January 2008

Staying Close to His Roots

Terry Spencer doesn’t like to stray too far or too long from his native Seminole culture. His hometown of Mustang, Oklahoma, where he spent most of his career as a teacher and high school guidance counselor, is near both the town of Little, where he grew up, and Wewoka, the capital of the Seminole Nation.

In 1995, Spencer was persuaded to run for, and was elected to, the General Council of the Seminole Nation, his tribe’s highest governing body, and he now feels closer to his heritage than ever.

“I wanted to continue contributing something to the Seminole people,” says Spencer, “but I had no idea how much I would get in return. I’m once again learning new things about our history, and hearing and speaking the Seminole language, which I rarely had the chance to do in years past.”

His Seminole leadership position follows a career devoted to advancing Native American culture. In the early 1970s, working on a federal grant, Spencer started the Native American Program at the University of Central Oklahoma. And throughout his 29 years at Mustang High School, he sponsored the Native American Club, through which he both introduced non-Native Americans to his culture and worked to help Native American students get into college.

Because of Spencer’s experience as an educator, the General Council tapped him last year to head a tribal committee to explore more effective ways to integrate Native American culture and history into school curricula.

“It’s a great way to spend retirement,” says Spencer. “Today, I’m not only close to my roots, but I have a son and daughter who’ve become active members of the Seminole Nation—and to top it all off, my son just started working as a school teacher. I’m very fortunate.”

—Matt Simon

Teaching through Songs of the Seas

The lessons Vern Olsen gives these days are quite different from those he gave for 30 years as an elementary school music teacher in Whidbey Island, Washington. In retirement, Olsen embarked on a new adventure with the Shifty Sailors, a shanty singing group comprised of about 20 men of various ages and professions.

This is not mere entertainment: “Our aim is to educate the public on the history of navigation and the importance of boats and sailing in the U.S.,” said Olsen, who plays accordion in the group.

Since forming 15 years ago, the Shifty Sailors have released four albums and toured Europe three times. This past summer they went on a tour of New England seaports and released their fourth album, H is for aHoy, featuring 4th- and 5th- graders singing on several tracks.

Originally, the Sailors were only supposed to last a few days. Olsen had assembled the group for a short-term stint to help the local historical society promote a book about 18th-century sailing. Members enjoyed the experience so much, though, that no one wanted to stop.

They now have 100 songs in their repertoire and have traveled thousands of miles. “It’s a good way to stay alive,” said Olsen. “We have a lot of fun with it.”

—Svetlana Shkolnikova

January 2008

Making Our Mark on History

History is an important teacher to us all. And as the NEA-Retired members featured in our cover story show us, we can all play a role in helping to preserve the stories of our past. We need history keepers, not only to record the actions of well-known figures that schoolchildren will one day read about in books, but also to save the stories of families and communities that will help future generations understand where they came from.

Understanding history also gives us perspective on how the everyday decisions we make say who we are as a society. We believe that access to public education is a cornerstone of democracy. But do the actions of our elected representatives support those ideals? Have we done all we can to speak out against the parts of the No Child Left Behind law that hinder public school teachers and evaluate schools unfairly?

And what will future generations think about how we take care of the older members of our community? We can help make it so that tomorrow’s public employees won't be penalized through the misguided provisions of Social Security law known as GPO/WEP (Governement Pension Offset/Windfall Elimination Provision). Public employees in 15 states are affected by these penalties, but we’re asking members in every state to get informed and help NEA-Retired push for repeal.

We don’t have to look any further back than the past eight years to see the hits that public education, Social Security, and Medicare have endured. Every one of us has representatives in Congress who need to hear how we feel about these issues. Don’t think for a minute that one little voice can’t make a difference—history tells us otherwise. Every “little voice” is needed for NEA to have the power to change things for the better.

—Barbara Matteson
matteson@dakotacom.net

January 2008

Tom Facey

Background
I’ve taught high school and middle school earth science and biology, mostly in Missoula, Montana, for 31 years. I’ve served as a building rep for my local Association.

Why did you join NEA Pre-Retired?
I joined because in addition to all the money-saving benefits, I value education advocacy. We need to help education in every way we can. I served from 1999-2005 in the Montana House of Representatives to help give education a genuine voice in our state government. I saw first hand the positive difference that retired education employees can make by working with lawmakers. We won some important things, like increased funding for adult education. I plan to stay active in state politics, and I would urge all school employees and retired members to do the same: as candidates, volunteers, lobbyists-whatever is the best fit for them.

