A Message from the President

November 2004   

Raise Your Voice, Vote Your Choice

NEA Retired President, Jim Sproul

No matter whom you back for President or for other national and state offices up for grabs this month, we know that getting involved in the political debates, and speaking out about critical issues affecting children and seniors, will help shape our policies for years to come.

Don't doubt for a minute that seniors have clout. A recent article in Agewise magazine reported that a whopping 72 percent of registered voters ages 65-72 voted in the 2000 presidential election-and they accounted for fully 25 percent of all votes cast for President that year. The 16 so-called "battleground" states—where it's predicted this year's election will be won or lost—are home to one-third of all American seniors. It's no stretch to say that the senior vote may, ultimately, decide this month's presidential election.

So dive into any last-minute homework you need to do to learn about the presidential candidates and their records. If you have the chance, see if you can help transport some in your local communities to the polls. And then, vote your choice. You could very well be making a decision that will be felt for a lifetime.

People

November 2004   

Striking Gold on the Ice

In April, he took first place in his division at the 2004 U.S. Adult National Figure Skating Championships with a freestyle program that consisted of two types of spins, a footwork sequence, a combination jump, and three other jumps.

Now Bill Horning is working on his next move-a crowd-pleasing smile to go with his fancy blade work. "I'm learning how to smile when I'm skating," the former art teacher confesses. "When I'm out on the ice, I concentrate so much on what I'm doing that I forget to smile and make it look like the fun that it is."

After 33 years of teaching art in Michigan public schools and a lifetime of creating his own art through weaving, South Oakland Michigan Education Association member Horning decided he had to find a way to keep his body active when he retired in 1990. He found it at the local ice arena, where he now practices three times a week and meets with his senior skating club, called The Rusty Blades.

"Skating makes me feel better; it makes me feel healthier," says Horning. "I really enjoy doing skating and the feeling of moving over the ice-it's almost like flying. And I think it makes me feel more confident about myself."

The 71-year-old Horning, who resumed competition in the fall, is serious about his fun; he uses a coach and a personal trainer. But he emphasizes that any senior can find a sport or activity to soothe both body and soul. "If you have something that you really like to do, age doesn't really matter; just go up there and do it."

Relaxing the Multitudes

Elaine Mendzela calls them her "band of groupies," a devout crowd of teachers and paraeducators that closely follows her around the state of New Hampshire and eagerly awaits her next event-no, not a rock concert, but a tai chi workshop.

For the past four years, Mendzela has conducted tai chi workshops for teachers and paraeducators, explaining to them the history of tai chi, the philosophy behind it, and the different forms associated with it. As a bonus, teachers receive staff development credit for the class. "Teachers have to do so many extensive academic workshops that it's nice to allow them to just relax and help them become centered," says Mendzela.

Mendzela's studied tai chi for the last seven years now, improving her balance and posture, strengthening her body, and focusing her mind in the process. She even took a 12-day trip to China where she studied at a university with several tai chi masters. "What was really nice was the forms we learned in class—I could wake up in the morning, go outside, and do tai chi on any street corner in China with the people there because I knew the form," Mendzela says.

Now, Mendzela is sharing those forms with the educators in her class so they can put them into daily use. "It's so important that states offer tai chi workshops to teachers; it's almost like a preventative medicine-to have people work with their bodies and get a good feeling about themselves," she says.

—Donna Chiu

Member Profiles

November 2004   

Deborah Duffy

Background

I've taught English as a Second Language for 19 years in Crosby, Texas. I've served as president of my local association and as vice chair of the Texas State Teachers Association Hispanic Caucus.

Why did you become a Pre-Retired member?

I have some time to go until retirement, but I already know that I want to stay active in NEA. In this part of Texas, the new mandated tests are hurting kids because we don't even have enough money in some districts to do the testing—yet we're required to prove that kids are showing improvement. In my heavily Hispanic district, kids are truly being left behind by education policies. So I want to keep working to make sure kids have education and opportunity, and I also want to mentor Hispanic teachers who are entering the profession. There's an urgent need for this, and retired teachers are well qualified to do it.

