Retirement Straight Talk: Stories and Wisdom from Educators

The choices, challenges, and commitments facing people in retirement today are beautifully laid out by Draayer…This book speaks with sensitivity and boldness to every person nearing the end of their career and is also a valuable resource for those whose formal study includes aging and stages of retirement. — Paul Houston, excecutive director, American Association of School Administrators

Educators have made a career of helping others find their way. In this book, Donald Draayer returns the favor by helping educators to think about retirement from a variety of perspectives. Using stories and thoughts from educators who have moved into retirement, Draayer provides a helpful guide to those who are thinking about the next stages of their lives. — Vincent L. Ferrandino, executive director, National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)

Dr. Draayer has written an encouraging, supportive invitation, addressed specifically to educators, to think carefully about this important phase of life. Retirement Straight Talk offers its readers helpful resources and suggestions to prepare for the enormous changes brought on by retirement, along with the companionship and comfort of other educator’s experiences. I believe the questions it raise will be useful for many educators whether they are think about retirement, approaching retirement, or already retired. — Robert Bruininks, president, University of Minnesota

More than 300 educators have trusted Dr. Donald Draayer enough to share their innermost feelings and fears about retirement – their difficulties in making a choice to retire, the challenges they faced after making the decision, and the uncertainty of realigning their lives for a new environment outside of the classroom. I certainly appreciate his vision to capture the accounts of these educators’ experiences in a delightful and informative easy-read publication. I believe Retirement Straight Talk: Stories and Wisdom from Educators is a great resource that will help anyone planning to leave their profession prepare for the emotional, mental, financial, and physical changes of retirement… — John Wilson, executive director, National Education Association

At retirement, people leave the limelight of career positions, but not their values and commitments. This book draws from 300+ stories of teachers, principals, and superintendents to describe the many retirement transitions following a long career and how educators find new venues to express their caring, use their skills, and contribute to society. Points are punctuated with vignettes that make the reading easy, the insights believable, and the recommendations worthwhile. School leaders counseling others who are near the end of their career will find this book on retirement to be an excellent resource and to be a perfect “farewell” gift, too. — Gerald Tirozzi, executive director, National Association of Secondary School Principals

More than 300 educators have trusted Dr. Donald Draayer enough to share their innermost feelings and fears about retirement – their difficulties in making a choice to retire, the challenges they faced after making the decision, and the uncertainty of realigning their lives for a new environment outside of the classroom. I certainly appreciate his vision to capture the accounts of these educators’ experiences in a delightful and informative easy-read publication. I believe Retirement Straight Talk: Stories and Wisdom from Educators is a great resource that will help anyone planning to leave their profession prepare for the emotional, mental, financial, and physical changes of retirement. — John Wilson, executive director, National Education Association

Don Draayer is recognized as a distinguished student of American education. His thoughtful, thorough, and sometimes provocative study of the agony and ecstasy of retirement deserves your attention. — Carol Johnson, professor emeritus, Columbia University, Teachers College

From practical advice to thoughtful recounting of the adventures, missteps, plans and successes of retired educators, Draayer offers the reader a comprehensive guide to planning retirement. Stepping from the familiar into the unknown evokes feelings of insecurity and anxiety, as well, the excitement needed to follow new paths. Retirement Straight Talk offers a pragmatic and joyful roadmap into retirement. — Diane Barrett, director National Education Programs, USA Today

Draayer has culled the best from more than 300 educators who shared their innermost feelings with him to come up with a book for those approaching retirement or who are already there. ― Minnesota

Several hundred participants speak for themselves in this congenial account of retired educators’ experiences. Each chapter in this practical guide focuses on a particular milestone and poses exploratory questions for the reader. ― AARP Bulletin