The End of a Blog: I've Retired!

This is the last post I'll be writing on this blog; I no longer have a school-life since I retired at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. My official first day of retirement was July 1st, and I've finally started feeling like a retired person. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about retirement, and while it was still summer, it felt like, well, summer. I was pretty I wouldn't be able to tell the difference until school started and I wasn't there. And that's really how it happened.

A friend, also retired from my school, organized a retirees breakfast, and seven of us showed up. That made it seem a bit more real. Imagine - being in a nice restaurant with old friends, and not a kid in sight on a school day! Of course, they asked me who was hired to replace me, and I had to say the classroom part was filled, but no librarian was hired, in fact, there did not seem to be any advertisement for the position. Now in most schools, teachers are hired who have the right qualifications, and in these days, are not just the right qualifications, they are highly qualified qualifications. The library position, which I held for thirty-seven years, and had had qualified librarians longer then that, was going to be empty. 

I got a call from school a couple of days after school started. Nobody knew how to get the library up and running for the school year. Somehow, it seems that the only person who knew anything was the retired librarian. Hmmmmm. I agreed to go out for a few days to update the circulation book, give instructions to the para educator on procedures, and put the laminator back in working order. After thirteen and a half hours, I had done what I set out to do, and my service to my school was completed.

I have mixed feelings about what will happen, but it seems that worrying about it won't make any difference; as long as the prevailing attitude that a certificated librarian isn't necessary to manage a system, that the primary function is the basic check-in/check-out/shelve, the library will not grow. It won't be the first school library to die a slow death, nor will it be the last. In this age of data and test scores, reading for pleasure and enjoyment seem to forgotten. Just as subjects such as music and art have been put on the back burner, it seems reading for fun might, too. I know how much pressure there is to,have students score well on the mandated tests, and I had already seen a lack of interest in library and digital literacy lessons - check in/check out is what they wanted, for the most part. That is what the decision maker saw.

I finally feel retired. I like having unstructured time. I love not getting up in the dark. I don't miss pressure that seems to such a big part of education anymore. I miss being part of a community. I miss kids and staff, but I don't miss the meetings that made me want to run screaming from the building. I've come to realize I was getting tired of it all, and I made the right decision to retire.

Thirty-seven years is a long time to work in a place. I did a decent job. I know the best part of being a librarian was putting the right book in the hands of the right kid, and the best part of being a teacher was  when a kid had that lightbulb moment and you could see when they got it. I've been very fortunate to have many moments where I knew I made the right decision to be a teacher-librarian. And now I know I made the right decision to retire. 

The final blog posts from this challenge - Attitude of Gratitude, Days 27, 28, 29, & 30.

I've almost completed this challenge! As you can see, I slacked off a bit at the end, but unlike the September challenge, I'm finishing this one! I'm doing the last few posts in one big, spectacular post. Ha! Maybe not so much, but let's finish this up...


November 27: If you could bottle up the perfect day, what would it look like?
My perfect day does not involve school. That should not be a surprise to anyone who knows me. While I enjoy my work and my students, I am a homebody at heart, and that's what I like the most. Now, home does not always mean at home, but it does mean hanging out with my husband. While this post is about being home, another perfect day involves Jackson, Wyoming and/or Yellowstone, or maybe Arches National Park. Future post, perhaps...

My perfect day begins without a wake-up call. Waking up without the assistance of an alarm, or a husband acting as an alarm; waking up naturally and slowly is how my perfect day begins. I also slept through the entire night! I get up, and shower and get dressed, and we go out to eat at one of two favorite breakfast places; Chestnut Cottage, or First Street Haven. Yum! After breakfast, we go for a walk, perhaps down along the marina, or maybe we head up to Hurricane Ridge. Once we are home, I head into my sewing room to work on a project. I am in the midst of working up my courage to begin sewing clothing again, but on this particular perfect day, it's all coming together. I am not sure if it's the knit wrap dress or a tunic, but I'm sewing it and it fits like a glove - note the emphasis. When I'm done in the sewing room, I head downstairs to get dinner started; tonight we will have Beef Bourguignon from Julia Child's cookbook. I've made it several times, and while time-consuming, it's worth it. Don't forget to dry off the meat. The evening will be spent knitting, talking, and watching DVR-ed shows so we don't have to bother with commercials. Also, we will have replaced our hot tub, so we can spend some time soaking and hanging out. By the time it's bedtime, I'm super relaxed, and ready for Sunday. Yes, this perfect day is a Saturday, and I do not allow school to intervene at all!

