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.