it will be about evolving into a new phase of my life.  Some may call it retirement.  I think the term "Phase 4" is more fitting as I have yet to develop any kind of plan, ambition, or initiative toward which direction to take.  All I know is that something wonderful is waiting for me to make my next move.

Making Campaign Points by Proposing Changes in Social Security Eligibility

According to today’s edition of the StarTribune, GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum is calling for immediate cuts to Social Security benefits, including a higher eligibility age to qualify as well as tighter restrictions on other income.  Once again, the term “entitlement” is being thrown around without distinction between those benefits that have been earned and other safety net programs.  It appears that Mr. Santorum is attempting to appeal to the more selfish “what’s mine is mine” voters currently supporting Ron Paul in the hope of increasing the ex-Pennsylvania Senator’s convention vote total against GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney.  Forget the fact that while in the United States Senate, Mr. Santorum voted numerous times for entitlement earmarks that benefited the taxpayers of Pennsylvania.

Social Security is often termed an "entitlement" program, implying that recipients are getting something they haven't earned.  Believe me, after paying into the system for 45 years, we've EARNED it!  Congress has already changed the eligibility rules once.  With a growing retiree population, Mr. Santorum is way off base if he thinks the solution to our national budget problems lies in screwing retirees just to gain more caucus and primary votes.  Retirees beware--the growing hostility toward our generation is real and can now be found on the campaign trail.