Rosalind Yee

Background
I taught for 33 years in Prince Georges County, Maryland. I was an elementary school teacher, a middle and high school English and social studies teacher, and a reading specialist. I’ve served on the MSTA Board of Directors, the NEA Board, and on the NEA Legislative Committee. I’m currently president of MSTA-Retired.

How are you spending your retirement?
NEA has given me many opportunities to stay active in retirement. I’ve attended Education International conferences overseas and have worked extensively in women’s leadership training. I’m using skills the Association gave me, and it’s fortifying the Association for its members in the future. I also do a variety of other volunteer work, including weekly work at a hospital, but my main focus is on the Association. Making new friends by working with Association members is extremely rewarding and important to me.

Norman Poole

Background
I taught middle school math for 30 years in Seaford, Delaware. I'm currently president of DSEA-Retired.

What's the best thing about retirement?
I enjoy it all. I retired in 1991 and I’m still quite active in NEA-Retired. Political and legislative action are always important for us, especially because our pensions are affected by the state budget. It’s not only important for us to keep working with members of our legislature, but also to continue recruiting new members into the Retired Association. I also do part-time work as a bus driver for an elder hostel. This allows me to meet hundreds of other retirees, many of whom are former teachers, traveling the country to attend various events. That’s been a wonderful experience.

January 2008

An Ancient Approach to Good Health

It was about 20 years ago that NEA-Retired member Cynthia Fels first became curious about Tai Chi, the ancient Chinese martial art that is said to help relieve stress and lessen the symptoms of several illnesses. When she retired in 2000, after a 27-year career as an elementary reading specialist, and moved from Wentzville, Missouri, to coastal California, she finally had the chance to marry her two passions: teaching and Tai Chi.

“I really missed teaching and having students,” the 55-year-old Fels says. “I found that if I put my learning style principles to work in my Tai Chi instruction, it enhanced my students' instruction.”

Fels and many other practitioners swear by Tai Chi as being a veritable panacea—especially for the older population. She lists an increase in balance, building immunity for cancer patients, and getting rid of shingles among the practice’s benefits. In addition, she points out that the slow, methodical movements provide a decent cardiovascular workout. “An hour of Tai Chi is equal to walking a brisk three-mile walk. People don't realize that,” Fels says. “Of course, in China they've known that for thousands of years.”

Ramel Rones, a Boston-based Tai Chi expert who serves as a scientific consultant of mind-body therapies at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, admits there has been a lack of methodical research on the benefits of Tai Chi, but he has enough anecdotal evidence to make him a true believer.

For people with cancer, he says “[Tai Chi] empowers them. I’ve seen a lot of patients who have high red blood cell counts, who shouldn’t be able to go up the stairs, but they’re still active.”

Rones, who helps people with cancer and arthritis as well as those dealing with aging, injuries, and stress, feels that Tai Chi keeps the mind sharp because of the concentration required. Indeed, it’s among the activities that the Alzheimer’s Association recommends to stave off that disease.

“You [also] help the joints by keeping all the other parts healthy,” he says, explaining that Tai Chi improves people’s quality of life and their immune systems.

While it may be difficult to believe that any form of exercise can cure everything but the common cold (and maybe even that!), the point is to keep an open mind.

Luckily, that's all anyone needs to get started with tai chi, according to Fels.

“That’s what’s great about Tai Chi,” she says. “You don’t really need anything special—a beginners mind and nice, loose clothing that doesn’t restrict their flow of chi. It’s not like golf, where you have to go buy all this stuff.”

Fels teaches a type of Tai Chi developed by Dr. Paul Lam. One reason she appreciates his style is that it’s easier on students than traditional methods that require more moves for their routines, called forms.

“He designed these shorter forms based on major styles of Tai Chi,” she says. “Some people don’t want to learn the really long forms like I do. . . .  Some of them have 108 moves, and that’s difficult for people unless they really like Tai Chi.”

She says the style she practices was specifically designed for seniors, for whom balance can be trickier.

“Tai Chi for Arthritis is based on the sun style,” Fels says. “Dr. Lam developed it using higher stances that are easier on the joints so people won’t hurt their knees. It’s characterized by steps that are good for balance. Seniors like that a lot better.”

In addition to the health aspects and being back at the head of the class, Fels thrives on the camaraderie that develops among her and the students.

“My classes become a Tai Chi family,” she says. “People know each other and practice together, and sometimes we have tea breaks, so that’s fun.”