Cheryl Sarvis

Background

I taught and served as a principal in public schools in Georgia for 30 years, and I also served in a variety of local and state Association roles. I was president of the Georgia Association of Educators from 1986–87 and am now a proud member of the GAE-Retired.

What issue are you making noise about?

The Social Security Offsets. I'm still surprised by the number of people who don't know how the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision will affect them when they retire. I didn't find out how the offsets would affect me until Martha Hinson, who is now the Georgia ESP of the Year, told me about it several years before I retired. I checked into it and found that I stood to lose up to 60 percent of my Social Security. The offsets are going to devastate Martha's Social Security benefits when she retires. No one who depends on Social Security and teacher retirement lives a lavish lifestyle. What we get is not a windfall.

Arnetta Depp

Background

I taught high school French and Spanish for 34 years in Dayton, Ohio. I chaired our local parent/teacher committee, and, at the state level, I served on instructional development committees and several different task forces.

What's the best thing about retirement?

Spending more time with my family and traveling. I've been able to travel to Greece, Israel, and Egypt with my Bible study group. As for my family, the family tree keeps growing! Now I have great grandchildren. That's one of the main reasons I stay active in NEA-Retired. With the education issues we're facing today, I worry about those future generations. I want kids to be educationally well rounded—not just taught how to take a test. I now have time to serve as adjunct professor of languages at Central State University. Education is what I love.

Cover Story

November 2004   

Writing the Next Chapter

Think you have what it takes to become an author? Meet NEA-Retired members who wrote the book-literally. More...

Persistence Pays Off Hitting the Target

Jacquie McTaggart hadn't planned on becoming an author when she retired in 2001 after 42 years of teaching in Independence, Iowa. But the day school started that fall-without her-she was so glum all she did was sit at her computer playing solitaire.

"When my husband came home for lunch, that's where he found me, and he was so disgusted he said 'Do something. Get a job at WalMart as a greeter or go write a book.'"

Spurning the blue vest, McTaggart got in touch with a New York literary agent and pitched a book aimed at parents eager to smooth the way for their children in school. The agent was frank, telling her "no one would take a book from an inexperienced writer." But the dash of cold water came with a good tip: "She suggested I contact the local paper about doing a column on education."

Soon after, McTaggart's first article appeared in the Independence Bulletin Journal. Another paper picked up the column, and McTaggart began getting assignments from magazines. Finally, late last year, she achieved her goal when From the Teacher's Desk, a compilation of her columns, was published by Booklocker.com, a print-on-demand publisher. A steady seller, the book has generated a TV appearance, several radio call-in shows, and speaking engagements at reading conferences in several states. "I did what the agent suggested," McTaggart explains, "and everything grew from there."

Maybe it's the teacher's instinct: to share life's lessons with others even after putting away the chalk and filing away the lesson plans for good. Maybe it's a life stage thing: the desire to take stock, reflect on, and generate some fresh insights from a lifetime of family and work. It could even be the need for a new creative outlet, or a desire for-let's admit it-a little fame and fortune. Whatever the reason, when educators retire from active service, a fair number of them-including many NEA-Retired members-dive into writing a book.

Getting a book published probably won't make you rich, our NEA-Retired book authors say, but seeing the fruits of your labors on the printed page has its payoffs. The sweet satisfaction is definitely earned, though, because writing and getting a book published requires diligence, creativity, a flair for promotion-and a thick skin.

"A lot of teachers want to have a book," says Darlene Montonaro, who directs a writers' center in Cleveland, Ohio, where many Northeast Ohio teachers and former teachers attend writing workshops. "But they don't want to do the research and the rewriting and the submitting to publishers and dealing with rejection-and there is a lot of rejection-that it takes to get published."

Persistence Pays Off

Pennsylvania member Judith Wolfman has endured all the challenges of seeing a book off-press, and, like McTaggart, she found that persistence pays off.

Her book project started when a cousin called her with a request. Could Wolfman help him find photogenic pigs to illustrate a calendar he was producing? Country cousin Wolfman was happy to oblige and took him to her local county fair to find some prize-winning porkers. Something clicked, Wolfman says, "when I saw how some 4-H girls were handling their pigs, and how knowledgeable they were," and she began thinking about a children's book.

