At the Crossroads

In a scene from The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy first meets Scarecrow at a crossroad on the yellow brick road to Oz. Dorothy needs to choose the best way to go and of course Scarecrow, who doesn't have a brain, is of no help. As we all remember, though, Scarecrow becomes her supportive friend who encourages her decisions and accompanies her along the yellow brick road.

Unlike Dorothy’s Scarecrow, my supportive companion is very intelligent. Kim encourages me to do what will make me happy. He went with me to Austin when I needed to talk to the Texas Retirement System about my retirement. We are on this road together and my decision will affect both of us. I want to make the right decision for our future. I know that Kim is going to support and encourage me on whatever path I choose. I'm lucky to have him, but the decision is up to me.

I find myself at the crossroads of “Do I retire?” or “Do I keep teaching school?” I look back at the long distance I've come from my first day teaching kindergarten in a small West Texas town. My journey took me from kindergarten to primary grades to intermediate grades. I'm presently teaching third grade where it is my task to prepare my students to take two state mandated tests. For 32 years I taught the children of Texas. That is more than half of my life spent in an elementary school classroom. Many demands and pressures from the state have made my field of expertise a more difficult job than it was in 1975. My growing desire to get away from the stresses of the classroom has brought me to this crossroad in my life.

Most retired schoolteachers turn to substitute teaching. That doesn't appeal to me because I'm retiring to get out of the classroom. My hope is to find a job that pays enough to supplement a retirement check and won’t be so strenuous with work to take home every evening. If such a job were to surface, my decision might be easier. I have taught school for so long, I hardly know what jobs are available for a person such as myself.

So, here I am standing at the crossroads of my career wondering what to do next. Should I retire, taking a financial risk, and move on to another career? Or should I stay in my present teaching job, knowing that my income will remain secure? Is it worth being unhappy to stay with teaching? I don't know, but I’m at the crossroads contemplating which way to turn.