Here’s the door to my college office. In a couple of days all of my treasures will come down, the room will be boxed up and emptied, and someone else will make it their work place. It’s been a good office. I won’t miss it.
8 and 7 and doors
May 25th, 2014 · 100 Days Project, Education, Musings, photo of the week, retirement
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9 and grades are in…
May 23rd, 2014 · 100 Days Project, College students, Musings, retirement, Teaching & Learning, time, Work
Although even at the end of this semester, like several others in my career at the community college, my grades are in, but….
I had one student who had a baby about three weeks ago, and although she had hoped to complete all of the requirements, she was unable to get the large curriculum project done for my class. So I have given her an incomplete which is quite acceptable under the circumstances! So I enter retirement with one last grading project to do! It’ll be a small one, take about an hour, and it’ll be another accomplishment for this young mother who, against amazing odds, is working on a degree in early childhood education.
With that said though, allow me to celebrate that my grades are in!!
Now onto more celebrations and enjoying the upcoming Memorial Weekend!
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10 and a smile
May 22nd, 2014 · 100 Days Project, College students, Musings, My Goals, retirement, time
Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be. – Grandma Moses
Today was filled with last grading chores, a little office cleaning, a terrific lunch with two terrific students, and a very frustrating few moments in “what else haven’t they told me I need to do – paperwork wise?.”
I smile. I reminiscence. I reflect on the adult I’ve become. I try not to feel old. I laugh. I keep making life – and hopefully the lives of those around me – just a little nicer.
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11 and planning
May 21st, 2014 · 100 Days Project, family, Musings, My Goals, retirement, Work
I’m pretty sure I haven’t mentioned all the planning that goes into retirement while I’ve been counting down on this blog. The paperwork involved in retiring from an institution would choke a horse (which I promise not to do) – and that’s after you do a lot of footwork trying to figure out what paperwork to do. Meetings with lawyers and financial advisers, reading books on retirement planning, websites on retirement planning and listening to all the advice from anyone you think can offer it is just part of the planning.
In the last two days, I’ve met with a number of the aforementioned folks (see, told you I’d seen a lawyer lately), and I’m ready. It’s a little scary hoping that our financial hard work will indeed pay off. But, to not retire and not give myself the opportunity to control my daily choices would not be okay. Hubby and I have long held the belief that with good planning, communication, huge amounts of passion for what you want to do with your time, and a little risk, life is never dull and always worth chasing.
I am about to get to the station! More of the train another day!
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12 and a filing cabinet
May 20th, 2014 · 100 Days Project, College students, Musings, Teaching & Learning, Work
One of the moments in my life that I realized would change after I retire is that of thinking about my classes all of the time! I can’t remember now what it was, but a day or two ago, I came across an article and thought, “Oh, I best mark that and put it aside for the fall semester – it’ll be a great item for class.” A second later I realized that while I might send it along to a colleague, I wouldn’t be using it in class.
I also had similar ideas while grading the final projects over the last few days. As I read these huge – sometimes 60 page – curriculum for early care and education – I had several ideas about teaching a section differently, or reflecting how why three students seemed to use the same idea for a certain section. And, once again, I realized that those thoughts and ideas did not need to get saved and marked down for future use. I wouldn’t be using them.
I’m getting excited about what my brain will be spending its time on now that a certain filing cabinet is soon to be closed and shoved towards the back of the room!
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