Now that it has been six months almost to the day since I retired from a 34-year teaching career, I want to focus on some truths I've come to understand.
Work hard
I always gave teaching my best, and I am so proud of that--no regrets there.
Keep learning
To keep learning how to do the job better, makes the work fresh, interesting, and impactful. Via real-time and online connections, I took advantage of many great learning opportunities to better what I could do with and for children, this was awesome and positive.
Work on your weaknesses
Teaching, similar to parenting, highlights your weaknesses too. The more you can work on your own and with counselors, mentors, and others to shore up your weaknesses, the better you'll be able to teach.
Work for positive change in education
Looking back, I was committed to do the best I could in the classroom, but I was always frustrated by what I still believe are broken management systems in education. I truly feel that too many education systems work for the management rather than the students, families, and educators. This needs to change. I tried to make some change in this regard, but feel, I was only successful in small ways. I believe that public education needs great systematic change to be better for all children. I encourage teachers who see that opportunity for positive change, to work towards becoming school leaders who have more power to make that good change. Right now, there is a shortage of educational leaders--this shortage is making it difficult to create the kind of change needed to truly empower educators, students, and families.
Join and support the union
I have always been a proud union member, but I haven't always agreed with my union. Unions are only as good as the people who lead and get involved in those unions. Find ways to support and get involved in your union. The challenge here is that so many educators are overworked, and that time to get involved in the union is challenging, but unions are essential to good education because unions protect educators' ability to do their jobs in fair, just ways.
Understand and advocate for the potential education holds for strong communities
In my new role as a retired educator, I will be looking for ways to support the best that education can be for educators, families, and students. Quality education is a keystone of our strong communities and country.