Today was my last day...

[Patrick L]

I'm retired! 35 years as a public school band teacher. It's been fun! I can certainly think of less enjoyable things to do for a living. But it's time to let a youngster take over.

Already got my retirement gift to myself. Sadly not a boolit mold, or even a gun that would need one.

I'm also into clay target shooting. Picked up another Beretta OU. Pull!

[Hondolane]

Good for you! Congratulations!!!

[NSB]

Congratulations! It’s been fifteen years for me and the time has really been flying by. Put your new found “freedom” to good use. It will go by pretty quickly.

[farmbif]

good for you. sounds like a mr hollands opus kind of career. wish you the best in your transition from a rigid schedule to free to do as you please 24/7

[BLAHUT]

Good for you, I am retired, I get up early morning and by 10:00AM am retired....

[Baltimoreed]

Congratulations, you made it. Enjoy your retirement. My wife was an english teacher until her stroke. Luckily she qualified for full service retirement when her short tern disability ran out. Teaching anything in public school is a tough job.

[georgerkahn]

I'm retired! 35 years as a public school band teacher. It's been fun! I can certainly think of less enjoyable things to do for a living. But it's time to let a youngster take over.

Already got my retirement gift to myself. Sadly not a boolit mold, or even a gun that would need one.

I'm also into clay target shooting. Picked up another Beretta OU. Pull!

Congrats, and then some! you may (or may not?) miss the music.... I did. Annnd, 'specially the students! I ended up playing in several bands/orchestra -- clarinet, bass clarinet, and piano -- but after a few years I said to myself, "Self -- for years and years you were always on OTHER people's schedules -- even band playing for a Thanksgiving Day football game. 'Nough of this!" Albeit my several clarinets are collecting dust -- I doooo regularly play my Yamaha piano and Roland organ... I've received a few calls to play.. but have steadfastly replied that I AM retired. Sorry!
BEST wishes!!!
geo

[Finster101]

I'm retired! 35 years as a public school band teacher. It's been fun! I can certainly think of less enjoyable things to do for a living. But it's time to let a youngster take over.

Already got my retirement gift to myself. Sadly not a boolit mold, or even a gun that would need one.

I'm also into clay target shooting. Picked up another Beretta OU. Pull!

Being a former marching band and orchestra member I'm not sure which is worse on the ears, gunfire or out of tune and wrong notes. Both hurt for me.

Remember, you are now on "one long Saturday night"!

[Rapier]

Congrats, teaching in PS and living through it today, plus retiring. Get busy and stay busy, Clays, is a great way to spend a couple of days a week. Beretta is a good OU clays gun. They say the Beretta or Browning fits you best, but not both, I just shoot the Browning better. But have several Beretta autos.
Just be careful not to let the competition turn into another job, easy to do. Most of our Sprting Clays shooters are retired from work and also retired from competitive shooting other disciplines, both. The "old Guys"as the group is known, have a good time shooting clays together just for fun, go to lunch, then go back and shoot another round.

[hc18flyer]

I am truly jealous of you as a musician! And I am looking forward to enjoying a retirement! Congrats and I wish you many, many years of getting to do the thing you like! hc18flyer

[hpbear101]

Enjoy your retirement, and thank you! My grandson is in band learning to play the sax, I have so much fun watching him improve, and it is great to see how proud he is of his improving skills.

[Murphy]

Patrick L,

Congratulations on your retirement. 35 years is a long haul an proof you're 'solid'. I'm sure a lot of the students you've taught in the latter years who are still attending, will miss you greatly. And, I'm sure you'll miss many of them.

I put in 35 years working for 'The City' in several capacities. I retired in 2019, 4 years now. I sure don't miss those hot summer days. And, it's nice even after being gone from there for 4 years, I run across people who greet me with a smile and ask how retirement is treating me? I spent 33 years of those 35 working for the water department. I do miss interacting with the public more than I thought I would. Odd thing is? I think I miss the dogs most. I had K9 buddies from one end of town to the other.

It took a couple of months before it truly set in, just how free it truly feels to be retired. Sure, it'll be different. But friend, once it starts to feel like a pair of good ole' house shoes? Whoopie!

Again, congratulations!


Murphy

[GregLaROCHE]

Congratulations. You’ve joined the club.

[Alex_4x4]

[DocSavage]

When I retired everyone was oh you'll have so much time to do "X" don't you believe it. I don't know how I got anything done working 8 hrs a day.

[Idaho45guy]

Congratulations! Sad to see another common sense and level-headed teacher leave the front lines, but happy for you and your new life!

[bedbugbilly]

Congrats and enjoy your retirement - you earned it! Enjoy each day to the fullest!

[John Guedry]

I retired after 33 years on the first of Jan. 2000. I don't miss the job at all but the people I worked with/for.

[jimlj]

Congratulations! After watching my kids go through band in school I've had a deep respect for the band teacher. My kids spent most of their school years in a small town where the band teacher taught elementary, middle and high school kids. It was amazing seeing the kids improvement each year, and I admired Mrs. Mitchell for not choking some of the kids, especially my son.

When i retired took me about a year to figure out I didn't need to go to the office to check on things. About another year to figure out I'd saved enough money over the past 40 years I didn't need to worry about making ends meet, and the old company was going to do just fine without me. Now I don't carry or answer the phone unless I want to. Retirement is great, enjoy!!

[MaryB]

After my high school electronics teacher retired all the former students got together and started throwing a party for him every year... he made a difference in a lot of kids lives! Took troubled kids in to the class every year, taught them discipline and problem solving... most went on to graduate high school instead of drop out! He was a one of a kind teacher, former military and he ran the class like a military unit...

I ended up taking 3 years of electronics with 2nd and 3rd year helping teach 1st year students. 2nd and 3rd year was limited to the top 1% of the class and we were expected to come up with something special each year. My senior year I designed an LED light chaser sign that won a national award for industrial design... others designed stuff that changed production lines... early robotics stuff after I graduated...