November 28: Talk about 1 opportunity that you are grateful in hindsight for having passed you by.
I was accepted into the administrative program at Western Washington University about ten years ago. At the time, I didn't have a master's degree, and looking back now, I wonder why I applied. I realized before I even signed up for one class that I wouldn't be attending. I realized that I felt an administrator was someone who had a vision, and I knew that at that time that wasn't me. I also realized that in order to be hired as an administrator, we would probably have to move, and with my husband established in his job, I wasn't willing to leave the area. I think I would have made a very decent vice principal, but honestly, with the way things are going in education today, I'm very glad I decided to continue on as a teacher-librarian.

November 29: We all know someone who inspires us to be better. Share that person.
I met Erin back in 1971. I was taking an Introduction to Education class at Wenatchee Valley College, and as part of the class I volunteered in two classrooms at the elementary school I had attended as a kid. Erin was teaching third grade at the time, and I worked in her class, as well as the other third grade teacher's room. She wasn't that much older than I was at the time, and was in her second year of teaching. We hit it off, and I ended up volunteering in her class for the next year, and I also did my September Experience in her classroom.

Erin is the best teacher I know. I have always admired her organization, and the kinds of things she did with her students. Erin has taught third, fourth, and fifth grades, and I also worked in her fourth grade room. She worked at Washington Elementary until her retirement, and even then she did long-term subbing at the school. In addition to teaching, she has continued to volunteer for the elementary track program. Often Erin would walk to school on a Saturday morning, just to get things done. (No No-Saturday rule for her!)

Erin is one of my dearest friends, even though I get on the neglectful side of things. She is a much better friend than I am, I'm afraid. She is unfailingly kind, always interested in what's going on in my life, works at her church, and loves her grandson, who is a real cutie. We've gone to quilt shows together, and I have a pattern for a cathedral window pillow that was a craft her mom always did. A few years ago. when there was a forest fire very close to our cabin, she was the one who gave us a call to let us know what was going on. I'll never be a nice as Erin is, because she always looks on the bright side of things, and I'm somewhat of a mouthy, sarcastic cynic who keeps a swear jar on my desk. Why she has put up with me for so long is a mystery, but she has always been someone to look up to for me. If I could just convince her to get on the Internet...

November 30: Practice an act of kindness this week and blog about your experience
This is something I'll have to write about later!

Thanks, Te@chthought, for the blogging challenge! I'm looking forward to the next one!

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 26

November 26: Write about any 3 small pleasures in your life/day.

Beginning 

My day starts when my husband comes back upstairs to bring me coffee. Such a simple thing, but it has always been an act of love and kindness, and it makes me feel special. I admit that I can't make coffee at all, and if my husband isn't home, I drink tea. But that cup of coffee, in my blue Bella Rosa cup, says love to me.

Middle

Kids. They come into my classroom/library talking. They come in through my office, as well as past the bulletin board. I'm informed that my favorite student has arrived, that they got the assignment done, asking me if I've seen their truck, you know,the red Toyota that's been lifted. Well, no, I haven't, so we go to the west door so he can point out which rig is his. And that's just my history class. Kids come and go all day long, different library classes depending of the day of the week. All different, all talking, telling me things...I don't know if making connections with kids is a small pleasure - it's the reason I am a teacher.

End

We've gotten into to the habit of walking when I get home, so my incentive to leave school pretty much on time is high. I bought a pink Columbia rain jacket just so I would walk during crummy weather, because I am a fair-weather walker. We are increasing our pace, and exploring different neighborhoods. Mostly we talk, so the walks are fun. It doesn't hurt that our walks are timed, and recording that time on my calendar makes me happy.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 25

November 25: What would you like to let go of?

I might like to let go of lots of stuff that I think have gotten in the way at times. I am critical. I am outspoken. I am honest. I am sarcastic. I am qualifying this list with might, mostly because all of these traits or faults or whatever someone wants to call them have their place, and frankly they are useful at times. Looking at things analytically can come off as critical. People who are threatened by honest words don't like it - I know that. I've joked in the past that I have a disease - the Tumor of Truth, and my husband basically says that if they don't want an honest answer, they might think about asking the question. I honestly don't know what I want to let go of, but I think I'm working up to letting go of my job. Oh, that's kind of radical, you might think, but I've been doing this for almost forty years in the Very. Same. Place. I've seen kids, teachers, staff, and administrators come and go. Right now I've been in the district for the longest time, and I was even referred to as "an institution" at Open House. I had mixed feelings about that one! My problem is, I am having trouble letting go, because I feel as though I am doing well as far as teaching goes, and think I have more to contribute. New ideas in a place are always good, because it's easy to get in a rut, get stale, and not make changes that are necessary. A constant barrage of new ideas, though, with nothing put in place for things that have been removed just feels shaky, and I would love to let go of that feeling. Will I let go of my job and move on? Only time will tell....

