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Post by htmb on Jun 11, 2016 19:54:26 GMT
And yet, my old boss called me at 8 this morning to clarify a situation related to an individual at a work event I was not attending. Poor thing. Soon, I won't be answering the phone.
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Post by chexbres on Jun 14, 2016 12:55:51 GMT
...how soon?
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Post by htmb on Jun 14, 2016 14:41:14 GMT
Like now, when it would cost me a fortune in International rates. :-)
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 26, 2016 15:45:27 GMT
Thanks for letting me know about this thread htmb...it's helpful to find like minded individuals going through the same process. I have a way to go yet.In August I have a day course (NHS introduction to retirement) then as from mid-September I will be making my first steps. After 'officially' retiring I have a few days off after which I will do some bank work. 2 day shifts per week for 5-6 months, no weekend 12 hour marathons and no night shifts, just 2 x 8 hour shifts. Hopefully this will allow me to gradually acclimatise to this new phase in my life.
As for keeping busy, at the retirement course I will find out about the University of the Third Age (U3A). I don't think I'll sign up for volunteering just yet as I would like some time to just 'be' at home with my beloved, maybe have a few holidays.I already enjoy many hobbies. The only thing that OH and I have decided for certain is that we will get another dog...either a rescue or a puppy...not decided which.
A family member was recently diagnosed with a life threatening illness that really made me take stock. That's one reason that I decided to retire at 60 rather than wait until I get my state pension at 66.
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Post by htmb on Jun 26, 2016 15:54:01 GMT
I can certainly relate to your reason for retiring early, Cheery. My mother, who always longed to travel, died at just six months older than I am now. Plus, I've lost a couple of close friends in just the past few months. Really makes you think.
It sounds like you've found a super way to gradually transition into retirement. Good for you!
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Post by mossie on Jun 26, 2016 20:01:50 GMT
Good for you Cheery. To do some work for a while is by far the best way to ease yourself into full retirement. A complete shut off from work which has been endured for many years sounds good, but life can suddenly seem very empty. Good luck.
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Post by rikita on Jul 6, 2016 11:43:20 GMT
i wish i could retire ... sometimes i doubt that will ever be possible, though ...
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Post by mossie on Jul 6, 2016 15:32:50 GMT
Never say never. That will happen one day, just concentrate now on getting the best out of your life today, things will fall into place easier if you are not worrying about them.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2016 15:51:56 GMT
i wish i could retire ... sometimes i doubt that will ever be possible, though ... We all go through that. It is impossible to imagine when it is more than 20 years away that it will ever happen. And even when it is just 10 years away, the waiting is endless. But you'll get there sooner or later, a few extra years compared to what some of us had to do unless the world finally begins to realise that people do not need to work as much as in the past. With all of the machines, robots and computers doing so many things in this century, I do not understand why the idea of working a long time seems to be set in stone.
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Post by amboseli on Jul 6, 2016 16:12:46 GMT
htmb How was your first month of retirement? I made my decision and will be retiring as of September 1st. One of my clients asked me to keep working for her for a few hours a week. I've thought about it but I won't do it. I lost my motivation and all I want now is FREEDOM.
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Post by htmb on Jul 6, 2016 16:41:17 GMT
It's been great, Amboseli, but I've been in France the whole time. :-)
Thanks for asking.
Congratulations on your decision. I used to think I'd drop dead in my office. Retirement is a much better idea. :-)
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jul 6, 2016 19:25:49 GMT
Congratulations both...it is a huge decision but I think that once you make it you know that it's the right thing to do. I've already agreed to work 2 early shifts per week for about 6 months post retirement...but I don't have to work any of the horrid shifts: nights and weekends. It will be odd not working at christmas as I've worked almost every one for 28 years. Looking forward to just kicking back and doing as I please.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2016 19:56:32 GMT
It is funny (but not funny funny) that so many people have to "decide" to retire. A lot of us waited impatiently for the first possible moment that we could retire, and there was no decision involved. I remember one of the managers of my company who would come visiting the other departments and say things like "281 more days" or "114 more days" because the only thing that counted to him in the last year was the last day he would be obliged to come to the office.
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Post by amboseli on Jul 6, 2016 20:40:20 GMT
I don't think it's funny to have to decide to retire when you really like your job. At least, that counts for me. But now that I made that decision, I can't wait for it to be September 1st. 55 days from today!
