Former teachers....what did you do after teaching?

I am watching this thread as well. I LOVE my time in the classroom with my kids, but all the time outside of the classroom is killing me. I have a long way to retirement and the expectations for us keep climbing every year. I work harder now that I did even as a first year teacher.

Reading these posts just makes me sad, sad for all you wonderful teachers now faced with endless years ahead of BS ,on the part of the state, administration etc. I retired after 30 years and still loved teaching, still felt joy almost every day. Teaching was fun, it's too bad testing has turned it into a business.

I've got 20 years in. 9 left until I have my 80 points and could take early retirement. I had wanted to stay until maybe 60, but I don't see that happening. The amount of BS that is going on is unbelievable. The morale on my campus is the worst that I've ever seen and we have an admin that just seems to be tone-deaf to how to fix it - they just keep digging themselves a bigger hole. I don't know if they realize just how many teachers are looking to transfer at the end of the year - but pretty much everyone on the faculty is expecting to see a mass exodus.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday is the high-stakes test. We have a special schedule, we've been working with kids all year to prepare them, our PBP is tied to their performance. Friday afternoon at 4, the powers that be announced that students will no longer be required to pass the test to graduate. They may choose to take the test for scholarships, etc. but there is no price for not passing. So how many are going to show up on Monday to test? If I were a student, I wouldn't bother. And I sure hope that they figure out that it's really unfair to judge teacher performance pay on whether or not the students do well on a test that does not have any affect on them whatsoever, and that they aren't even required to take unless they really want to.

Now we have a Superintendent of Education who is a total whack job and has already started clashing with the governor. And the legislature wants to pass a bill that removes deseg funding - in my district that means 500+ jobs, mostly teachers. In one school, that would be 80 teachers and 5 admin. Where do they think all of the kids who attend that school will go if they cut teaching staff by 80? There are only 5 admin at the school - now all of them will be gone? If I were a parent, I'd be raising holy hell.

So, what is my plan...well, I've started up my store on TPT and I'm starting to build up a nice inventory of items.  It's not much, but at the moment I've been getting $100/month for the past couple of months.  Considering it was $5-10/month for the first several months, it's nice to see the jump.  I'll keep plugging away and maybe someday I'll have a decent source of passive income!

I've joked for years about trying to figure out my second career - but it wasn't all a joke.
I'm actually eligible for full retirement already, but I don't feel we are in a strong enough financial position yet; I'd like to either have the mortgage paid off or be pretty close to,that before either/both of us retire.

Add in the fact that I am in Illinois - where the past governor's plan to fix the "pension problem" (involving cutting teacher pensions in lots of ways) will be heard before the state Supreme Court in a couple weeks, with the state arguing they can do this because it's an emergency and the other side (mine) arguing that it's against the state constitution. Plus, our new governor, who wants to model himself after Gov. Walker in Wisconsin, has plans that would drastically change pensions too. No idea if he'll get anywhere near doing that, but there is a ton of uncertainty about the future of the pensions for teachers.

I might have to suddenly retire should the Court rule that the state can set aside the constitution, if the ruling and plan say that those already retired wouldn't have their base pension cut. Otherwise, I'm hanging on, trying to increase the number of years in and base pension, we are throwing more extra principle onto the mortgage payment, and I'm keeping my eyes open for things I could do after retirement to earn extra money to make up what might become a shortfall in income. And no, I have never in my life wanted to sub - and finances for school districts here are so tight that many are reducing non-teaching positions, and also cutting classroom positions and special area teachers.

What's really sad is that I keep seeing posts on "10 careers to do after teaching" on FB. I know so many who are looking for a non-teaching position now.

What will happen if all of the people who CAN get out of teaching? It will make any problems we have so much worse. Really, it adds a new spin to the old saying: Those who can (get out), those who can't (get out), teach!

When we get caught unawares by some threat we never saw coming and have no way to deal with. 

I taught for 8 years, then worked in the business world for 16 years--went back to school and became a school librarian. I retired 5 years ago.

The first year I did very little, it was a time to rest and recover. Then I signed up to do volunteer work at the local historical park. The first 6 months I organized the research library for the director. Since then, I have given tours to school age children who come to the park for a field trip. (2 days per week, but only 3 hours on a day) Additionally, I do Meals on Wheels (as a sub) about 1 day per quarter. I belong to a Linus Blanket sewing group (1 day per month for meeting and otherwise I do it at home). Two Wednesdays per month I participate in our church's social activities for retirees. One day per month I meet with friends from my school (all retired) and we have lunch and talk. I visit church members who are hospitalized. I plan to work in a food pantry once day per month, but have not scheduled it yet. We travel a little also. I will garden when spring comes.

You will be surprised how fast your time fills up--even with being laid back and only doing what pleases you.

I am looking forward to solving this problem myself. This May, I will have the opportunity to retire. I can get 80% of my current salary. I will turn fifty and it will be the last day with kids. How is that for perfect timing. I have been teaching 28 years and I bought four years from SS. My husband retired almost two years ago. He put in wood floors, painted the inside of the house, made the garage all pretty, and then got a little bored. He started teaching one day a week at the college. This year he does two days and enjoys that. Our dogs have loved his retirement. They get walked twice a day. He also works out 5 times a week and has started reading again. He loves it; he thinks I will be bored. I say give me the chance to find out! I plan on making page kits for a friend's business. I also plan on decluttering the entire house. It isn't bad, but needs a good thorough tossing.

::shudder::

My husband left teaching and now works for the federal government.

There was a satire article in The Onion from Feb. 19, 2015. The article is titled: New Education Initiative Replaces K -12 Curriculum with a Single Standardized Test 

I can get the link to work (even following the forum directions-it stays broken) 

The article is satire but who knows if it is pure fiction?! 

Things have changed so much since I went to school to become a teacher. I love what I do but I find it very hard to balance everything for my job and have a life outside of the classroom. I too am actively looking for a post teaching career. 

Jobs are limited in my local community. There is a large university. Many (if not most) teachers who leave teaching here either 1. move away or 2. get a job at the university as a student adviser. 

Lol. Well for us the extra income *is* needed. We have two in college and any extra can be put to use somewhere. 

I realize that subs don't make much. But for me it's the perfect job to supplement our family's income. I'm on call at a local hospital and on the nights that I spend at the hospital I can choose not to sub the next day. If I had a regular part time job somewhere -- office, retail, whatever -- and if I had hours scheduled for that next day after being on call I'd have to go in. If I didn't I'd risk losing my job. So subbing is excellent. If I work a weekend at the hospital I do not take a sub job for Monday. If I'm on call on Friday night I can work all that week, even Friday, knowing that I'll probably be able to sleep on Friday night. If not -- if there's an emergency that needs me at the hospital -- well, adrenalin will tide me over and then I'll sleep Sunday. 

Subbing is also good, for me anyway, because I hate routine. This is why I love hospital work -- there is never a day that's exactly like the previous one. And with subbing I can choose which school to go to, which grade to sub in, etc. 

And also, I love kids. 

So, for me, it's a perfect extra-income job.   I know that there are retired teachers who do subbing in this county because I've run into them while on a job. They love teaching and just wanted to continue that part of it. 

OK I'm posting again so I won't be a One Post Wonder!!! I taught gifted classes 2-5 grades. I was reluctant to retire,but dh was home, and I thought I should be too.