Retirement +1 Lessons Learned and Still Learning.

I see a number of my colleagues have decided to pull the trigger and retire (or just leave teaching) this year. Everyone has their reasons and all reasons are valid since I know how long it took me to make this choice. After you’ve spent most of your career being told you aren’t good enough either by Administrators, Parents, Elected Officials, the Media, or Society (“Those who can do, those who can’t teach”). You’ve spoken with a financial planner and have been told you can do it (even with the volatility of the economy). When it is time, you know it.

I decided it was time when I no longer had faith in the system, our elected officials, the district level admins, the building level admins, and had been told what I had invested all my time and effort into wasn’t important. What was important was bus duty, and not complaining about lack of support. If I heard once I heard a thousand times about how much had been spent on LEGO robotics kits for my classroom… which would be like saying the district had spent all this money on Apple IIe computers in the 80’s so they are not going to buy new ones, and we should be content with all we have. I just wanted my kids (at a Title 1 school) to have access to the stuff the more affluent schools in the district had. My hope in leaving is that it may actually cause some change to occur, maybe it did… I’m retired now so it’s not my problem.

Since it is “Teacher Appreciation Week” here are my final stats:

• 35 years teaching, 40 years in education. In Indiana there is something called the “Rule of 85” the number of years in the classroom plus your age if it equals 85 you get your full pension. I retired at 92. What did I get for sticking out a few more years? Nothing that noticeable.
• Three schools as a teacher, 11 schools in a teacher support role (STEM Coach- Which really was more Social Media Manager since they really didn’t care about STEM only Reader’s & Writer’s Workshop 🙄 & Technology Coach or the guy who turned your computer off and back on again to get it to work🤪)
• One district (which shall remain nameless)
• 12 physical classrooms I also survived one school renovation which was a disorganized mess. Lots of pie crust promises 🤬
• Grades Taught: As a classroom teacher- 1st, 3rd, 4th, & 5th. As a specialist (Technology Coordinator at one school K-5, Robotics & Design Teacher at another 1-6)
• Principals: 11 Some were amazing- some weren’t. The worst one just wanted to move up the ladder and is now a Superintendent 🙄 and shall not be named (Dr. Voldemort, those who worked with you know who you are).
• States taught in: Indiana, latest data- ranked 36th in teacher salary (39th in 2022)! But our legislators love to talk about the historic funding levels that don’t seem to make it to the actual people doing the teaching in public schools. Our surrounding states are in the teens (except Kentucky that actually is impressed by Indiana’s rank).
• Indiana Credential: Elementary – expires: 5-23-28, technology endorsement, aerospace endorsement. Elementary Administration – lapsed. With the current Law about the “Science of Reading” (which I basically taught before “Workshops” became the vogue) I’d need to take a class to update my license to stay current.
• Master’s Degree in School Administration – Which is why I can say I’ve worked with a few really amazing administrators, a couple mediocre, and a few just plane awful ones (see Dr. Voldemort as a classic example)
• Awards: District Teacher of the Year 2019 (yes, pre-COVID), Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellow x2, NEWEST 1994, Alexander Calder Creativity Award, IPL Golden Apple nominee x2 (funny thing, I never received the award, but I became a judge for it), LEGO Education US LEGO Master Educator, LEGO Education Ambassador, VEX IQ Coaches Advisory Board, and a bunch of other things, some important, most of it not really.

Please understand these are my personal notes, your mileage may vary, especially since the Legislature likes to pass laws that tend to handicap teachers since they are, for the most part, more liberal and therefore vote accordingly. That and the GOP seems to in general hate public schools. Something about public schools wanting people to think and reason for themselves and be nice to each other.

Finances as you leave the classroom.

First thing you discover is just how much of your own money you used in your classroom. Be it for pencils, books, or “Teachers Pay Teachers” it’s probably a lot more than you thought and definitely more than what the IRS lets you claim as a deduction. Indiana, of course, just laughs at you and says “Sucker!” and your School and District smile knowingly and say “but it’s for the kids.” As I am reminded, not my problem anymore.

