The Year in Review

This was the year Jean and I retired from teaching! I started teaching high school in September, 1973 at a Catholic school in Clifton, which is where I met Jean. In January, 1979, I switched to PHHS. After spending two years “on the road” between PHHS and PHS, I switched fulltime to PHS as department head in September, 1986. The 24 years I spent at PHS were the happiest years of my career. Not only did I enjoy my position as department head (later changed to “lead teacher”) where I got to work with and help many really wonderful teachers, but I also made other friends on the faculty.

But the students were what really made those years so special. Not only were my classes wonderful, but also the time I spent in the Math Lab either tutoring students or advising them on their personal lives and futures, or just befriending them. I really became closer to my students the past 15 years especially, aided by the internet enabling me to stay friendly with many of them after graduation as well. A few of the students whom I will never forget include Fei Fei (of course!), Suruchi, Sudarshan, Susan, Dimple, Jessica, Jessy, Kevin, Tony, Leslie, Sneha, Vivien, Aishwarya, Preeti, Wenjing, Agnes, Mimi, Monisha, Eileen, Jessica, Neelam, the “triad” (Melody, Mandi, Nicole), Jessica, Sana and many others whose names I am probably forgetting right now. Hopefully I will stay friendly with many, if not all of them forever.

In spite of any problems which PHS may be undergoing, my students were always as wonderful as ever, and the sophomores became my last class to spend lots of time with me in the Math Lab. I will never forget how my students totally flattered me one Friday in June, first by 60 of them wearing “Sabella tee shirts” all day, then by 90 of them having a surprise retirement party for me in the evening (complete with numerous undeserved tributes). That was easily the most flattering day of my teaching career, and a wonderful way for it to end.

Jean and I went on two week-long vacations after retiring. In August we went to Outer Banks with our family, then in October we camped at Myrtle Beach with Alan & Denise. That was wonderful, with both the weather and the ocean being summer-like, but absolutely NO CROWDS! We definitely plan to spend more vacation time off-season in the future.

I had lots of writing plans after retirement, but they went slowly until November when I decided to participate in “Write a Novel Month.” In 8 weeks I wrote over 55,000 words (210 pages) of a new novel, and it seems pretty good.

This year I have bought 20 books and got 13 from Paperback Swap. That is a big drop from 2009 when I bought 18 but got 27 in trade. However, this year I have read 33 books and 13 prozines, so I did not make any dent in my large Books-to-be-Read pile. Hopefully next year. ☺

Happy New Year, everybody!