The concluding year of a lengthy career in school administration carries its share of emotional highs and lows. For those leaving the superintendency, it's also an opportunity to reflect on professional accomplishments, the chance to recount one's tangible impact on the lives of hundreds of fellow educators and thousands of school-age children…

On Dec. 1, Nick Penning, a longtime fixture on the advocacy team at the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), retired as the association's senior legislative analyst. In his 26 years with the association, Penning played many roles relating to advocacy, but the one he relished the most was serving as the principal communicator with…

This article reports that across the country, retired superintendents are finding fulfillment as mentors, either formally or informally, spontaneously or planned. Some are paid, but most are volunteers who remember their first year running a school district and want to ease the transition for others. Some want to focus on leadership development.…

The hunger for significance in life never ends. What changes in one's retirement is how one fills that need. For most school administrators, introspection and investigation into possibilities for post-retirement years begin prior to one's resignation; however, the intensity of thought, feeling, and deliberation moves to a much higher plane once…

After 38 years as a teacher and school administrator, including 24 years as the superintendent in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Donald Draayer, the author of this article, has discovered that retirement is not one transition, but many, affecting all aspects of life. He is finding that retirement is like virgin soil. The ground must be cleared, plowed and…

At 75, encouraged by an 18-year veteran board member who decided to seek election to the state legislature, the author decided to run for election to the five-member regional school board that represents the voters in the four-town New Hampshire seacoast. He had been superintendent of a five-town area in New Hampshire and in the Boston suburb of…

Describes career changes and retirement choices made by outgoing "career" superintendents. Choices ranged from teaching and consulting to administering philanthropic organizations and launching a charter-boat business. (MLH)

Because of longer life expectancies and individually managed supplements to monthly pension checks, planning at retirement is becoming as important as planning for retirement. This article provides advice for retiring administrators concerning personal budgeting, setting goals, estate and tax planning, choosing medical coverage, converting assets,…

A retired superintendent decided to become an educational consultant. A thorough self-assessment convinced him that speaking in front of groups and running training sessions constituted a perfect occupation. After attending a National Speakers Association meeting, he learned entrepreneurial and self-marketing skills that have paid off handsomely.…

A "retired" school leader who has held five interim superintendencies explains why his unanticipated second career has been professionally and financially rewarding. Interims should maintain a daily log, greet staff and students, share what they know, set an example, be enthusiastic, support the incoming superintendent, and have fun. (MLH)

According to a survey of 46 recently departed Michigan school superintendents, departing superintendents can announce their intention to leave and still maintain a viable leadership role. Lame-duck superintendents should help the board think through the superintendent-selection process and review possible promotions, recognize staff achievements,…

For many administrators, retirement does not usually provide flow of accomplishments and satisfaction because small emotional gratifications of day at work are gone and time suddenly seems too open-ended. Superintendents need to pursue something that keeps them vibrant physically, intellectually, and emotionally. For some, work is tonic.…

Whether from frustration, ambition, or financial necessity, administrators are inclined to say "yes" when private companies come calling. Sometimes superintendents initiate contacts themselves and begin new careers as well-credentialed salespeople or behind-the-scenes think tanks. At the Edison Project, former superintendents work in…

Retirement can be a time of pleasant anticipation--sleeping beyond sunrise, trying out new hobbies, reconnecting with family and taking long-planned trips. But superintendents face unique challenges as they move from frenzied morning-to-evening work schedules to relatively empty days. Many find the decision to retire bound up with the anxiety of…

Describes reasons for increase in the number of superintendents age 60 or older. Includes personal experiences of several superintendents age 70 or older. (PKP)