FEA-Retired: Sharing the Wisdom of Retirees

Hey, new teachers in Florida, congratulations on joining this amazing profession, one that I have loved for 38 years! I’ve taught every grade in elementary school, and I can tell you it’s been an incredible journey. Teaching has changed since I started, but one thing remains constant—the mix of great and challenging days. Here are my words of wisdom for you as you begin this exciting adventure.

• Remember the special moments. Seeing a student’s eyes light up when they finally ‘get it’ or when the spotlight is on them makes all the difference in the world. Those were moments that were special to me and gave me hope to keep going.
• Put your best foot forward for lesson plans. I always experienced some anxiety with evaluation, but in the end, I surprised myself. If you ensure you have great lesson plans from the objective to the closing, your lessons and evaluations will be a breeze. But remain flexible, allowing for priceless “teachable moments.” When you meet the students where they are, your lessons will flow and make everybody happy. I have all the hope in the world, so please hang in there, do your best for your students, and have fun.
• Remain flexible throughout your career; you never know what’s next. After my career ended in 2017, I had no idea what I was going to do. I considered being a substitute, returning to the classroom, or volunteering. One day, I had a “light bulb moment” when I received a call. That call was to ask me to run as president of FEA-Retired. That scared me to death. I took a risk and won the election. I have been the FEA-Retired president for six years, and I will continue to be an advocate for you and our students.
• Teaching is a learning process for you, too. Even after retiring, I reflect on my past lessons, always thinking about how I could have done better or what I should have done. Teachers today have access to so many better ways of teaching a lesson than I did. With the rapid advancements in teaching methods and technology, embracing change and adapting is essential. There will always be others excelling in different areas, but the key is to do your best with the resources available. Keep evolving alongside the educational landscape, and don’t hesitate to incorporate successful strategies you observe in others.
• Stand with your profession. The landscape has certainly changed. As a teacher, I never had to be concerned about whether a book I read would be interpreted by others as inappropriate. Being a union member is more important than ever. Joining the union was the first thing I did after signing my teacher contract. My mother, an ESP, encouraged me and my sisters — also teachers! — to join the union.

We must stand together, lobby in the legislature and speak at school board meetings because we are the union. Unions genuinely do make life better for us. Since retirement, I now realize how much my healthcare has been improved because of my membership in my union. It’s difficult to imagine why some are not union members because I’ve always been one. Being a member is more significant than the boxes we are placed into daily. It spans race, gender, identity, and political ideology. Being a union is about working together despite the differences, and that’s what we do.

I hope you enjoy your new career. I found immense fulfillment in my teaching career because I knew that every day, I was shaping the minds of my students and contributing to the future. I’m confident that you’ll experience the same sense of purpose. Remember, I have all the hope in the world for you and I know you’ll be great teachers.