She also likes the feeling of being one with nature, and the relaxation of practicing what she calls a moving meditation. “You’re in that moment and doing your Tai Chi and everything else kind of disappears,” she says. “You feel one with the Earth, especially if you practice outside.”

And best of all, she gets to share her passion while fulfilling her desire to teach.

“It feels wonderful to have students again and to know that I am making a difference in their lives by giving them the lifelong gift of health and Tai Chi,” Fels says.

—Rina Rapuano

Quick Tips

See for Yourself

Cynthia Fels has this advice for people who would like to try Tai Chi:

• Classes —“Look at senior centers in your area. The Tai Chi Productions Web site, which lists all Tai Chi instructors in the country. Also, check with your local hospitals.”
• Books and DVDs—She also recommends Tai Chi For Health DVDs and books, written by Dr. Lam, and Ramel Rones’ book and DVD Sunrise Tai Chi. All of these can be found online at amazon.com.

January 2008

Medicare Update

This year’s premium increases are greater for those with higher incomes.

As required in the Medicare Modernization Act, beginning in 2007, the Part B premium a beneficiary pays each month is based on his or her annual income. Specifically, if a beneficiary’s “modified adjusted gross income” is greater than the legislated threshold amounts, the beneficiary is responsible for a larger portion of the estimated total cost of Part B benefit coverage. In addition to the standard 25 percent premium, these beneficiaries will now have to pay an income-related monthly adjustment amount.  About five percent of current Part B enrollees are expected to be subject to the higher premium amounts.

The 2008 Part B monthly premium rates to be paid by beneficiaries who file an individual tax return (including those who are single, head of household, qualifying widow(er) with dependent child, or married filing separately who lived apart from their spouse for the entire taxable year), or who file a joint tax return are:

The 2008 Part B monthly premium rates to be paid by beneficiaries who are married, but file a separate return from their spouse and lived with their spouse at any time during the taxable year are $96.40 for incomes less than $82,000, $199.70 for incomes between $82,001 and $123,000, and $238.40 for incomes greater than $123,000.

—Doug Terwilliger

2008 Medicare Rates

Changes in deductibles and premiums for Parts A and B, announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), include:

Medicare Part A
Services covered: inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice, and certain home health care services. 

Deductibles: The $1,024 deductible for 2008, paid by the beneficiary when admitted as a hospital inpatient, is an increase of $32 from 2007. This cost covers up to 60 days of approved inpatient hospital care in a benefit period. 

Beneficiaries must pay an additional $256 per day for days 61 through 90 in 2008, and $512 per day for hospital stays beyond the 90th day in a benefit period (compared to $248 and $496 in 2007). 

Daily coinsurance for the 21st through 100th day in a skilled nursing facility will be $128 in 2008, up from $124 in 2007.

Premiums: According to CMS, approximately 99 percent of Medicare beneficiaries do not pay a premium for Part A services because they have at least 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment. 

However, other seniors and certain people under age 65 with disabilities who have fewer than 30 quarters of coverage may obtain Part A coverage by paying a monthly premium set according to a statutory formula. This year the premium will be $423 per month, an increase of $13 from 2007. 

In addition, seniors with 30 to 39 quarters of coverage, and certain disabled persons with 30 or more quarters of coverage, will pay $233 in 2008, compared to $226 in 2007.

Medicare Part B

The standard Part B monthly premium will be $96.40 in 2008, up from $93.50 in 2007.  The Part B deductible will be $135 in 2008, up from $131 last year.

January 2008

By Susan Breitkopf

Charles Farrow can tell you a lot about the mills of his native Connecticut. He can tell you about the manufacturers that made farm implements, name numerous textile makers of yesteryear, and tell you how shoes were made in the late 19th century. With such an in-depth knowledge of the state’s industrial history, one would think Farrow had taught years of units on the evolution of steam power, child labor, and capitalism. But no. Farrow taught English for 30 years.

“I’ve been interested in history my whole life even though I was a English teacher,” he says. And thanks to the team concept at the school where Farrow taught, he was able to foster that interest. He did many cooperative projects, developing units with teachers of every subject from math and social studies to cooking. Several times over the years he helped teachers develop units on mills, because of their local prevalence. “I would get the primary sources—the letters, the ledgers, the photos—and the science teacher would teach about water power.”

Now Farrow runs and raises money for the local historical society, where he leads tours of the mills and other areas of historic interest. “We have a bunch of retired people who each do part of the work,” he said.

