Description: This unique collective story, resource, and guidebook encourages and supports educators through the transitions experienced through mid-life and post-retirement years. It will help readers to sustain their momentum and thrive as they advance toward retirement and to find meani...
Review Quotes:
"Mary McGrath nails the realities and feelings that teachers experience as they progress through the later stages of their careers. This book is a must read for educators." --Charles E. Kyte, Ph.D., executive director, Minnesota Association of School Administrators
"A meaningful gift for all mid-life educators...Inspirational as well as practical, this book reminds us all of the many skills that educators have...It gives confidence as well as helpful hints for educators as they make decisions about their future. Helpful reflection exercises...are included." --Bev Johns, Learning and Behavior consultant, adjunct instructor, MacMurray College, Jacksonville, IL, author, and special education adminis "In her insightful, thought-provoking and matter-of-fact approach, [the author] invites the new teacher, seasoned educator, administrators, along with all of us who work to consider the value of paying attention to and preparing for these significant life steps. Ms. McGrath provides poignant open-ended questions to begin our reflecting of this mid-life transition process that is encouraging, supportive, and reminds us to value our working life efforts and to be empowered through the realities of life's changes." --Marie J. DiSciullo-Naples, Ph.D., teacher, spiritual director, and psychotherapist, retreat director with Monastery of the Risen Christ, San Luis Obispo, CA "This is...a WISE book about initiation into the age of wisdom. Provides meaningful reflective activities to help strengthen the inner processes of change. I can't imagine how anyone can get through the process of leaving a career in teaching without doing the inner and outer work described so well in this book." --Ann Kohl Re, middle school art teacher, LaCrosse, WI "This is not a how-to book, but rather a book that affirms the caring, nurturing, and inquisitive qualities of educators. The author emphasizes the importance of a teacher's relationship with students, parents, colleagues, and most importantly with one's inner self. This book is filled with affirmations and challenges to educators in midlife and in the transition into retirement. This book would be excellent for a faculty book study group." --Ruth Tillquist, retired elementary teacher, North Oaks, MN "...serendipitous bibliotheraphy...I enthusiastically recommend your book to teachers of all ages." --Diane L. Taylor, guidance counselor, The International School of Minnesota "Partly career advice, and somewhat a self-help guide, this book addresses the concerns of teachers nearing retirement and promotes the many possibilities that exist." --Reference and Research Book News "McGrath's book is part of the self-help genre, a growth industry that is gaining a multitude of adherents through television, videos, and the Internet. Her contribution is designed to raise the consciousness of teachers at the midpoint of their professional careers as they deliberate (or choose to overlook) what life will be like for them when they inevitably leave the security of the classroom environment. To her credit, McGrath has taken the big step and embarked on a rewarding post-teaching career, something she wants to share with others like herself, mid- and late-career teachers seeking self-understanding and the motivation to plan ahead. Her goal is to raise their awareness about the many transitions that occur throughout a teaching career and to offer strategies and templates for reflecting on their relationships with parents, colleagues, and friends." --Teachers College Record "This well written book will capture your attention and cause you to reflect about career decision making." --Council For Exceptional Children