Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for February 12, 2007 GET A LIFE...

...or plan to teach...forever!

From The Examiner...

Why your teachers may never retire

Erica Jacobs, The Examiner

WASHINGTON - A colleague received an award for 30 years of teaching in Fairfax County; we congratulated her and were envious that she would soon be retiring. Fifteen years later, she’s still teaching in the same school. For many teachers, the closer we get to retirement, the less attractive it seems.

The reasoning is complicated. Even when we love our jobs, work requires us to do uncomfortable things like wake up on a school schedule, think about what we’re wearing, pack a lunch, figure out how to fit in grocery shopping or doctors’ appointments.

We long for the moment when we can make our own schedule, wear comfy weekend clothing every day, and sleep late. But the reality of having nowhere to go, no one to dress up for, no one in the classroom waiting for us, looks less and less enticing.

Studies have shown that work keeps us young. Carol is the most animated and energetic employee at Oakton High School; she stands out in the elements each morning checking the buses in. Carol just turned 70, which has led me to think, “I want to be just like Carol when I grow up.”

And those of us who have been in a single school for many years have noticed that soon after teachers retire with smiles and travel plans, they often return to the very same department as a substitute teacher.

That used to be mystifying, but now I think I understand the desire to stay active. Conditioned to a high-intensity day, it’s hard to shift to little personal interaction and no student milestones to celebrate. For every frustration with a student who fails to do the work, we have 10 examples of students who succeed and end the day better for having been in our classes.

On any given morning, the choice might seem clear: wake up and meet the needs of 150 students before noon, or sleep in, read the paper, and drink coffee until noon at two-thirds of your normal salary? A no-brainer, right?

But by 1 p.m. the bloom is off the “nothing to do” day. As teachers, we may drag ourselves out of bed at 5 a.m. to be in the classroom two hours later. But on good days we may also have a discussion that connects schoolwork with student lives. Each year when we study Zora Neale Hurston, students share the stories of their mothers and grandmothers as examples of changing women’s roles — Hurston’s theme. For me, these stories are inspiring; teaching is full of inspirational moments.

Having spent over 20 years moving up the high school hierarchy so that I teach courses I helped design, with students whose older sisters and brothers I remember well, why would I want to leave? I am still learning so much from my students!

The same logic holds true for anyone who has felt successful in what they do. That “high” is hard to replace with grocery shopping. Teacher burnout may be a problem with the younger set, but for those of us nearing retirement age, the only question is: How long can we stay?

Erica Jacobs, who teaches at Oakton High School and George Mason University, plans to retire within the decade.