After a decade of low pay, long hours, and the everyday frustrations that come with the job, I’ve decided to call it quits. Five months ago I gave notice that, come May, my time was up.
And so yesterday was, I guess, the first day of my retirement. I don’t have any regrets. I no longer have to take attendance, read directions, manage a classroom, or collect work. Instead, I can drink coffee, read newspapers, and watch sports. You tell me which one is more fun?
I kind of feel a bit cheated, though. For some reason, Prudential hasn’t yet knocked on my door asking me to participate in one of those clever retirement commercials. For the record, the first day of my retirement was spent editing my latest Yahoo! Sports article, going to Walmart, coaching my baseball team, and watching the Rangers, Mets, and Yankees. That’s a heck of a lot better than going to school, isn’t it?
Relax now, I don’t plan on giving up this blog. Life wouldn’t be the same without hearing from all the cheerful experts who comment on my posts. No reader will be left behind.
That’s right, after ten long years, I quit. I’m no longer an SAT proctor.
Yeah, that ain’t happening.
<< uploading sense of humor to anonymous
The posting was poorly written. It mentioned “low pay, long hours, and the everyday frustrations that come with the job,” then went on to talk about “retirement.” I suppose the essay was meant to be cute, but one simply doesn’t equate retirement with proctoring SAT tests. It fell flat.
Publius,
As I’ve said before, I always enjoy reading your comments and appreciate greatly that you read and contribute to this blog.
When you do disagree, you do so in a respectful, informed way. I respect that.
CC
The interesting aspect of the reactions is summed up in an old maxim: “We see things not as they are, but as we are”.
Taking the same history of reading your posts (which I sometimes disagree with), I made the assumption you hadn’t quit your teaching position mid-term, and looked for an explanation, which ultimately turned up in the last paragraph.
Others apparently allowed their personal attitudes toward you to control their minds, and failed to look for the explanation. Indeed, failed to read through to the end.
People are interesting.
Thank you, Curious and Publius.
It takes three weeks to read The Odyssey, two weeks to read Macbeth, and one week to read a 206-word post on Teacher Talk.
Hey guys, read the blog comment to the end. Charles, you need to be less subtle.
John Dough, the blog post referred to his no longer being an SAT proctor. It has nothing to do with his job at GHS.
Is your post an answer to my question? Please tell me that a teacher who has consistently portrayed himself as professional and as knowing what is in the best interests of his students did not just walk out the door with 8 weeks left in the school year. And is there something magical from a monetary point of view about your 10-year mark? Be honest Charles.
Good news: It looks like Connecticut’s education reform bill addresses literacy skills that are obviously lacking.
Did you really leave before the end of the school year?
Thank goodness, you are out of the classroom! I do hope that you were influenced by all (very few) of your loyal blog followers who questioned you repeatedly for facts, research data and the truth. You could never respond in kind to many who did challenged you. One can only be thankful that you quit – It is too bad that you didn’t choose another career ten years ago. Yes, stick to your sports! That is what most non-thinking and non- caring people do to entertain themselves. Yes, sports will be your new career- perhaps as a tackling dummy for the Jets or Giants or a powder-puff league. You certainly will not missed in the classroom, nor any of your inane educational comments; ditto for your hero- worshiping of the likes of G.W. and Pappa Joe, etc.
Thank you so much for allowing someone else, hopefully with more creativity and intelligence to take over your post in the English department; I thought I heard cheers and fireworks around Greenwich High School… Herb ,and others who were frustrated by your silence.