When I retired I received a lump sum consisting of the remainder of my contract, this also marked the end of almost all my relationship with my school district. Which meant they did a great job of killing my professional email, and Google account which wasn’t bad, except for any records I had through Google or websites I had used my school account for. I was a bit surprised since many people talk about how they still had access to their accounts years after they left. Then again, the district Technology Department didn’t like me since I was hypercritical about how they supported teachers. SO- before your last day, copy everything you think you might need onto a personal storage device or personal cloud account. Also make sure everyone you would like to hear from has access to a personal email account (you could put it in your “vacation message” but when you don’t have an account, nothing comes back.) For me this hit me in two ways- first, I couldn’t get my email and my paystubs and tax documents were sent there. Second, having done a lot of work with CAD, my TinkerCAD account wasn’t available so all the work I had created was no longer accessible. I could have contacted them and asked, but knowing how well they supported teachers who actually still worked in the district, I could only imagine how quickly my request would be misplaced or deleted.

So you get this lump sum of money… It’s not as much as you think, but it is nothing to sneeze at. Basically it’s your pay (less deductions) from the last check in May until August and the start of the new contract. This is to last you until the State starts getting your pension checks to you. They need to first hear from your district that you have retired and then after processing the paperwork start getting a check to you. These arrive at the beginning of the month expect them to arrive around July.

This would be where I go off on wishing the United States acted like all the other “Developed” countries and had Universal Healthcare. Fortunately, in my school district I was still covered by the district insurance until August, so I had some time to figure it out. In fact I couldn’t do anything really until right before my coverage was about to lapse. I asked around and was put in contact with someone from the group currently handling the District’s pension accounts. The district had changed companies a few years ago and I had kept most of my investments with the old company since their people knew me, and I like simplicity. Talking with the new company ended up being painful. After over 45 minutes going over the services he could provide, he then kept going on about switching to him as my financial advisor, even after I had said I was happy with my current arrangement, and all I wanted with help with health insurance. I don’t do hard sells well, and decided to look at other options which included talking to my financial guy who put me in touch with a nice gentleman who only talked about health insurance and made it a simple process. He put together a couple of options and we met again when I could actually sign up for everything.

What about still using the District insurance, isn’t that an option? Yes, except that my district over the years had added various options and one of those was to keep with what you had. I’m into simplicity so I did. In retirement, this meant I had the most expensive option and it would basically use up all of my pension from the State to keep it. See why I think the US needs to just be like all the other “developed” countries?

I spoke with my Financial guy who really helped calm me down and really just kept saying, “don’t worry.” You get a check from the state with what has been in their account which you can do a few things with, I rolled it over into my retirement account to keep things in one place (Keep It Simple Stupid). I could have taken it as a lump sum payout and then had to deal with taxes on it as income… As for taxes, just expect if you are rolling over accounts (like I did- to simplify things) you’ll end up with a load of 1099-R forms. If you have a tax guy- this shouldn’t be an issue, but if you are doing it on your own… you need to make sure you keep track of all those forms, and make sure that the district sends you what you need (especially if it used to come to you via school email and you no longer have access to that). I have a specific amount of money (as suggested by the folks at INPRS) taken out of my pension each check, to deal with tax liabilities. Yes, I got some money and still get my pension.

I have a bit of anxiety, if you didn’t know, so while other people might be basking in the glory of retiring, I was panicking over how I was going to live. I had the experience of watching my parents burn through what should have been more than enough money to tide them over for two lifetimes, and I didn’t want that to happen to me. I had planned on doing a driving trip to see my father after the school year ended, but after getting the cold shoulder from him (“Well, I’m not sure we’ll be around, maybe some other time.” I hadn’t even told him when I was planning to go.) I made a choice- I had spent 35 years only going on vacation during the summer or school holidays- which I rarely did anyway. So this time I was going to hold off and not go on vacation until school was back in session, celebrating the fact that the school calendar no longer held me. I also took a step back and decided to just see how much it would cost to be retired. I have survived so far (thanks to Sue’s income) and not had to dip into my retirement savings at all. Your mileage may vary, but I just want to make it through to when I hit that golden age and start getting Social Security which according to current estimates I believe is when I turn 142.