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Post by htmb on Jul 6, 2016 20:52:49 GMT
I really liked my job, but at the same time I really wanted to stop doing my job. I had lots of mixed feelings about it until last fall when I knew it was time to move on.
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Post by rikita on Jul 6, 2016 22:34:59 GMT
mossie and kerouac, that's not quite what i meant. sure it also seems far away, but what i mean is that at times i doubt there even is proper retirement anymore when i get that age ... they keep moving up the age, some politicians are suggesting 70 now, so by the time i am that age it might be 75 or higher. but also, here once a year you get a paper that tells you how much pension you'd get if you retired now, and how much if you keep earning the same amount that you currently earn - and in my case the amount is laughable. sure, if things stay as they are i will get hartz iv, so i won't starve, but not sure if it will feel like proper retirement ... then again, things might end up getting better, you never know ...
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Post by mich64 on Jul 7, 2016 0:41:11 GMT
Rikita, I remember feeling and I think understanding your uncertainty. Your thoughts and concerns are valid. Things usually do end up better for those who recognize their Government retirement subsidy will not be enough and starting some extra planning as early as you can, it does really help.
We started extra planning in our late 20's. We went to a financial adviser and worked out investing what we could afford at the time each month, it was not a lot, actually it was quite a small amount that we thought was wasting his time but he disagreed. It did not take long for our monthly budget to become used to the deduction. Then when we got better paying jobs we increased it little by little. We are now in our 50's and we are surprised what our monthly deduction has been doing over the past, almost 25 years, and it will help in our retirement. I know it is hard with a child but I am only talking about starting with setting aside an amount that might total a few meals out. Only do what you feel comfortable enough with and find plans where you can adjust or suspend the amount during good or difficult times.
For those who get to choose HOW, WHEN and WHY in regards to their retirement, Congratulations! I wish you health and happiness!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2016 4:08:44 GMT
Rikita, I knew what you meant because younger generations have the same worries here, even when they are as "young" as 50. The rules keep changing and people feel as though retirement is like one of those trick banknotes lying on the sidewalk. If you try to pick it up, somebody snatches it farther away on a string. I still feel that some sort of solution will be found over time, at least in social democracies. Public opinion will demand it, and there is plenty of money on which to live -- it is just in the hands of the "1%" at the moment. We'll get it back.
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Post by amboseli on Jul 7, 2016 10:41:27 GMT
Thank you Mich! Rikita, I remember feeling and I think understanding your uncertainty. Your thoughts and concerns are valid. Things usually do end up better for those who recognize their Government retirement subsidy will not be enough and starting some extra planning as early as you can, it does really help. That is exactly what we did because our 'official' retirement subsidy isn't nearly enough to live comfortably ... throughout the years we have adopted a certain standard of living. We're glad we did so because 'look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves' is a true proverb!
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Post by htmb on Aug 9, 2016 10:54:55 GMT
I sit on the plane. The teenager, who has lucked out by being moved to a premium seat, has his knit cap pulled over his eyes and nose; and the dorky, happy guy across the aisle is looking at his photos: Notre Dame, Paris Plage, the Seine. He continues to scroll through, over and over, like he can't believe he was actually in Paris, and I realize how lucky I am.
The flight attendant tells me she has no rosé, but would be happy to mix red and white to give me something similar to what I've been drinking all summer. She's American, based in Atlanta, but has recently been to Nice, so she understands the value of a good, cheap rosé. What a great summer it has been.
I retired on a Friday and left for Paris on Monday. Two months in France, but now, on a Delta flight, it seems so effortless to communicate in my own language. What a luxury, listening to English speakers and not having to think so very hard to understand. Now that I'm going home, I might appreciate it a bit more.
For 24 years I was paid to teach children. I kind of came to it in a round about way. In college the first time, I wanted nothing to do with the College of Education. I lived nearby and would actually sneer as I walked by the buildings where girls went to learn how to do "women's work." Jobs in nursing and teaching. The traditional careers for women. I wanted nothing of the sort.
Instead, I took classes in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. History, Psychology, even Spanish. Those were the classes for me. I ended up majoring in Sociology, the study of people. I loved it, but what the hell do you do with a major in Sociology? I went to work as one of the first women in the sheriff's department of a local county. The men didn't quite know how to deal with the handful of women hired with me. But they adapted over time.
