Teacher retirement tribute
Writing a teacher retirement tribute can be a
daunting task because when a beloved teacher retires, life
pauses for
a moment.
The retirement of a special
teacher is watershed event for
a generation of students. We associate favorite teachers
with our youth -- a time when life was vibrant and
schedules seemed simpler.
Those mentors who gave us understanding and
advice after
others had crushed our fragile egos will  always have
a
special place in our hearts. Likewise the
no-nonsense teachers who challenged us and, in the
process, taught us the joy of learning, helped shape our
careers
and our success.
By the same
token, teachers get an immense amount of
pleasure from their students' successes. In addition to
preparing a teacher retirement tribute, those who plan the
retirement party should invite past
students as surprise guests. That is one sure way to delight the
retiree.
What do you say in a
teacher retirement tribute besides "Thank you"?
There are many well-known quotes about education and
teachers that you can work into a speech or a toast. You might also try
one of
the following ideas as an outline for your teacher retirement speech:
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Consider
putting together a memory book for a retiring teacher and ask
past
students or pincipals to write messages to include. |
A
loud voice cannot compete with a clear voice, even if it's a whisper.
-- Barry Neil Kauffman |
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Create a
fictitious report card that applies to
the teacher’s
strength with grades for such qualities as:
- Ability
to
multitask, managing 25-plus disinterested
adolescents while explaining once more the rule about pronouns and
antecedents
to the five students who really care;
- Ability to find
humor in grave situations such as when a
student pops his lunch bag in the cafeteria, making a sound like a
gunshot;
- Ability to draw
energy from mysterious sources, being
pleasant and helpful to the helicopter parents who call 30 minutes
after you've gone to bed.
- Ability to be
clairvoyant, seeing beyond the restlessness or
feigned boredom to reach the unique individual hiding behind such
appearances;
- Ability to do the
impossible -- getting girls to stop
chattering and boys to stop looking out the window when it’s time to
pay
serious attention;
- Ability to change
people’s lives, sharing the excitement of
learning with students and colleagues alike.
(You get the
idea. You can be serious or funny according to the personality of
the retiree.)
For high school teachers
who spend much of their time
helping students get into college, develop an
application form or a letter of recommendation
for retirement.
Write a
letter home to the
husband or children similar to a
letter the teacher might have written to a parent of a student with
some issue.
Create a lesson plan for
retirement. The
plan could have periods for discussions about time management
activities or quizzes by financial advisors.
If
you use your imagination and consider all the tasks an educator
performs, there are dozens of ways you can tailor those tasks to fit a
retirement tribute.
Toasts for retiring teachers
Quotes
about teachers and education
Your
retirement speech
Retirement
toasts and tributes
Birthday toasts
and tributes
Anniversary
toasts and tributes
Return from Teacher
Retirement Tribute to home page
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