I do want to say, the folks at my district’s central office who handle the benefit stuff, do a great job. They at least try to help you out as best they can and have been really good at things like keeping me on my dental insurance and that life insurance policy the district has, I just have to pay into it annually or use the funds in my HRA (until they go away). That has been wonderful and a weight off my shoulders.

Life as a Retired Teacher

As a new retired teacher you will find it liberating… Like finances you just won’t believe how much emotional, and mental energy was used for teaching. As for time, no longer will you spend countless hours grading papers or lesson planning. Will you still have “Schoolmares”? Yes, I just had one last night about having to cover three classes with technology not working while the classroom teachers got a break to celebrate something inane that Special Area teachers weren’t privy to. 🙄 I had a list of words and phrases I said I would not miss hearing… I have not heard any of these since retiring: rigor, champion, FTEM, growth, formative assessment, “Misery is choice,” “If you aren’t having fun you’re doing it wrong,” and many other wonderful tidbits that filled a day in my last school. The last two were a way to shift blame back to the teacher- it wasn’t the admin’s fault, it was yours. 🙄 I have only had one “stand up meeting” and that was because Sue and I were standing up in the kitchen as we talked about something. I’ve been doing things with “fidelity” and “intentionality” but have never thought about it that way until just now.

I have learned that I’m not a morning person. My alarm is set for 8:00 and I roll out of bed, whenever I darn well feel like it, or when the cats darn well feel like it. No more duty where I have to be at the buses at 7:30 and watch the teachers roll in with or after the kids. Sue says I’m happier than she has seen me in forever. All that stuff that you have to put off and feel guilty about because you have school work that needs to get done? You can get it done now, but only if you want.

Over the past 12 months here are some of the things I have done:

