My family thinks it's time for me to retire from teaching?

Question

I am 60 years old and i have been teaching 8th grade History since i was 25. I love teaching and i would like to continue to. But my wife, kids, grandkids and everyone thinks that i should retire. Do you think that i am getting too old?

Answer 1

I'm a 10 year teacher but have many dear friends who have retired.  

Can you substitute at your current school once you retire?  It would be a compromise and give you the flexibility that your family wants you to have.

One of the teachers at my school started teaching 50%.  Is there a way for you to teach on a part-time bases?

Answer 2

only retire if u want 2. it dosent matter how old u are i herd of a teacher that dident retire till he was 92.

Answer 3

Has your family said why they think you should retire? Is it health. Perhaps they feel like the 'system' is wearing you down a bit and they worry about its toll on you. Perhaps they just feel like you should explore different experiences for a while.

Have you considered still teaching, but through a new venue? How about volunteering in the new world of online instruction. It would give you a fresh avenue of exploration while still giving the gift of your training to needy families. That is what I do and I love it. I teach in a live online classroom to home school kids from all over the US,Canada, and we even have a family from Brazil. Our classes are free to the the families because our tools are donor provided and the teachers all teach as non-paid volunteers. The online classroom is a fun environment. It has full-duplex audio, text chat, whiteboard, application sharing, webcam, and more.

If you want to see what it is like in an online classroom, feel free to drop in during our open office hours. Even if you decide not to volunteer to teach, perhaps you may like to look into it as a tutoring option. The best part is you can teach from the comfort of your own home (even in your PJs, LOL).

Open office hours are 4:30pm to 8pm Central, weekdays. The link is

https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=55...

Our website is

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Answer 4

Age is not the major factor. Do you still have the same heart for the kids? Are you still effective? If you answered yes then keep going.

Answer 5

And you're listening? Why? Has you family dictated to you before and have you listened before?

Now, if there is a reason, such as ill health, I can understand it. But if you really still love teaching and are able to teach five days a week, 7.5 hours a day, I wouldn't think of retiring.

I had to retire because of illness. I still regret it. I do sub in my old school, and I love it every time. But I can no longer handle 5 days a week 7.5 hours a day. Make your own decision!!

Answer 6

The big questions are:

Why do they think you should retire?

Do you think you should retire?

What will you do when you retire?

You're too old to teach when you stop being a positive influence in the lives of the students.  I see a lot of teachers retire to nothing and pass away within 5 or 6 years.  You've been teaching for 35 years.  You have certainly earned a retirement.  But, when you retire is up to you ultimately.

Answer 7

Retire when YOU feel you are ready, not when others feel you are ready. 60 is not old! If you are still enjoying yourself, then keep teaching. If you're not sure, you could take a short sabbatical and then return later. :-)

Answer 8

Hey, if you feel that you can go for a few more years, then do it.

If you have serious health problems, I suggest you stop teaching as often as you are now.

Answer 9

Do you still feel well enough to do  it,honestly?You are the only one who knows.If your health is good,then continue,however it may be that your family wants to spend more time with you,and that's a good thing!GOD-bless.

Answer 10

Do they give reasons for encouraging you to retire?

Answer 11

The age of retirement for most things has been rising from 65 to 70, so you are definitely not too old.  I have one colleague right now who is 78, and still contributing.  What it sounds like your family is saying is not that you are too old, but that they would like to spend more time with you.  You might want to think of some way of doing that while continuing to teach, by giving up extra responsibilities you are using to thinking of as part of your job.

Answer 12

I wouldn't mind a teacher that was 60 as long as he wasn't having "senior moments."  I'd say another 5 years for you isn't out of the question as long as you're handling it okay still.  That's a long time to teach and not get burned out, my hat's off to you.

Answer 13

Personally, if all the people you care about want you around more, you should retire.  With teaching, there's a good possibility that you can fill in for maternity leaves and teachers leaving mid-year if you decide you can't live without teaching yet.  I know a retired teacher (well, retired assistant superintendent at this point) who covered someone's maternity leave.  The teacher never came back from her leave, so the retired teacher finished out the school year.  Now she's being asked back for the entire next school year.  So, you CAN retire...and just know the option to teach again is still open.  

Better still, you can be hired as a remediation teacher and work way less hours, but still enjoy being around students.  Seriously though, if they all want you to retire, you should consider it.

Answer 14

No, my son has teachers that are 78. You should keep doing what you want, it's your life, live it your way!

Answer 15

I think the retirement age is 65, right?

And the question of whether you're getting to old or whether your lessons are getting old, or whether the climate of the school/ school system is not conducive to the safety and needs of the more sage educators.

What are your test scores? Are you 'keeping up with the times' and making your lessons appropriate for today's type of learners (hm, or non-learners?)

Maybe your family is noticing the hustle and bustle of your work is getting to be too much. Are you having difficulty getting your grades done?

On a fantastic tip, if you can take the school board's retirement option, yet you still have the energy to work, take advantage of it and bloom a hobby! Write your memoirs. Become the Dramaturgist for your local theatre. PERFECT for a knowledgable and interested Historian. Ooo, do you love your hometown? Team up with the Chamber and oversee the telling of the history for it, eithe rin book form or at the museum. Ooo, or do the research about your hometown through a tourists' eyes and contribute your findings to Fodor's or Lonely Planet.

My point is, because we don't know all the contributing factors to why your family feels you should retire, is to balance your energy and interest, with more options that are still within your scope of, well... interest!

Answer 16

No, not necessarily.  The best teachers have a passion for whatever subject they are teaching.  If you are still passionate about history, and still love teaching 13 to 14 year-olds (God bless you!), we need you to stay.

I think your age is actually a benefit to teaching history.  You can add a historical perspective to many important events: Vietnam, Watergate, the fall of Communism, the Gulf War, etc.  If your health is good, please consider staying!

Answer 17

It depends. I am a teacher, and I am 40 years old. I love teaching, I have done it all my life and it is all I know how to do and I can't imagine doing anything else. But I think that being a teacher, a good teacher, has a lifespan to about 50-55 years old. Why? because after that the generation gap with the students is just to great and not to mention important qualities like patience, energy, hip to new ideas, technology, current events etc.

I don't know, but I think that in ten-fifteen years or so I won't teach the same way I do now. As wonderful and gratifying as it is, teaching is a very exhausting job and it takes its toll in time...