So she went to Writers Market, a writers' directory, to find a book publisher. Wolfman located seven publishers who wanted children's books with pictures and wrote letters to all of them describing the book she wanted to write.

One of them, Lerner Publishing Group, wrote back. "They liked my idea," explains Wolfman. "But they didn't know who I was, so they said, 'Do the book and send it to us. If we like it we may publish it.'"

When she delivered her manuscript-which eventually became the award-winning Life on a Pig Farm—the publishers liked it so much they commissioned a series of eight more farm books from her.

"It made me feel good to see my name on the cover of that first book, and doing each book gave me confidence in myself, in terms of my writing skills, how to tighten things up, how to work with editors," says Wolfman, who has gone on to write for children's magazines like Cricket and Highlights. "Everything grew out of that first book. It definitely launched my writing career...and it, well, it just dropped in my lap."

Wolfman's modesty belies a central truth of authoring and getting a book published: It's hard work!

First, you need an idea or a hook: it could come from a long-term research project or even a hobby.

Even when you can "see" a good book idea, it's still not going to become a book unless you can also "see" an audience for it, says Missouri member Martha Karlovetz, author of The Classroom is Bare...the teacher's not there, the story of losing her daughter, a teacher, to cancer. When she began researching prospects for her story, she found there were few books about the death of an adult child, "so I knew that it would be inspirational, not just to teachers, but also to mothers and daughters and to families [dealing] with cancer."

Yet another piece of the puzzle is settling on a format that will work for you and your reader. For most teachers that means going the nonfiction route. That's a plus for novice writers. It's easier to break into nonfiction, explained Karlovetz, and it sells better, faster, and easier than other kinds of writing.

Then, after you've written your opus, you have to find an appropriate publisher. Getting an agent to represent you presents a catch-22: "You need an agent to get published by the big [publishers], but agents don't want to work with a writer who is not published," states California member Jack Daley, author of the autobiographical Tasting the Whitewater. So your real options are: sell it to a specialized publisher; place it with a vanity press (and pay them to publish it and give you royalties if it sells); or publish it yourself.
Then there's the puzzling but demanding process of marketing and selling the book.

"Basically that means talking to people, doing speaking engagements connected with your book, and doing signings," says Porterville, California-based Shirley Skufca Hickman, who retired in 1994 and self-published Don't Be Give Up, a story of her youth in a Colorado mining town in the '30s and '40s, and School Success: 500 Ways Busy Parents Can Help Their Children Succeed in School. "But," she stresses, "it doesn't stop there."

Savvy authors also sell on Amazon.com and/or Barnes&Noble.com, which both take a cut of the revenues. "That's a bad deal for authors," says Karlovetz, "but you have to be there to survive."

McTaggart also produces an online newsletter that plugs her book. And she, like retired high school nurse Antonia Eisenstein-author (as Toni Rich) of They Stay the Same, a family-saga published by Publish America in the fall of 2003-never go anywhere without copies of their book in the trunk of their car. "You are always marketing-the book and yourself," explains Eisenstein.

Hitting the Target

So, think you want to take the plunge and write that first book? Our NEA-Retired experts say you'll have a far greater chance of achieving your goal if you heed this advice:

Consider your audience at every stage of the process: "A good writer is always thinking about who is going to pick up the book and read it," stresses Hickman. "That's the whole point, that link between the writer and the reader. If you don't care about that, then you are just on an ego-trip."

Have a place to write: "You must have a dedicated place for your writing," says Karlovetz. "When I retired, we converted a bedroom into an office and had everything in the office networked.

Use a computer: "It's invaluable for Internet research, rewriting, editing, and submitting manuscripts to a publisher," explains Irv Rothstein, who retired from teaching in San Francisco in 2002 and is working on a book of short stories based on his classroom experiences. Since writing is a solitary occupation, a computer linked to the Internet pays other dividends as well-it can keep you connected to other writers. "When you post a question on a[n Internet] message board or get into a chat room, people are willing and eager to help," says McTaggart. (Check out online writers' groups at www.forwriters.com/groups.html and www.manuscriptediting.com/writersgroups.htm.)