Years later, after moving around a good bit due to my husband's job, I returned to college. This time I embraced the College of Education. I'd already had a taste of what it was like to teach little kids. My three older children had teachers who were good, but who knew nothing about computers. Thinking back, I know in my heart they were breaking rules and regulations, but they sent their classes to me, a volunteer, and left me alone with students to delve into Logo and Basic. What fun. I liked teaching and I was good at it!
Thinking, if I could teach young kids as a volunteer, I could certainly do it as a paid employee, I went back to school and earned a Masters Degree in Education. Then there was a bit of a glitch. I'd had three children in twenty-seven months. First, a daughter; next twin boys. They were my first big surprise.
It had not been easy raising three raising three children so close together, but there always seemed to be someone missing. I'd had a miscarriage and figured I was done with having children, but not long before I completed my Masters degree I found I was again pregnant. My little miracle baby.
S was born not long before I completed my Masters and I extended my education a bit more by going for an Educational Specialist degree. It's sort of a hybrid doctorate, without the prestige. It's like, you know a lot about your field of study, but you're not totally qualified to publish in academic circles. The academic field is weird like that. The professors like having doctoral candidate slaves to dote on their every word, make their coffee, and to publish papers listing their names when they did no work, none of the research. That was not for me.
For fourteen years I taught young children, ages 6 to 9, and it was a wonderful time. All my students where gifted, in that they were highly intelligent. You'd think it was an easy job, teaching smart kids, but it wasn't. Gratifying yes, but it was quite the challenge. Each child was different and had varying needs.
There was the girl who was a whiz at math, but who was terrified of dinosaur skeletons. So afraid, she would hide in the corner of the classroom and refuse to come back to her desk as long as our second grade math book showed those terrifying objects. At my wits end, I went through every page of our math workbooks for each student and tore out the pages featuring dinosaur skeletons. It was the theme for second grade math, so there were lots of pages to remove, but it made a difference for that child who finally agreed to return to her desk and learn math.
Certainly, she was on the autistic spectrum. Many of them were. It's amazing how so many children - adults too - can be so bright, but have such limited social skills. Most of my autistic students had parents who were kindred spirits. They just had more practice at functioning in the social world. So it took a knack for listening and for trying to perceive the needs of each child, each family, with the goal to teach children how to learn, whether it was in the field of math, science, or social studies. I loved every bit of it. Very challenging and quite fulfilling.
Of course, things change over time. For 13 years I had a boss who was exceptional. She was supportive of us teachers and was an excellent manager, but she was promoted to a district job and the new person was not a very good replacement. At the same time I was having some personal issues and I knew I needed to make major changes in my life.
I never, ever, though of myself as a high school teacher, but I kind of fell into a position that I later built up to be a very good situation for both me and my students. I had taken a leave of absence from my first job, something I could do for a year without pay. It was tough, but I had other things I was involved with, and also knew I needed to move forward with my life.
A chance meeting with a distinct director in the dairy aisle of the grocery store led me to my high school position. I first taught gifted students with social emotional needs. Kind of a continuation of what I had been doing on the elementary level. Many of my students were those whom I'd taught as six and seven year olds. It was quite bizarre.
There was the kid who lied and cheated his way through elementary school, and he was still making those choices as a high school kid. But then there were the successes. The "weird" kids who didn't seem to fit, yet, somehow, they were figuring out how to be happy and excel in life. So much of that was due to the great support they had from parents and other teachers.
I had National Merit Scholars who could not find their way across campus, or students who were so literal that they often missed comments when others used sarcasm or irony. But, they'd learned how to adapt and the other students learned, too. It was gratifying to see the normal, average, good student learn how appreciate others who might seem different. It was such an opportunity for me and all the students to experience the differences, and similarities, we shared with each other.
During this time I became the head of an international program within my high school. It was an excellent and challenging experience for me, and I loved every minute of it. I dealt with my students, my colleagues, and with a major institution in England. It was both a challenge and a thrill and I worked hard to streamline time process of learning, administering examinations, and overseeing a growing program that provided many opportunities for student and families.
It has not been such a simple road. Being smart is not always easy for every student. While some strive and rise to the challenge, others burn out, and worse. We have had some heartaches along with the successes. All in all, our program provided a place for students to grow and to be challenged. For the current crop of students, Exam scores, the last thing I did in my job, will be released this week. Some will be surprised and happy, others will know they truly earned their lousy scores, while a few will be distraught and feel they've failed.
