Retirement Feelings - School Supply Stress

Retirement Feelings - School Supply Stress

Summer, 2012

As strange as it may seem, walking into a store and seeing countless racks of new school supplies during the summer following retirement affected me in a very negative way.  Feelings of  illness suddenly overwhelmed me combined with grief and regret that I would not be returning to school. When I arrived home, I did some real soul-searching.  

I told myself that I could not continue to react this way; negative feelings are simply not productive.  Of course I would miss the children and staff, but there are some things about teaching that I would not miss. Instead of dwelling on, "Why me?  Why did I have to get sick?", I went home and wrote a list of some of the least favorite and/or dreaded activities related to teaching. That list follows:  

No longer will I be required to do the following:

• Regular Duty
• Breakfast Duty
• Detention Duty
• Lesson Plans
• Grade Papers & Tests
• Attend PLC Meetings
• Attend other meetings (Parish-wide)
•  Eagle Tests & Analysis
• Design Tests & Projects
• Copy &  Staple Papers & Tests
• Deal with Discipline problems
• Deal with incomplete assignments
• Weekly Conduct Sheets & grades
• Grade, record, and distribute weekly Signed Papers 
• Plans for Substitute Teachers
• Deal with irate parents (conferences and calls)
• Write up Minor and Major Referrals
• Administer, grade, and analyze Benchmark Tests (Math & ELA)
• Reading Benchmark Tests         
• LEAP Prep
• LEAP Tutoring
• LEAP Test
• Send home "Failing Letters"
• Etc., Etc., Etc...........

     I will admit that I felt much better after finishing the above list. Maybe retirement won't be so bad after all! I then went outside and sat in my  flower garden and thought happy thoughts about God's creation and healing!  With God's help, I will survive this!