Retirement class of 2020

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/07/2020 (2074 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the month of June, Grade 12 students were the centre of attention, as schools scrambled to revise graduation celebrations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Behind the students have been dedicated and compassionate teachers, as well as support and administrative staff — a handful of which had been preparing for their own farewells also.

High school graduation is often considered the bridge youth cross to enter the ‘real world,’ and if that’s the case — what bridge is retirement?

For Fay Pahl, who is retiring after 31 years with the Seven Oaks School Division, retirement is a bridge to celebrating her culture. The former École Belmont principal said at the beginning of her career she was reluctant to acknowledge her heritage.

“When I started my career I said I was French-Canadian, but Seven Oaks School Division made it safe for me to say I am Métis,” Pahl said.

With more time on her hands, Pahl said she plans to reconnect with her roots by learning Michif, the Métis language; as well as hula hooping, journalling, and spending time with her family.

Connecting with family is also on Missy Penner’s retirement agenda. Penner, who is leaving her position as vice-principal at Collège Garden City Collegiate after 34 years with the school, also plans to focus on one of her favourite hobbies.

“A lot of people don’t know this but I like to build, and that love for building things was kind of instilled by my younger brother, Mike, who passed away in 2010,” Penner said.

Reflecting on her time at Garden City, Penner — who taught phys-ed for 25 years — said high points include witnessing a resurgence in athletics, winning provincial championships, and building connections.

“I think honestly the biggest highlight was just the number of great people I had a chance to work with, teach, and coach,” Penner said.

These connections are what Fil Costa will cherish for years to come.

Costa has spent the last 39 years as a counsellor at Maples Collegiate, providing students with scholarship guidance and mental health education.

“That’s part of my identity — the counsellor, the teacher, that’s who I am,” she said.

Costa encourages teachers to be introspective about their role in students’ lives.

“We impact our students and that’s the message that I want to send out: it’s that our role is so, so important, because we do have that opportunity to make a difference in our students’ life, without biases or prejudice, and that is so important,” she said.

Costa is retiring due to personal health reasons, but hopes to maintain connections with students. “I’m going to miss it so much.”

Susan Quinn, a learning support educator at Forest Park School, offered advice to teachers as well.

“We always do what’s best for kids because that’s what we do and that’s wonderful. But I also think teachers need to do what’s best for them as well; they need to take care of themselves so that they can give their best to the kids,” she said.

Self-care is a practice Quinn tried to implement at school, such as making sure students took their full lunch breaks.

Although Quinn intends to work part-time in education, she’s looking forward to having more time for her own self-care.

“A foot in teaching, and a foot in learning what retirement is all about, learning new hobbies, and spending time with my family.”