Why did I make the decision to retire? I am not nearly old enough for
Social Security and still feel that I have a lot left to offer students. My
health is good. My husband decided to go through our state's Deferred
Retirement program (DROP) so he has to work for two more years to satisfy
their requirements. So why?
When I went to my present position in 1995, my school was the top one in the
system. We have had a series of bad principals who do not view the library
as an essential part of the school. I have noticed a growing lack of
respect toward the library from the administrators who see it as elementary
babysitting for teacher breaks, a place to send discipline problems, and a
place for elementary PE when it is raining. Just yesterday the elementary
PE teacher came in with a class so they could watch videos - and the sun was
shining outside. Our new state evaluation instrument requires that the
teachers do a survey on the library and the assistant principal uses that
almost exclusively in preparing the evaluation. Before this instrument was
put in place, the administration never came in to watch me working with
students; instead I was evaluated "through the door" or by teacher
complaints when the teacher didn't get his or her way. I even had to go to
the association to close a week at the end of this year because the
principal was afraid that teachers would fuss if they didn't get their
break. I have had no support from the administration in making the library
clerk stay in the library and do the work that I have assigned her to do and
this has gone on for six years.
I am tired of working in a too-small facility with scheduled elementary
classes scattered throughout the week, but expected to keep an open schedule
for middle school students. The classrooms in our new building are larger
than the library. I am tired of working with obsolete technology since the
school board didn't count libraries as instructional units several years ago
and I have only two networked workstations, no networked printer and still
have two dialups on computers so old that they cannot be counted in the
state computer inventory. Even though I pioneered the internet in my
system, I am appalled at the "printing" mentality of students and teachers
who are no longer using the skills for information access but instead
printing anything and everything that may or may not be related to their
research topic.
Our system has been involved in a "reign of terror" since our former
superintendent came in 1998. Fortunately he is gone but the administrators
that were trained by him still use his tactics in running the schools.
Discipline is a joke at all the schools.
I find it interesting that I am being honored now that I am retiring. I
received a certificate yesterday at our technology coordinators' meeting for
my years of service in technology. All the teachers retiring in the system
will be honored at a reception on Monday and our media resources department
is holding a party for those of us who are retiring on Wednesday. My school
usually has a dinner in a local restaurant for retirees, but the other
teacher and I who are retiring have said we don't want it. Why aren't we
honored while we are working and doing our best to help students?
I paid back several out-of-state years in order to qualify for retirement
this year. I am looking into other options including private school, but I
feel that I need the rest and piece of mind that I will get in knowing that
I won't have to return to the Birmingham City Schools next year. Because of
financial problems, the City of Birmingham is offering all certificated
teachers who retire a $25,000 incentive and yes, this helped to make up my
mind. The pay is somewhat less, but I can always consider substitute work
in some of the other systems around. I am also a Mary Kay Independent
Beauty Consultant and am planning to build up that business now that I have
the time. I can work on my web page certification and develop web pages if
I wish. A computer company has also discussed with me the possibility of
working in educational consulting.
Please excuse my going on and on about my reasons to retire. I am at peace
with my decision no matter what happens in the future. I enjoy helping
students and teachers in promoting information access and leisure reading
skills. I enjoy reading to students and hearing their feedback. I enjoy
seeing the look of delight on their faces when they find a book they want to
read. And it really brings joy to my heart when, after I told the students
I was retiring and would not be back next year, they let me know that even
though I had some tough times and some tough discipline, they were upset
that I was not returning in the fall. As I have said for years - children
are children no matter where you are but it is the administration that makes
the difference in the success of a situation.
I have not met a retired teacher or librarian who said he or she was sorry
about retirement. Some are working in other library fields, some are
substituting, and others are staying home and enjoying themselves.
Madeline Buchanan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Madeline L. Buchanan, Library Media Specialist
W. J. Christian School (K-8) - Retiring May 28th
Birmingham, Alabama 35206
Phone (205) 838-7666 or 231-5277
Fax (205) 231-5279
mlbuchanan1@charter.net
http://www.mlbuchanan.com/
http://www.wwisp.com/~wjcs/
"The imagination should be allowed a certain
amount of time to browse around."
--Thomas Merton
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