Failing Retirement 101 and Loving It

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teaching in private schools.</p><p id="8cba">So where am I now? I am intensively doing work I like and avoiding work I don’t like. I actively substitute at a private school as needed and as it fits into my calendar. I do contract work for educational non-profit organizations doing teacher training, conducting AP student study sessions, writing school curriculum, grading national exams, and teaching a live online AP Computer Science class. My days are nearly as full as they were when I was teaching in public schools, but now I get to choose what I do and when I do it. For leisure, I sail my boat in cooler weather and play a domino game, Texas 42, as often as I can.</p><p id="81c4">How did I get to where I am now from where I started? I have used a simple approach to persistent networking. I contacted professionals I knew in educational organizations I’ve been associated with and I said these words, “I have some free time in the coming months. I wonder if there is anything you can use some help with, paid or unpaid?” Often, I was rewarded with paid work.</p><p id="1a56">Doing contract works well for me. It has a clear beginning, a clear end, and a clear set of expectations. I think I’m going to like my style of retirement.</p><h2 id="08f7">Minor edits were made on January 4, 2022</h2><p id="4bf3">If you have enjoyed this story and are not currently a paying member of Medium, please join. You can use this [<a href="https://medium.com/@chs50278239/membership">link</a>] to join. Then you can re

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Retirement can be rewarding in many ways.

34 years teaching in the public schools, and 6 years in private schools; on January 31, 2018, the state of Texas said I officially retired.

I knew I was going to retire months before. I dutifully notified campus administration 3 months in advance and retired at the end of the fall semester. The principal and vice-principal assured me that was plenty of notice.

Part of my preparation for retirement was to determine what I would do after leaving school. Some thoughts of mine were to seek a teaching position in the private schools, substitute teach, drive a riverboat on the San Antonio River, spend my time sailing my boat, and drive a charter bus. Let it suffice to say sitting in a rocking chair or gardening was not in my folder of things to explore. I am addicted to being busy.

I explored a few of the things on my list through the spring of 2018. I interviewed and was offered the position of boat driver. I submitted applications for private schools, and I did some substitute teaching in private schools.

So where am I now? I am intensively doing work I like and avoiding work I don’t like. I actively substitute at a private school as needed and as it fits into my calendar. I do contract work for educational non-profit organizations doing teacher training, conducting AP student study sessions, writing school curriculum, grading national exams, and teaching a live online AP Computer Science class. My days are nearly as full as they were when I was teaching in public schools, but now I get to choose what I do and when I do it. For leisure, I sail my boat in cooler weather and play a domino game, Texas 42, as often as I can.

How did I get to where I am now from where I started? I have used a simple approach to persistent networking. I contacted professionals I knew in educational organizations I’ve been associated with and I said these words, “I have some free time in the coming months. I wonder if there is anything you can use some help with, paid or unpaid?” Often, I was rewarded with paid work.

Doing contract works well for me. It has a clear beginning, a clear end, and a clear set of expectations. I think I’m going to like my style of retirement.