Time for Change
“What’s it like, being retired?” people keep asking me. Well, it hasn’t really sunk in yet; this would have been the school holidays anyway. Ask me again in September!
I recently made the decision to take early retirement. It was not an easy decision to make; I have been a primary school teacher all my working life and considered it to be my vocation. I took most of the never ending changes and challenges in my stride, and enjoyed spending time with children, teaching and nurturing them. By my reckoning, over 600 children have passed through my hands during my 20+ years at Balfour. That’s a huge privilege and I hope I have made a difference to their lives in some small way.
So why retire early? Over the past year or so I had begun to feel increasingly unsettled and dissatisfied with my working life. When people asked what had changed, I could only say that my heart just wasn’t in it any more. Planning, preparation and marking took up my evenings and weekends, and new initiatives kept on coming. I began to see that although I was serving God through my work, I was finding it difficult to find time to deepen my own relationship with Him, or to have any quality time for sharing my faith with colleagues. My priorities are different now; I wanted time to explore other possibilities, and teaching left little time for that.
Three passages from the Bible were helpful when I was wrestling with my decision. Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord; “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.” Ecclesiastes 3:1: “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven”. And 1 Corinthians 12:5: “There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.”
Now that I have retired from full time teaching, what will I miss? The children, obviously. There is never a dull moment with children around. I enjoy spending time in their company, and helping them to learn and discover new things for themselves. I will miss coaching the table tennis team! I will miss my role in looking after the “youngsters”- newly qualified teachers needing support and mentoring as they learn to juggle the many demands of a teaching job. Last but not least I will miss my friends and colleagues; as a team leader I was privileged to work alongside some lovely people, and to lend a listening ear and a helping hand when required.
Another big question everyone asks is: “But what are you going to do now you’re retired?” My response is that I don’t know as yet. The possibilities are endless. I still feel that I have something to offer as a teacher, so will almost certainly do some supply work. I also have several hobbies I would like time to pursue. Otherwise, who knows? I can only put my trust in God and ask Him to show me the way forward. I am sure He has a plan for me. I just need to put my hand in His…
Susan Willard July 2010