The journey toward teacher retirement: The experiences, emotions, and challenges that teachers encounter when retiring from the education sector and the implications for educational leaders during the retirement stages.

摘要

There is sufficient research, articles, and books focused on general retirement and specifically post-retirement planning. The majority of research focuses heavily on the financial aspects of retiring including information from banks, retirement companies, and federal or state organizations offering retirees planning recommendations during the pre-retirement stages. The research on the experiences, emotions, and challenges of retiring individuals tends to be outdated or focused on specific careers such as professional athletes and higher education professors. Although financial planning is an important aspect of retirement, the depth of research on the experiences, emotions, and challenges during the retirement stages, and specifically the differences that teachers experience, is the ultimate focus of the study.;The study hopes to provide significant insights into the common experiences, emotions, and challenges that retiring teachers face. Armed with these insights, educational leaders may have a better understanding of the retirement stages and be better equipped to implement support systems that may optimize the retiree's experiences, engagement, and overall passion in their last few years of teaching. If retiring teachers are appropriately supported through the retirement stages, it may have a direct impact on student achievement, the classroom, and the overall school environment.;The purpose of this study is to determine, according to selected retired teachers, the experiences, emotions, and challenges they encountered during the retirement stages. The information for this study was obtained using data collection methods of individual interviews, researcher reflective journal, quantitative word frequency, and a review of district and State documents. Through the retirees' stories the study explored the presence and influence of Morris Rosenberg and Claire McCullough's (1981) concept of Mattering and Elisabeth Kubler-Ross' stages of Loss and Grief. The study aimed to uncover how teachers' needs were addressed or not addressed by building leadership through conversations, resources, and professional development. Lastly, the study uncovered implications for educational leaders working with retiring teachers during the retirement stages.