Farrow is not alone. Many retired teachers have found second careers preserving history. They lead tours, write books, visit classrooms in costumes, or teach lessons to combat intolerance. They volunteer hundreds of hours per year and, like Farrow, they realize they work nearly as many hours as when they were in the classroom. Most don’t receive any monetary compensation—what sustains them is knowing that they are keeping history alive.

Terry Davis, president and CEO for the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), said that retirees, including teachers are crucial to keeping history organizations going. “All sorts of wonderful things are happening with retirees,” she said. According to AASLH, most history organizations in the United States are small, volunteer led and often volunteer staffed with slim budgets and limited staff resources. “Almost all volunteers are retired,” said Davis, impressed by retirees’ generosity.

In fact, this year a group of retirees at the Hillsborough Historical Society earned AASLH’s prestigious Albert B. Corey Award—which recognizes primarily volunteer-operated historical organizations that do extraordinary work with limited resources—for their work digitizing county photos for a multitude of uses.

A 2001 study conducted by nonprofit advocacy group Independent Sector indicated that 44 percent of those age 50 and older volunteer. And Davis noted that with Baby Boomers now retiring in droves, there is a huge influx of potential volunteers whose passions may lead them to support many different causes. “Baby Boomers are not going to sit around and eat bonbons,” she said. “What history institutions are trying to do is figure out how to get them to work for their cause.”

The tasks and responsibilities required of history volunteers vary greatly, said Davis. People may first think of the docent leading tours, but “volunteers do everything there is to do in a museum,” she said. “Without people like NEA’s Retired members, museums and history organizations couldn’t achieve their lofty goals.”

Farrow began helping his local historical society achieve its goals 15 years ago when he was still teaching. “I’ve always volunteered. Teaching gives you some time either late in the day or summers where you can volunteer. That’s been part of my life for some time.”

But his interest in mills didn’t begin with his volunteer work. In 1971, Farrow bought a farmhouse with a mill nearby. “I just started to look for more mills.” Farrow explained that in the Lower Connecticut River Valley, there are dozens of streams that feed into the river. “There was a great need for mills and a rich textile history. There are 20 mills within five miles of this house.”

Though the work is different, Farrow says many teaching skills translate to history work. “It does call for some education skills,” he said. “You have to be able to read and research and have innate curiosity and be able to manipulate information.”

Farrow said that he has enjoyed watching children who he works with through the local historical society get excited about history through technology. He has worked with a group photographing collections. “I’m 60 and I grew up in a school system that saw kids as an open vessel to pour knowledge into,” he said. “Now teachers see kids as partners in their own education. Now teachers are signposts and letting kids learn at their own pace.”

Shirley Pitts has also taken students on as partners to educate others about history. She founded the Michigan-based Jackson High School Black History Tour Group in 1994, while she was still teaching high school English. The group consists of 35 high school students, who must maintain good grades and must be models of  behavior for the younger children they visit. They visit mainly schools, performing songs and skits and teaching facts about Black history talking about the struggles Blacks have faced in the past and up to the present day.

The reason she founded the group was to combat the intolerance she saw all around her. “There is so much racism it’s unbelievable. We try to target schools where they’re having problems or where there’s little diversity.”

She said many program participants are worried about the group criticizing White people. But Pitts says that’s not the point. “We’re trying to keep the races together, not tear them apart.”

In 1998, she retired and dedicated herself full time to the group. “After [retiring] the group got bigger and better,” she said. “I never thought when I started it how big it would get.” Pitts said that the group has performed at the White House twice, sung at Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s second inauguration and met celebrities from Olympian Dominique Dawes to singer Anita Baker.

While the group has become Pitts’ full-time job, she does not draw a salary from it. That means she actively fund raises by soliciting donations and writing grants. 

Pitts says the group is fulfilling in a different way than classroom teaching and that it’s refreshing working with youths who want to do what their doing. “It’s a totally different relationship than teaching,” she said. “The kids sign up and desire to be in the tour group. They don’t want to leave [when they graduate high school.”

Alan Bell has fostered a similar passion in his post-teaching life. While the New Haven, Missouri, resident was still teaching high school art, a local developer was going to tear down the town’s first formal school building, built in the 1890s, and sell the bricks for salvage. Bell and a small group of other residents didn’t want to see the town’s heritage disappear the way it had when other historic buildings met with the landfill. So they enlisted the help of the local Pepsi bottler to raise money to renovate the building enough to stabilize it. Today, half of the building has been restored with two metting rooms and one room serving as a museum with school and community artifacts. The preservation society still holds fund-raisers for upkeep and further restoration.

