Category Archives: Seniors

In or out: Older People’s Day

Posted on September 16, 2015 by bakrawiec

October 1st is the annual International Day of Older People. Hooray! (I think.) Let’s be sure to circle that date on our calendars. Right away. Today. (Yes! I know it’s only one day past mid-September, but now that we’re older, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Retirement, Seniors | 10 Comments

your head in the clouds?

Posted on September 9, 2015 by bakrawiec

Used to be that having your head in the clouds was a sign of adolescent romanticism. Not any longer. One week ago, on my quiet reflective retirement celebration day, I was sitting alone at a Senior hangout (Seniors, as in … Continue reading →

Posted in Retirement, Seniors, Technology | Leave a comment

judge not—‘case I forget to flush

Posted on September 8, 2015 by bakrawiec

Every time I use a certain public bathroom, I am reminded of something I need to share to prepare my family and friends for when I grow older. Hard as I try, I have a difficult time pressing the handles … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Retirement, Seniors | 2 Comments

morning after: lame duck librarian

Posted on August 11, 2015 by bakrawiec

Assuming that the Board appointed my replacement last night, I’m even more officially a lame duck librarian this morning. Meanwhile, until my work account ends on August 31st, I continue receiving email notifications concerning boxes upon boxes of new books … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Children, Education, Employment, Librarian, LIbrarians, Library, Library Media Specialist, Retirement, School, Seniors, Teachers, Teaching, Transitions | Leave a comment

unfortunately…forced into leaving teaching

Posted on August 9, 2015 by bakrawiec

In an earlier post, I compared “social media” constraints at the end of my teaching career with “social” (public drinking) constraints at its start. In that post, I wondered if the anti-public drinking constraint was aimed particularly at women. …Would … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Education, Employment, Retirement, School, Seniors, Students, Teaching, Transitions | Leave a comment

to drink or not to drink in public…

Posted on August 7, 2015 by bakrawiec

In a recent post, I alluded to occupational constraints regarding the personal use of social media, put in place in what has turned out to be my last teaching job. Reminds me that at the other end of my teaching … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment, Retirement, Seniors, Teachers, Teaching, Transitions, Work | Leave a comment

25 years after the head-on crash, I’m headed in a new direction

Posted on August 6, 2015 by bakrawiec

It was twenty-five years ago this morning that a routine drive to work on a rainy Monday morning ended up with a totaled car and physical injuries, resulting from a head-on crash with a pick-up truck on a major highway. … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment, Retirement, Seniors, Transitions, Writing | Leave a comment

timing

Posted on August 3, 2015 by bakrawiec

July has given way to August. And I realized something about the passage of time during these countdown days. In the past, when I was counting down to the start of the school year, I did so at this half-way … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Employment, Retirement, School, Seniors, Students, Teachers, Transitions, Work | Leave a comment

not what, but who; joyfully (un)realistic!

Posted on August 2, 2015 by bakrawiec

The same undergraduate methods professor who introduced me to the Henry Adams quote, discussed in prior posts, that guided my teaching, gave the following words of wisdom, which he repeated often throughout our coursework, making them his mantra. I’m paraphrasing: … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Employment, Retirement, Seniors, Students, Teachers, Transitions, Work | Leave a comment

halfway out, and still fighting the bad rap

Posted on August 1, 2015 by bakrawiec

Halfway through the sixty days’ resignation to retirement, I’m thinking about the posts I’ve written as a map of where my mind has been. Surprised that I’m still reflecting so much on teaching–still infuriated over new teacher evaluation systems and … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Employment, High-Stakes Testing, Retirement, Seniors, Students, Teachers, Testing, Transitions, Work | Leave a comment