Of Youth and Age

"Your young man shall see visions and your old man shall dream dreams."

                                                                         Francis Bacon, from Of Youth and Age.

In my dreams, school boards would plan wisely, teachers would be hired on merit and the Province would produce only the teachers it needed.  In my dreams, I would be a mentor, teaching and coaching the very teacher who would replace me in September.  We would strike a balance between the needs of youth and age.

When it came time to retire, I would have to give the school board 18 months notice if I wished to participate in the mentorship program as a mentor.  This would allow the board and the principal time to find my replacement, my intern.

In my final year of teaching, my intern would meet me on the first day of school and we would begin our transition together; me to retirement, he or she to full time, permanent employment.  At the end of our year together, the school would get an experienced and fully qualified, energetic teacher and I would transition to retirement with grace.

I would carry the teaching load at first.  My intern would be learning.  I would teach them everything: long range planning, classroom management skills, reporting and how to be an active and vibrant member of a school community.  We would work together throughout the fall, concentrating on the subtleties of teaching, the art of it.  I'd teach them how your body language controls a classroom,  how to use your eyes more and your voice less.   I'd teach them how you know whether a kid read the book, simply by looking at them.   I'd teach them how to speak to a parent, a principal and how to manage time.  I'd teach them the importance of their association and their colleagues. I would teach them how to be a professional.

Early in November,  the intern would begin to teach.  I would help him or her through the closing of a semester.  We would do final reports,  make those important  calls and begin the planning for the next semester.

In January, my intern would begin receiving pay and mine would be reduced. My time in the classroom would begin to be reduced and the intern's responsibility would begin to increase.  Her salary would rise after each glowing performance appraisal, mine would begin to move to my retirement income.  I would be in the class less, I would be beginning that transition to retired life.

By spring,  my intern would be in charge.  Shortly after the second round of parent interviews, we would begin to work on the final of three performance appraisals.  A lot would be riding on these appraisals because, along with a principal's report,  the interns ability to secure permanent employment with our board, would hang in the balance.  My last official duty would be to write that report.

In June, there would be a simple ceremony.  I would hand my keys to my intern.  I'd be celebrated by my colleagues and friends and family.   The new teacher would be welcomed to the staff and would be heading to one of the few sanctioned faculties of education for the summer.

In September both of us would be ready for our new worlds.  Ah, to dream dreams.