Finally, book authors need a quality Montonaro dubs "stick-to-it-iveness." "It's more important than skill because the writing muscle gets stronger with use," she says. "By writing all the time you learn how to work on your own, become more reflective, and improve both the creativity of your writing and the mechanics, too.
"And," she adds, "because you are writing all the time, you'll come to think of yourself as a writer...and that will help you deal with the rejection."

So if writing and publishing a book is fraught with so many challenges, why are teachers so interested in doing it when they retire?

"It's sort of that next step for us," says Rothstein.

"We are communicators, and for that next stage in life, we want to teach to a larger audience."

Eileen Beal writes a monthly column and has contributed to Arthritis Today, Aging Today, and Secure Retirement.

Exploring Your Options

You have a manuscript-written, rewritten, and ready to go. So who's gonna print it and get the word out to potential buyers?

To meet the demand for publishers, the industry has spawned an array of options that includes:

• Specialized AND niche publishers, small presses, and local publishers that print books on local and regional affairs and issues. They purchase and/or commission manuscripts and produce, print, promote, and distribute books. This is a viable option for authors of manuscripts that would appeal to a small, but dedicated readership.
• Subsidy publishers, also known as vanity presses. They require the author to pay part or all costs for publishing his or her book. The author may receive royalties on the book's sale from the publisher, or may wind up with a basement full of books. Either way, the publisher always makes money.
• Self-publishing consultants/presses or book packagers. They provide fee-based services-editing and copy editing; page design and set up; cover design and art; help with application for copyright registration and ISBN number; printing and binding; promotional services and marketing kits-necessary to get a book produced and published. The author-publisher may use as many or as few services as they wish. As with subsidy publishers, there is ample opportunity for "up-selling" or scams, so watch out for rip-offs.

To protect your interests, do thorough research on each option. Check out the publishers listed with the Publishers Marketing Association or Small Publishers of North America. Next, visit the publishers' Web sites, find out who they have published, and contact a couple of their authors to find out how they are to work with.

When you have settled on two or three options, call their representatives and grill them. Ask:

1. How do they work with a first-time author?
2. How many publishing packages do they offer, and how do they differ?
3. How much input will you have in the layout, production, and pricing of the book?
4. What is the cost of producing, printing, and delivering X number of books, and how much will a second printing cost?
5. When can they deliver a written quote/contract, and how long will the terms apply?

Run the quote and contract by a lawyer and, if all goes well, sign on the dotted line and get ready for the most nail-bitingly anxious three to nine months of your life-the birth of your book.

—E.B.

My Contribution

November 2004   

Striking a Blow Against an HMO

Her friends told her that Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation's largest health maintenance organizations, was too big to fight. Her lawyer warned her it would be a hard case to make. Others told her to get on with her life.

But California member Mary-Edith Blum refused to accept the substandard care she felt she received by her HMO. So Blum sued Kaiser under California law for "elder abuse," and last year, after a four-day arbitration, she won the case and was awarded $100,000.

Blum not only won a large sum of money in the settlement that day, though—she also won a battle for seniors who are misunderstood or mistreated by hospitals and medical personnel due to their age. "Because I was 83, they act like you're on your way out," Blum says. "I didn't really want to get involved in a lawsuit, but I finally said...somebody's got to speak up."

Blum's problems with West Anaheim Medical Center started after a major surgery and got worse when she was discharged over her protests from the hospital just 11 days later, without any explanation or prior notice. She was sent to a nursing home where she endured nearly a month of poor treatment until she was sent home.

"I couldn't get out of bed alone, I couldn't stand alone, but they sent me home," Blum said. "And it was miserable [at the nursing home]; you'd have to wet the bed because they wouldn't come around for an hour and 40 minutes" to assist with getting to the lavatory. "And then they'd say you were drinking too much water. Twice I was told, ‘Well, this isn't the Hilton.'"

