My guy retired today after 30 years of teaching English and Spanish....

[Rowdyboy]

I always thought being a high school teacher would be a piece of cake, but living with one for 17 years has taught me differently. Teachers do an incredible job, are usually underpaid and underfunded, are expected to teach many things that were formerly expected of parents, and churn out hundreds of pages of ridiculous paperwork aa year. Creativity in teaching is out, conformity and compliance to "No Child Left Behind" and its idiotic testing requirements are in. Students (in general) show very little inclination to excel but teachers are expected to inspire them...After 30 years, my baby got tired of inspiring.

He's only 56, in good shape, and ready to kick some ass. Today, we worked in the yard and did two hours at the gym just to start things off (he's sacked out now). This summer is gonna be pretty interesting....

[Rowdyboy]

1. Thanks for all the love and friendship, DU....

:sarcasm:

Pretty much shows me where I stand here.

I had no idea I'd pissed so many people off but sometimes its hard to see yourself as others see you.

Good night.

[auntAgonist]

4. Rowdyboy, I only just now got home from work

and hence the reason I'm responding so late to your thread.

I'm sorry you feel the way you do :(


:hug:

it could all just be in the timing, yanno?

aA

[Rowdyboy]

8. I'm sorry....I've had several threads lately that sank like lead

and was starting to feel unloved. Thank you.

[newyawker99]

25. How could anyone ignore you Rowdy!

Enjoy your summer with your guy.



:hug: :loveya:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear Rowdyboy......

Don't go away....especially mad!

I'm glad your guy got to retire.....

And I hope your summer will be wonderful!

:loveya: :hug:

[Rowdyboy]

9. I'm not going aywhere....I was just tired of feeling ignored. .....

I mean, its a freaking internet message board, why the hell do you seriously care what response you get? Yet, for some reason I do, probably because in retirement I tend to interact with far fewer people and expect more when I talk to people.

In other words, I've sometimes been known to over-react. But thank you for your kindness, Peg. Our summer is gonna be great. We have a really comfortable relationshio and I have NO qualms about our future. We're on target.

[auntAgonist]

3. Rowdyboy, I wish you both

the happiest of times. A well deserved retirement for your Man. Teaching can be a thankless job. I'm so very sure he made a difference in MANY lives. Good health and happiness to him and to you. Long Life!

sincerely and with gratitude for having had teachers who did make a diffence in my life,

aA
kesha
:hug:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

5. Aww...I didn't see your post before.

Teachers get complete respect for me. I honestly think I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for one of my HS teachers. I had a few good ones, but especially her. You can read the story in my DU journal. :hug:

[Rowdyboy]

10. I look forward to it!

Thank you!

[Blue_Tires]

6. yeah, i've been subbing for a few months now

and i have a newfound and profound respect for those that willingly enter such a stressful and thankless profession

fwiw i'm just doing it to keep the bill collectors at bay until i get on my feet

[Rowdyboy]

12. Man, subs deserve a whole different level of respect....They have

no idea what they're getting into, many teachers leave them completely unprepared, and (at least in Mississippi) the pay sucks BIG TIME. You have my respect for your work....

[intrepid_wanderer]

7. congrats & thank you

... just the statement that something like 'happily ever after' might even be possible...


Happy couple (what, happy GAY COUPLE??).... not many examples for/of/by us, and with that it's easy to hold little hope...


..... Well, thanks!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Rowdyboy]

13. Happily ever after is rare...For a gay couple it is far rarer...

But it happens, at least it did to me 17 years ago. Thanks.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

11. I thank your guy for his 30 years of service.

I really appreciated my teachers that I had in school because of the dual roles they played. Sometimes people forget that when you step into a classroom as a teacher , you will wear many unexpected hats .

And BTW , I just got home from work at 12:30 am EST and I just saw your post . You are not underappreciated here. You will be surprised at how many posts I have made and no one responded but that does'nt mean that no one read it . I think its not about the number of responses you get but the quality of responses that you get. One genuine from the heart reply to a thread as warm as yours is better than 100 responses to a post about jack crap (and that happens all the time here) - that's just my two cents :)

[Rowdyboy]

14. That is the kindest thing you could have said....I think I freaked......

a little because I'm obviously far less secure than I want to suggest. You have no idea how much I appreciate your 2 cents.

Sometimes I just feel needy. Thanks for backing me up.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

16. Sometimes I feel needy too .

Sometimes my threads sink - especially when I think that I made a good thread . No problem - enjoy your summer with your guy :)

[swag]

15. Nice.

Congratulations to him and to you.

Please report in detail as the summer progresses.

[Rowdyboy]

18. Man, we have so much planned it hurts!

We'll see Bill Clinton, Wes and Gert Clark in Little Rock in 2 weeks, hit the gay rodeo iun San Antonio in early August and we're planning on being in DC election week.

We're really gonna have fun.

[swag]

20. Post some pictures, please.

I have to work all summer, me, so let me and whoever else live vicariously.

Thanks in advance, and have fun.

[AussieDave]

17. A well-earned retirement that I hope will last many years

The vast majority of teachers are diligent, hard-working people who routinely go above and beyond the call of duty. One of the mottoes of the Education Department here in Queensland is "I touch the future - I teach".

And please don't worry about sinking threads - it happens on a message board. Picking the right moment with the right topic is very hard to do.

Good luck and hugs to you both :hug:

[Rowdyboy]

19. Apparently, whining was the smartest thing I could do....The thread sank

for two hours before I pouted. Since then, I've a great time actually talking to friends.

Sometines life can be confusing, but its always fun.

[AussieDave]

24. You call it "whining" - I call it "giving it an extra kick"

Nothing wrong with being passionate about something, or in your case someone. Showing your love is NEVER a bad thing.

And you're right - life IS fun - dead is forever, but life is all too short - enjoy everything and everyone while you're here.:thumbsup:

[khashka]

21. You got a good man, dude

Teaching requires a great deal of commitment and dedication. And talent! Not everyone has the talent to teach.

My mom was an elemetary school teacher, so was my ex's. It's a lot harder work than people realize.

Here's to hoping you guys enjoy his retirement!

Khash.

[JackDragna]

22. Tell your boy to give me some energy.

I'm a youngster just starting teaching and it's already driving me batty. :)

[Wetzelbill]

23. amen to that

Creativity in general is out. It's almost cool to be incognizant nowadays. That's a total shame too. Critical thinking is a dying skill.

Yes, I hope both you can have some fun and relaxation now. Enjoy it all.

[tjwmason]

26. I know what teaching's like.

My mother is one - certainly not quite what folk think of it.

Hope you both have a long and happy, well-earned, retirement.

[ThomCat]

27. Hey Rowdyboy

Don't be upset that we all didn't jump right in. I only just saw this post.

:hug:
I hope you both have a great summer, and hope your SO has some great plans for retirement.

[xmas74]

28. Congrats on the retirement!

Sorry I missed this last night.

Any big plans-maybe some offseason travel?