• Organized and culled my comic book collection. Still a work in progress, currently around 5700 comics, but due to accounting errors probably fewer.
• Had a Rocketeer wrap put on my car. This had led me to collect Dave Stevens art and Rocketeer sketches from various artists. (Stuart Sayger, Judd Winick, Mark Bagley, Bill Waldo…)
• Built some LEGO sets (for myself) & not bought any LEGO sets for school. I have been shocked at how little I spend on LEGO sets now that I no longer am teaching.
• Visited the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. I used to take kids and teachers there in the 90’s and hadn’t been back since.
• Been a balloon handler in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thanks to friends Sue and I were able to get this opportunity.
• Visited the The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center outside of Dulles, in Washington D.C. This is the annex for the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and having been brought up around airshows and a father who loved airplanes, this was a place I had wanted to visit for a long time.
• Visited the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. It’s been on my list for a while since I had first heard of the Toy Hall of Fame. I highly recommend it for those with kids or (like me) are just big kids.
• Attended GeoWoodstock in Owensboro, KY and Going Caching in Rome, GA. Sue had me go to GeoWoodstock the day after I had officially retired. Going Caching had a Viking theme so it was a fun event attend. I have gotten back into geocaching, but still not as deeply as I once was.
• Attended the New York Comic Con with my brother. I would have loved to take my Niece and Nephew, but their parents wouldn’t allow it. Bought some original art from some of my favorite artists, including an Humberto Ramos page from Strange Academy!
• Attended all four days of Gen Con. After living in Indy I finally was able to attend all four days (it usually falls over the start of school) and actually play games and attend workshops. Tried out puppetry.
• Visited San Francisco and the Cartoon Art Museum to see the Dave Stevens exhibit which was extended so go and see it if you can!
• Attended Cartoon Crossroads Columbus and purchased a Will Eisner original drawing!
• Attended The Power-Con Toy Convention. Learned that I’m not as into toys as I thought, and that toys from my youth are really, really, expensive.
• Took up Curling. I bought shoes, so I’ll be back next season.
• Created the word Whimventure® to describe just going off and doing something on a “whim.” This was in response to my brother commenting (in a somewhat negative way) that I do things on a whim and therefore he can’t have us visit since they can’t plan for it. 🙄
• Took the Fan Tour of LEGO House in Billund, Denmark. While I may not be involved in the LEGO Users Group, or displaying in public I still love to play and create. This was a great opportunity and also gave Sue and me a chance to visit Malmo, Sweden so I have actually set foot in the land of my Nelson ancestors. We look forward to returning to the area to spend more time whimming around.
• While in Denmark, discovered Thomas Dambo’s Trolls. Since first hunting trolls in Denmark, we have now been to see trolls in Ohio and Kentucky (on a whim) and are planning on seeing more this summer.
• Volunteered at the Indiana Comic Con for Comic Carnival.
• Started to design signs and other things for Comic Carnival (my LCS).
• Attended Cincinnati Comic Expo with my friend Brian, he went to see Adam Savage, I went to see Tony Harris.
• I’ve drawn a lot more, not just stuff for Comic Carnival. Attended some Indiana Webcomics Group meet ups.
• Attended the Oddities and Curiosities Expo and bought a taxidermic Silly Spotted Nimblebuck.
• I’m still working on a daily/weekly schedule to keep things somewhat organized.
• Not returned to my old school at all… trying to think if I’ve even driven by it.
• Got COVID which kept me from helping out at the FIRST LEGO League State Championship. (darn)
• Attended a few MINI Cooper Group Drives/Meet Ups. Decided that I really like the MINI•317 group and will continue to attend all of their events. 😉 The Fort Wayne group, while a bit of a drive, is a close 2nd as they have some unique drives and destinations (Randolph County Asylum, Mansfield Reformatory…). They also are really nice people, alsmot as nice as the MINI•317 people.
• Took time for myself without feeling guilty.
• Celebrating my In-Laws 60th Wedding Anniversary in Asheville, NC and then driving around to check out retirement location options.

What I have found is that there has been a lot of stuff I liked that got put on the back burner because of school. While going back and exploring things that I used to be interested in, I’ve found that some I’ve rekindled a love of, and others- “meh.” As for relocating (something that comes up when you talk to retired folks), here’s the thing- Sue and I have been married for 34 years (as of yesterday) and she still really likes her job, so we are going to be staying in Indy for the current time. No place is perfect but, Indy isn’t as bad as many places in the US. It’s pretty affordable (we have family in much more expensive places) and for us, it is centrally located with a good airport (it would be better if they bring back the direct flight to Paris). So most places we are looking at are awesome, and we love them, but are lacking in a few things we need for the short term. we’ve started a list of non-negotiables and will keep looking at places as we travel around this summer and into the fall.

Regerts?

So… Retirement? Did I make a mistake? Are you making a mistake? As for me, no mistakes made, and while people ask if I’m “bored” I’m from Gen-X we were left alone for what seems like days, and had to entertain ourselves before computers, and the internet- I’m fine. I have my cats, paper and pencils, along with books, so boredom is not something I worry about. Oh, and since paper and pencils are cheap, I don’t worry much about spending too much. As an individual I don’t need the same number of pencils I did for a classroom. As for you- only you can decide that, I can say “C’mon in the water’s fine” I’m still wary about sharks (Remember I’m Gen-X and grew up when “Jaws” was in the theater), but I also believe that people are smart enough to adjust as they need to in order to be happy. If I need to get a job due to finances or boredom, I will. I’ll adjust as consequences arise. Currently helping out Comic Carnival with graphics has been a lot of fun and a challenge for my imagination (which has not been destroyed by reading too many comic books like some intellectual snobs believe). Do what you are comfortable doing, but mostly, have fun- life’s too short to do otherwise or as the tattoo says – “No Regerts”.