After being discharged from the nursing home, Blum wrote letters to Kaiser describing the specific problems she had with her care and treatment at the hospital and nursing home. Getting no response, Blum hired attorney Susan Mogilka. "My allegation was that the full scope of care was not given because of her [Blum's] age," Mogilka says. "This is the first case I had where the elder herself was really coherent enough to report her own abuse. The arbitrator was also very impressed with her ability to speak for herself."

After four days listening to testimony and examining other evidence, the arbitrator concluded that although Blum had been given appropriate medical care by the hospital and nursing home staff, her emotional needs had not been met.

Medical providers "simply did what needed to be done from a medical standpoint and totally ignored her emotional needs," the arbitrator's report states. For example, the report documented instances in which Blum was put through extensive testing by the hospital staff without being told the purpose or results of the tests, and it noted that the nursing home staff was, at times, confrontational and indifferent to her concerns.

Although she still suffers emotional scars from the experience, Blum is now in much better health—living on her own, driving herself around, and swimming regularly for therapy. "It's a very educational thing to go through," Blum said. "I've lived through it all by prayer and by having good health to begin with."

—Donna Chiu

For More

Have a problem with your health care or need legal advice? The national network of Area Agencies on Aging (AAoA) may be able to help you. Many local programs offer health insurance counseling and legal advice, in addition to the more widely known services such as Meals on Wheels. To find an agency in your area, contact Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116.

Books

November 2004   

Reinventing Retirement

My Time: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life , by Abigail Trafford. Basic Books. 273 pp.

It's Never Too Late to Plant a Tree: Your Guide to Never Retiring, by Mel Helitzer and Morrie Helitzer. University Sports Press. 330 pp.

Retire on Less Than You Think : The New York Times Guide to Planning Your Financial Future , by Fred Brock. Times Books. 191 pp.

Only a century ago, most Americans worked until they dropped. Or, at best, scraped out a few quiet years at home after quitting the mill or the shop.

But we’re living longer, and living healthier longer, as Abigail Trafford points out. Even with the turbulent economy pushing many seniors back to work, increasing numbers of Americans are spending two, three, even four decades in retirement.

Doing what? That’s the $64,000 question.

In My Time, Trafford, health columnist for the Washington Post, writes insightfully and convincingly about the unprecedented challenge of reinventing that stage of life between the gold watch and the rocking chair. “Instead of winding down after age 50,” Trafford writes, “you’re having to gear up. Longevity’s imperative is regeneration.”

This new phase of life brings emotional upheaval, as Trafford’s interview subjects express with candor and clarity: illness or death of loved ones, divorce, the loss of identity that can come from the end of a career. The personal stories of Trafford’s interviewees acknowledge this, but they also brim with personal growth, resilience, and a sense of renewed purpose. Trafford introduces readers to seniors who pulled up stakes to start anew in Alaska, opened a charter boat business in the Caribbean, or bought an RV to build homes around the country for Habitat for Humanity. The result is a book that makes its points without excess psychological jargon or simplistic five-step wonder plans.

Portraits also are the strength of It’s Never Too Late To Plant a Tree, by Mel and Morrie Helitzer. The book includes 65 profiles of retirees—including some former educators and NEA-Retired members—who reinvented themselves after retiring from the 9 to 5. You’ll meet folks like a former PR executive who’s become a competitive ballroom dancer, and a 90-year-old Canadian woman who helped rid her community of drug dealers and pros-titutes. It’s an inspiring read, especially if you savor it a few profiles at a time.

Of course, reinventing your life requires some attention to financial realities. Fred Brock’s Retire on Less Than You Think breaks with the conventional wisdom (repeated ad nauseum in financial magazines) that you need 80 or even 100 percent of your income to make ends meet during retirement.

Brock’s premise: “You can retire sooner and on less money than you think, and live quite well, if you are willing to make a few relatively painless lifestyle changes.” These include moving to where the cost-of-living is lower, tapping your home equity, or even working part-time to earn a little green. Targeted to pre-retirees, the book has plenty of solid advice for seniors of all ages, as well as worksheets to ease your number-crunching.

