The View from the Other Side: So Far So Good

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I’m no longer a teacher, at least not in the formal way. I have now joined the ranks of that elite group of people—retired teachers. The period of thirty odd years of standing in front of the classroom, spending endless hours in my office, and doing administrivia tasks has run its course and I am now free to spend more time with the grandkids, work in my greenhouse, go to the gym and a host of other pursuits and interests of my choosing. I can always walk the dog, golf, or sleep in. Hey, I may even have a chance to play my first game of old timers’ hockey; I hope I can still remember where the net is. The sky is now my limit.

Yes, what a change it has been thus far. All my life since the age of five I’ve been involved in education in some way. It has taken some getting used to, shedding that learned behaviour of following rigid schedules and routines. Now it feels like a summer without end. It all seems surreal.

During my teaching career when I thought about retirement, I often wondered whether leisure time and enjoyable activities would fulfill the sense of meaning and purpose I enjoyed as a teacher. Would I miss my job and juggling the challenges of everyday school life—the kind of challenges that keep one sharp and focused? Would my hobbies and leisure activities fill that gap? Would I find something just as purposeful or would the voyage into retirement leave me scared, bored and found wanting? Well, none of that to this point. Instead, my life is so packed with fun-filled activities that I often wonder how I actually found the time to teach.

I had imagined that my retirement would bring on a loss of my identity and too much free time. After all, who are you when you no longer define yourself by your job? It can be a troubling passage for some and perhaps a little scary as one slides from the grand stage of being a teacher into the anonymity of private life. Instead, it has been an exciting time of rediscovery and renewal. I view this stage of my life as a second chance for new opportunities and ambitions—a kind of liberation from the routines of a scheduled and structured life. I am now master of my own destiny and can renew myself to embark upon new horizons and directions in life.

Since my retirement, I’ve managed to find a healthy balance between leisure and work that permits me to enjoy the fruits of my labour but yet allows me to be engaged in meaningful activities where I can still feel significant, contributory and valued. It’s all about a wonderful feeling of knowing that I am no longer in an inflexible position of schedules and clocks, but instead have the free time to do the things I always wanted to do and the chance to find the time to fine tune my interests and talents in other capacities.

It’s not that I never liked teaching. Actually, I’ve had a great career and I feel fortunate to be part of this whole forum of education in my province. I’ve learned so much from my students and colleagues, and I’m forever indebted to all the wonderful people who made my career a most rewarding and enjoyable one. But I’ve paid my dues and now that I’m off the stage, it’s time to move on. I shall attempt to maintain some of the practices and virtues that have sustained me over my career, such as being active in mind and body, living my faith and especially the joy and satisfaction I got from helping others. The only difference is now I have more time to do things at my own pace and it’s a perfect time to move forward.

I think I’ve graciously come to terms with this phase of life by viewing retirement not so much as a period ending a sentence, but a comma, briefly interrupting a sentence that has yet more to say. See you at the rink!

Hector Earle is now enjoying retirement after a long career in teaching and school administration in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.