RETIREMENT

Events can't be ignored. They are like a river that grows in strength as we race to the ends of our lives.

I will not fight the current. These efforts are for young men and women filled with quixotic ideas and notions. I am a wizened Sancho Panza plodding forward on his faithful ass.

I handed the BISD my official letter of retirement effective at the end of the school year. After 39 years of suckling at the large and generous tits of the school district, it's time for me to cut the umbilical cord and stand on my own two feet. The superintendent said my writing could terminate in my termination if I didn't change my style. She would have been more successful trying to convince a rattlesnake to quit injecting its victims with poison.

From a financial standpoint, I can continue working for $70,000 annually or earn $60,000 a year for doing nothing. In order to make the obvious choice a slam dunk, the board has guaranteed me a $3000 check, minus Uncle Sam's cut, next week for retiring. The district wants to unload the veteran teachers so they can use the departing educators' salaries to get two teachers for the price of one. But, as they say, you get what you pay for.

I've had a great career with the BISD. I'm proud of my many accomplishments. I don't want politics or my writings to undermine me as an educator. It's time to go at the conclusion of the school year. I leave without anger and no bitterness.

Un abrazo pa' mis amigos. Un beso pa' mis amigas. Ciao.