Six Saturdays and a Sunday

While it seems as though just last week I was teaching high school students, in reality, a whole year has passed. It occurred to me the other day, and I decided it was time to reflect a bit; while I cannot change the decision, I find taking a calculating look back sometimes helps me plan my next move.
As I spoke to the wife of one of my ex-coworkers today, her stories of his struggles with students reinforced the idea that I changed course at a good time. While my stories of recalcitrant college athletes sometimes makes it seem like I have jumped into the proverbial fire, t'ain't so: my experiences this past year in "restructurement" have been exhilarating...maddening at times, yes, but overall incredibly satisfying. Progress can, indeed, be measured in the tiniest of increments, but those are truly gratifying. Looking ahead, I know that even greater challenges await next year, given the crop of incoming JuCo transfers who struggle academically but are great on the court.
To that end, I took a summer school class concerning the teaching of reading in the content area, and I continue to read and research in that area. I hate to be surprised, but even more than that, I hate to be left feeling inadequate. Expectations are high, and I can rise to meet them.
Playing pickleball with a group of already-retired people tonight, it occurred to me that aging DOES happen, even to those who spend winters in Florida and Arizona, golf and relax in a REAL retirement setting. My buddy (and ex-principal) George, whom I have not seen since last summer, moved more slowly and remarked about a return of some cancer cells that he thought were eradicated. It was he who noticed the gray streaks in my hair...I told him that I had highlights added, to which he replied, "Looks good." At one point in the evening, my partner was an 80-yr. old man who claimed to be slowing down. If that's slow, I can't wait to get slow.
So...restructuring has worked out well. In another 10 days, my second avocation as a tour guide at Lambeau Field begins for the summer, and it will allow me to get away from school issues for a couple of months in order to recharge. Besides, Reebok furnished all the tour guides with shoes this year! Sitting around is definitely not in my plan, but kickin' it every now and then is good for the soul. To those who think retirement is merely six Saturdays and a Sunday, I'm here to tell you: that's a clever way to put it, but nobody I know that's retired sits and whittles. We're rockin'