Short Takes

Just Pencil Me In: Your Guide to Moving and Getting Settled After 60 , by Willman Willis Gore. Quill Driver Books. 176 pp. $12.95Ready to make a move to another city or state, or to an adult-oriented home or community? Here’s a book to help with everything from packing boxes to getting settled in your new community. The book’s tips for downsizing your possessions are particularly useful.

A Guide to Elder Planning: Everything You Need to Know to Protect Yourself Legally and Financially , by Steve Weisman. Prentice Hall. 256 pp. $24.95. This just-the-facts guide to handling legal and financial affairs will be useful to seniors for their own planning as well as those who are looking after a parent. The book surveys facts you need to know about Social Security, insurance, wills and trusts, and a host of other topics. It also includes tips that may help you at tax time.

RV Camping in State Parks , by D.J. Davin. Roundabout Publications. 256 pp. If you’ve got the RV bug, this book could be invaluable. Provides descriptions of more than 1,600 state parks and recreation areas in 49 states that serve RVs. Also includes general maps and contact information as you plan your trip.

Ask the Expert

November 2004   

Making the Leap to Cell Phones

Thinking of buying your first cell phone—or changing your wireless carrier? You need answers to these questions.

Q: Where will you use your phone?

Where you live, and where you plan to use your phone, affects how much it costs to make calls. Some wireless plans are based on "home areas": calls within your home area are included in your plan, but calls from outside that home area will result in extra charges. Other wireless plans offer nationwide service, though they still may have geographic limitations. Then there's the "annoyance" factor. As with other radio devices, your cell phone might have static, drop calls, get busy signals, or not work at all—depending on where you are.

The company and plan you select should provide superior service in your neighborhood and other places where you plan to use it. Question salespeople about coverage areas and locations where you may be charged a "roaming" fee on top of the minutes you use. Some providers offer a risk-free trial period to try out their service. If so, see how their service handles calls from your home and the places you frequent.

Q: How much will you use your phone?

Most wireless plans feature a predetermined set of minutes for your chit-chat each month. If you use more than your monthly allotment, you pay a much higher charge for the extra minutes; if you don't use them, you lose them. Both the calls you receive and the calls you make are counted against your minutes, and there may be periods each week, such as weekends, where your phone time is not counted against your limit.

Carefully consider how much you anticipate using your cell phone, especially during peak periods when the minutes add up. If you only want a cell phone for emergencies—such as if your car breaks down—you might want to try a "prepaid" cell phone plan. Under these plans, you don't pay a monthly fee; you just purchase a set number of min-utes to be used any time. If you run out of minutes, you can buy more.

Q: What cellular phone is right for me?

Cellular phones exemplify gadget-mania: some phones even let you surf the Web or take and send pictures. Usually, a free or reduced-cost phone or phones are included with the package you choose from a wireless service provider, but you can upgrade your phone for an added cost.
At a minimum, consider these features in a phone:

• Size. How does the phone feel in your hand, or in your purse?
• Buttons. Can you use the keypad easily?
• Added features. Does the phone support additional features you might want, such as Caller ID or Internet services?

If you have special needs, make sure to choose a phone that accommodates them. Some phones will dial your calls on a vocal command; others have raised numbers for easier dialing. If you use a hearing aid, ask if the phone is compatible with it.

Q: Who will help me sort through all the options?

Check out nonpartisan publications such as Consumer Reports for the latest comparisons of cell plan features and options. Guidance also is available on the Internet, at sites such as www.wirelessguide.org.

-Doug Terwilliger, NEA Member Benefits

Quick Tips

Get Informed
Before getting your ear bent by a salesperson, do your homework. Check out "What you should know about wireless phone service" at the Federal Trade Commission's Web site. If you subscribe to Consumer Reports, get the latest plan-comparison info at www.consumerreports.org.

Get Friendly
Your friends and family are a great source of info on cellular phones and service providers. Borrow a phone to see which models feel right in your hand, and which service providers work best in your locale. Ask folks which service provider they never want to work with again!

Get Shopping
If you're ready to take the plunge, visit local stores or try Web sites such as www.letstalk.com or www.getconnected.com. Be sure to ask for a risk-free trial period, and read (really!) the Terms and Conditions before signing up.