The New Haven Preservation Society, which started with six members and 20 years later has 75, is also restoring another historic building in New Haven that will eventually become an art gallery and studios.

Bell  said New Haven changed when a highway was built through it, causing many businesses to relocate from the downtown to flank the highway. He and the rest of the preservation group are working to turn the downtown core into an arts district. “History is an asset tourist-wise. It’s a different kind of economic resource than stores,” he said. “It brings a different kind of economy. We need to look back and appreciate what was there before. It was the foundation for the town.”

“We’d like to keep the small-town quality of life,” he added. Bell explained that New Haven is bookended by Washington, a suburb of St. Louis and location of many big-box stores such as Wal-Mart, and Herman, a major tourist destination with four major wineries.

Betty Carlson Kay’s passion for history took root in her home state of Illinois. She taught first grade for 34 years, and in that time she began writing historical nonfiction for children. Kay now has 10 books under her belt. Several have been about Abraham Lincoln, who lived most of his adult life in Springfield, Illinois.

Since retirement, Kay has been visiting about 50 second- to fifth-grade classrooms a year dressed as Mrs. Rutledge, a woman who knew Lincoln as a young man. Now, she is taking a year off to write, but next year she’ll hit the classroom circuit again as Elizabeth Edwards, Mary Lincoln’s sister.

Kay’s new book, created in conjunction with the Abraham Lincoln PresidentialLibrary who generously supplied the photographs, will cover the lives of both Abraham and his wife Mary from A to Z. Kay says she learned everything she knows about Lincoln from extensive reading, volunteering at the museum, and attending lectures.

 Her forthcoming book has been endorsed by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission who is planning activities and celebrations for his February 12, 2009 birthday. “I feel so fortunate that I was chosen,” she said. “That’s a real leg up for me.”

Like many teachers, Kay finds working with kids fulfilling. That said, she expressed some relief at not having to be responsible for a classroom of students in the same way. “When I leave the school, I don’t have to take any homework home,” she said. “I love to work with kids but I enjoy not being tied down. The kids are the highlight.”

Like Kay, Bill Sano found his second career in history. The Salem, Massachusetts resident taught elementary music, art and drama for 31 years. He retired five years ago, but before that he ran tours during summers and weekends. Now he conducts tours full time as a freelance guide. And unlike the rest of the retired teachers interviewed for this article, he earns a living at it. Even so, guiding tours was not something he sought out. It landed in his lap when a friend who ran a tour company had two guides quit on her. Knowing that as a teacher he was comfortable communicating information to groups including children, she turned to Sano, who had always harbored a love of history. “I had more history books on my shelf than music books,” he said.

Sano said he very much enjoys the change of pace and scenery. “It gets me outside,” he said. “I meet people from all over the country and the world.” What’s more, like Kay, Sano enjoys not having to keep tabs on the kids. “I’m not responsible for them,” he said. “I get them for an all-day tour, and then they go on with their teachers.”

Although he draws a paycheck from doling out history, Sano feels strongly about the importance of teaching it. “No matter what country you grow up in, you have a responsibility for your past and knowing your past,” he said.

Similarly, Kay says that while the recognition for efforts makes her current work very satisfying, she also finds joy in simply passing on her passion for history. “I enjoy history and making kids aware of history,” she said. “They don’t get enough in schools. It’s part of our culture. It’s who we are. They find out who they are by looking at the past and applying it to who they are.”

Leave your mark on history!

• Just about every community has a historical society or museum. Start by contacting their staff, suggests Terry Davis, president of the American Association for State and Local History, and ask about preservation needs in your community.
• Have an area of specialization? If there’s an era or historical figure you know a lot about, find a way to share your expertise. Some NEA-R members, like Betty Carlson Kay, work with active teachers to help present a unit to students in the classroom. 
• Peruse www.preservationdirectory.com, which offers information on historic preservation and heritage tourism, and lists more than 4,500 historical societies, 7,000 history museums, and all State Historic Preservation Offices.
• If, like Alan Bell, you want to help preserve a local historic site, look at the National Trust’s Community pages. They offer models and resources, even financial assistance for those striving to preserve a sense of place while revitalizing declining buildings.  
• Most everyone would like to make a record of their family’s stories. But anyone who’s tried knows it’s not as easy as it sounds. The Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Programs offers some tips on how to conduct an oral history, with a host of sample questions.