Professor Sharon

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83 and markers

March 14th, 2014 · 100 Days Project, Musings, time, Work

How will I know it’s spring break?  How will I know it’s the weekend, or summer time, or winter break?  My entire work career, basically the majority of my entire adult life has been built around the academic calendar.  First as a young mother with children off to child care centers, and preschools, and school; then as an employee of one school system or another myself.  I worked for about two years as a regular employee of a non-academic company and really disliked that there was so much of my day and life spent at work when my children were home.

Today is the beginning of spring break, and I wonder how does retirement feel without markers?  I don’t imagine I will be bored, I have lots of things to do and more I haven’t signed up for as yet!  But, there is something about the markers of life that helps build the rhythm of the day and the week and the month and the year.

Are there life markers in retirement?  Does it matter?

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84 and the rhythm of time

March 11th, 2014 · 100 Days Project, College students, family, Musings, retirement, time, Work

Today I felt a little of the reality of the time I will have to manage when I am retired.  It’s been a hard start to my last semester; with unending snow storms, and school closings and all that effects in terms of supervising student teachers.

But, this morning I completed the first round of supervisions and realized that I’d have tomorrow and then Friday to work with, not counting THursday when I do need to teach four hours of classes.  I have prep work to do, and some homework to grade, and some Moodle activities to set up; but those chores aren’t going to take two full days.

As I walked this afternoon with my hubby, during a break in his work, on a delightful “spring really is going to show up” kind of day, I realized what retirement might look like: time of my own to rearrange!  Wow.

 

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85 days and a phone

March 10th, 2014 · 100 Days Project, College students, Education, Musings, retirement, Teaching & Learning, Work

Memo: I have not phoned it in.

Today I went to the All College Meeting.  It likely occurs at other colleges as well, but once a month, many of the faculty and staff gather for an hour at lunch in our lecture hall.  The President fills us in on current economic news (as we are a state college), announcements are made, various things are discussed, and on occasion students and their work is highlighted.  The latter is definitely my favorite.

I contributed to the discussion today; but found I was very reluctant.  In some other meetings recently, I’d noticed that some of my colleagues were “rolling their eyes” when I spoke.  I know that on occasion, in the hallways for example, a colleague will ask if I’ve phoned it in, or left in spirit already.  I was very struck with the idea that somehow my leaving at the end of the semester for some folks means I don’t wish to be a fully contributing member of the community.  I don’t care for the idea, yet, of course, there isn’t much I can do about it, but keep getting involved when I feel it’s important.  Just weird.

 

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86 days

March 9th, 2014 · 100 Days Project, Important People, Musings, Quote of the Week, retirement, time, Work

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
? T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

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87 days and spring

March 8th, 2014 · 100 Days Project, Garden, Museums, Musings, photo of the week, retirement, Site Seeing, travel

Spring!

Spring!

I spent the day enjoying the bulb shows at both Smith College and Mt. Holyoke College.  The first packed like sardines, the second quiet, smaller and both delightful.  A wonderful reminder that spring is arriving, especially appreciated after the harsh winter we have endured. Outside the greenhouses, much snow and ice still needs to melt.   I spent the day appreciating the people, environment, and joy I have in my life.

Every day of my retirement is truly going to be like spring arriving!

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