Transitioning to retirement: the biggest challenge: Channeling one's energies when the daily frenzy ends

School Administrator, Feb, 2004 by Ruth E. Sternberg

Remodeling consumed some of the time. The couple sold their home in Montgomery County, just outside Philadelphia, and moved to a smaller house in northern York County, 10 miles from Harrisburg. They spent $75,000 on a new kitchen and an addition.

But when the workers left, so did the routine.

"The thing that surprised me the most was my lack of structure," says Spahr. "When you're a superintendent, you're so programmed. Every minute counts.... Either you are fighting with contractors or you are trying to get the relationship between parents and staff on an even keel.... You felt like you were doing something good for kids.

"Suddenly, I don't have any routine. It's like, 'Do I want to clean the house or not?' I think, 'Come on, get busy. Be productive.' Here's that feeling that you're wasting your time. A feeling I didn't expect to have."

Spahr found Bill was hanging around a little too much. "I'd be at the computer and turn around, and there he was," she says.

But recently Spahr found a new interest.

"We bought a place that's a little over three acres and is in real need of some tender loving care," she says. "The community college was offering a (horticulture) course. So we went." She now is a step away from becoming a master gardener and is an active member of the local flower club. She took charge of its last show and is designing the club's yearbook.

She's found she still has a use for her education skills. She occasionally helps others in her class who are having trouble grasping the techniques.

After a recent class, she said, "I don't know how many came up to me and asked me questions. It felt real good."

New Friends

Robert Spencer carefully considered hen he would retire. The former Lakeview, Mich., superintendent and his wife, Jill, a retired elementary school principal, wanted to move someplace where they could enjoy the outdoors and share each other's company.

When he departed on June 30 after 19 years in the top job, the Spencers sold their home near Battle Creek, Mich., and moved to a lakeshore home 230 miles north, near the Mackinaw Straits.

Now, as they recover from a whirlwind of summer travel to family celebrations, the couple confronts a task some overlook as they focus on finances or new activities.

"The challenge we will face during the winter is starting to connect socially in the area where we now live," says Spencer. "We're still relative newcomers. We're going to live here for the next few decades so we have to anticipate how we're going to get involved in the community and develop new relationships."

The couple has a plan to get out to as many events as possible. "We're going to some township potlucks," he says.

So far, Spencer said the change is refreshing and the pressure is gone.

"As a superintendent, you bring some positional credibility," he says. "On the other hand, informal relationships are pretty easy. There are a lot of people in this part of Michigan who are retired professionals."

Still, he has a need to be involved in educational life. "It was pretty intense work. There's always something coming at you," he says. Spencer worked in the 3,400-student Lakeview district for eight years but previously spent 11 years managing the 2,400-pupil Central Montcalm district, also in Michigan.