I have left all of this now and am embracing retirement. It was a great ride. I can look back with fondness, but I won't really miss it all that much. Just like the first fourteen years of fun, teaching little kids, the second part of my career needed to end.
And now the guy across the aisle has moved on to a movie. He's put his photos of Paris aside for awhile, and the young man next to me has rallied and is drinking coffee and playing on his phone. We all move on to the next thing. For me, the next thing will be whatever comes along, but in the meantime, it's all been good.
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Post by bjd on Aug 9, 2016 11:40:21 GMT
I understand you are back in Gainesville now, so it's good you managed to travel despite Delta's computer woes.
I admire too your ability to sit back and take stock of yourself and of your life in such a succint way. Putting years of work and career into a few paragraphs on an internet forum is an achievement. And it's great that you feel that what you have done and accomplished is mostly positive.
Plus, outside your work, you have made a bunch of new friends and acquaintances in France, so that's all to the good as well.
I'm sure that whatever you decide to do next (or not do) will go well.
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Post by htmb on Aug 9, 2016 13:24:25 GMT
Thanks, Bjd. Being stuck on a plane after hours of waiting at CDG was certainly a factor as I tried distracting myself in any way possible.
Yes, I'm back home and feel quite lucky. Delta's computer glitch affected thousands of people and many flights were delayed or cancelled. Though I had delays and my luggage was left in Atlanta, my flights were not cancelled. I literally ran through the the airport in Atlanta to make my connection, which was the last flight into Gainesville, getting in at one in the morning.
I've already been back to the airport this morning and learned that my luggage should be delivered to me this afternoon. On the way home I stopped at the local coffee place near my school and ran into a former colleague who was rushing to work. I didn't envy her at all!
And yes, my friends in France are some of the best!
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Post by mickthecactus on Aug 9, 2016 13:55:22 GMT
I quite like part retirement........
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Post by fumobici on Aug 9, 2016 15:48:10 GMT
Nice to have some biographical background on one of our regulars. Do they still do "advanced track studies"? I took a year of what was then called a HAPS(High Ability/Potential Students) program in California in sixth grade and it was wonderful to study Voltaire and formal logic and beginning Latin in a less structured learning environment instead of the usual lowest common denominator curriculum I was used to. I think they phased that out as elitist and exclusionary in CA.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2016 16:20:18 GMT
I was amused moving from Mississippi to California for 11th grade. I was dubiously put in the 'normal' classes while they wondered if maybe I should be at the remedial level coming from such a backward place. For 12th grade, they put me in 'advanced' everything and I was forced to endure being put on a special page of the yearbook as the top male student, along with the top female student (since as you know, the sexes must always be classified separately ).
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Post by htmb on Aug 9, 2016 16:31:39 GMT
Fumobici, the program I oversaw was/is advanced and the majority of the major courses of study are college-level. Students sit for examinations at the end of each year as part of the curriculum and have an opportunity to earn college credit for passed exams. Many students actually enter college with 45 hours of college credit, thus saving them time and money later. However, the program is incorporated into a regular high school and students are involved in many different types of activities with other students of various academic abilities. Walking across the school campus, you could not tell who was in the advanced program and who wasn't, and our students come from various socio-economic backgrounds. Some are the children of professionals with advanced degrees, while others may be the first in their family to attend college, or even graduate from high school.
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Post by breeze on Aug 9, 2016 19:36:44 GMT
Htmb, it sounds like you had a very satisfying career and made a difference to students and parents both. You’ll still continue to be a teacher in spirit if not in employment. We can see that you’re an inspirational grandmother (and I assume parent also). You may have stopped doing lesson plans, but I bet you’ll continue to offer other people the chance to learn something new.
That includes us anyporters who don’t get to Paris or Cedar Key.
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Post by htmb on Aug 9, 2016 22:54:04 GMT
That's so sweet. Thanks, breeze.
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Post by mossie on Aug 10, 2016 10:45:47 GMT
Thanks very much for the description of your teaching career hmtb, you don't come across as the stereotypical fussy schoolmarm with hair done up in a tight bun, but you have made a very good job of it.
Thanks also for entertaining us with your Parisian forays.
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Post by amboseli on Aug 10, 2016 10:58:13 GMT
Thanks for sharing your career, htmb. Must give a lot of satisfaction knowing that you (and your colleages) really made the difference for those ASD children. I wish my son would have had a teacher like you ...
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