The other day while leaving a lesson my student (about 8 years old) and her younger sister each gave me a big "goodbye" hug. Students don't normally do this, but it's a pleasant routine with these two. Their mother then said to me, "You can never retire! OK?" "Never?", I said, "Oh no!" And then I chuckled. We've had this exchange before. Actually I've had a similar exchange with other students for several years now. Without the hugs of course.
It's flattering when a student or their parent tells me that I'm the best teacher ever. It's also dangerous to believe it. There are many, many teachers of nearly every subject that are better at this than I am. But it's still nice to be appreciated.
I am past the traditional age for retirement and I honestly don't expect to retire any time soon. I generally enjoy teaching. Like any job there are times that aren't fun. I don't have as much patience with the students as I used to and I have to watch myself. But then I remember the students I've had over the years that were very challenging who, somewhere along the line, became some of my best.
But there are times of immense joy. Like watching a 7 year old playing a renaissance piece wonderfully and his father (a big brute of a guy) listening with tears of pride running down his cheeks. Or a third grader telling me he took his guitar to school to play for his class and ends up playing for the entire school because his teachers had never seen anything like him.
Recently a sixth grader played a Bouree by Bach for me. It's a piece that she learned a couple of months ago and she still loves to play it. As she played she began to laugh out loud. When she finished I asked her why she laughed. "I don't know", she said. "I just really like to play it and I couldn't help myself." What could I possibly do in retirement that would bring that much joy to a child?
I have many friends who are retired and there are times that I envy them. When I'm driving in awful weather to get to the studio or to get home I often think of the advantages of retirement. Or some days when my energy level just seems to be low. So I have given myself permission to slow down some and "just say No" when the weather is bad. The low energy problem usually solves itself as soon as the first student arrives.
I think retirement is for people who don't like their jobs. I love mine. Or for people who can no longer do their job. But so far I can still function. I honestly don't know what I would do in retirement. Perhaps some variation of the same thing. Many people retire so they can pursue their passion. But I've been doing that my entire life. So I guess, in a sense, I've always been retired.
Realistically there will come a day when I can no longer do this. Or worse, I will become irrelevant. But today is not that day. I think I still have a lot to offer and will continue to do so as long as I can. Retirement? Nah!