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 24

November 24: What are your dreams for education in the future?

Tough question. Education seems to be in turmoil these days. It's so political, so confrontational, at least on the national level, that it often seems the kids have been forgotten. For better or worse, I follow the Badass Teacher Association on Facebook, and I realize how very lucky I have been over the years. While it sometimes seems that the Olympic Peninsula is in the Land That Time Forgot, at least I have been able to do my job, and am trusted to do my job to the best of my ability without a lot of judgement and/or interference.

My first dream for the education in the future is that this trend of blaming and punishing teachers end, and that teachers regain, or perhaps just gain, the respect that teachers should have. We are not always respected. There have been teachers who are misplaced in the profession, who are unprepared, can't manage their classrooms, and so on, and I guess there always will be. However, most teachers go into education from a sincere desire to help kids to be their very best, and to prepare them to be productive citizens. We aren't in this profession for the money, not by a long shot, and the perception of the summer off, well, most teachers I know are reevaluating what just happened, and looking forward to the next school year.

I'm lucky enough to have been in education long enough to watch things change. From the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning to Common Core State Standards, I've seen the focus change from learning, and enjoying learning, to better test scores. It seems that the test has become more important than the learning! It's crazy! We may eventually turn out great testers, but where will the people be who enjoy art and music, and who love to read for the sake of reading a good story?

My second dream is that non-educators would back off, and let us, the professionals, do our jobs. The rich guys, who like to toss money to change what they see as a failed system, need to respect what we do. Or, maybe they could toss their money into ways to solve poverty, lack of housing and jobs, and other socioeconomic issues that complicate the lives of children who should be learning, but might be more concerned with basic needs such as food and shelter.

My third wish is that somehow Home Economics would be brought back into schools. We are teaching kids who have no idea how great it is to cook a tasty meal, sew something to wear that fits and is attractive, and don't understand how creative these things can be. My school got rid of Home Economics twenty-five years ago - what a mistake. Shop classes need to come back - both of these vocational courses fill a need, give needed skills to kids, and are fun. It is very satisfying to create something from scratch; when do kids get to do that anymore?

Those are my wishes.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 23

November 23: How did your Attitude of Gratitude work out?

In a word? Awesome! This project exceeded my expectations. I introduced the project to both of my high school classes, explaining I was participating in a blogging challenge, and the purpose of my request. I cut out multicolored leaf shapes, and asked each student to write down one thing they are grateful for - it could have been a past event or incident, or something that had occurred that day. Both of my classes reacted initially in the same way - they were willing to give it a shot. As the days passed, kids willingly filled out leaves, and reminded me if I forgot to put the bucket of leaves out for them. This is what the bulletin board looked like on Monday, November 24: 

I only had one leaf that needed to be thrown away, a very inappropriate comment that no one would own up to writing. I questioned one this morning, and the boy changed it from being grateful for "hot girls" to "my Toyota" - I could live with that one! The offshoot of this is that I was asked by the Noon Readers, who are in fourth and fifth grade, if they could add a leaf to the board, and so tomorrow each child who wants to participate will all be given a leaf and a chance to express their gratitude. This had been a great experience, and I express my gratitude to this te@chthought challenge!

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 22

November 22: What are your family traditions you are most grateful for?

I am not sure we have too many family traditions. The ones that come to mind are among birthdays. I always make my husband a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, he always makes my pineapple upside down cake. We've been doing this for years. I also began singing "Happy Birthday" to the family who don't live nearby. My son is usually in another state during his birthday, and has often been on a fire in his job on a Hotshot, or wildland fire crew. I will leave a message on his cell phone, and know he'll check it when he's off the line. My sister and brother-in-law live about five hours away, so I always call, and often end up leaving a singing message on their phone. I used to call my mom and sing when she was alive. I'm not the greatest singer, but my singing is sincere, and I'll keep doing it. I sometimes even get a song on my birthday - bonus!

The other tradition we have is we have a living Christmas tree. Living in the Pacific Northwest, we are surrounded by trees, and we've cut out share of trees and brought them home. The are great things about living trees, though - they aren't that big, you can use them for more than one year (but not much more - they get too heavy to bring in!), and the best part is they get planted in the yard. Right now we have three trees in our yard which started out as our Christmas tree, and we have one at our cabin in central Washington which will be our tree for it's second year, and end up being planted in the yard. It got a little stressed with the heat this summer, but it will do. I love the idea that we aren't wasting a tree, and it's pretty cool to have them on our property.

Well. I didn't think we had traditions, but I guess we did.