Bernie Hughes
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How old do you have to be to realistically or authentically give advice to those retired or facing retirement? I thought that being 91 would suffice for me, so I’m going to focus on retirement. I’ve been retired now 28 years, so I feel entitled.
A Superior friend who isn’t a union supporter gave me an article to read that blamed unions for public schools in already well-funded districts for not receiving money for private schools. Actually, many schools are receiving public tax money today, but they are not public schools — they call themselves charter schools. My friend suggested that my reply to him could also be a Superior Telegram column, so here it is.
Haven’t you thought about that too? We spend so much time and money preparing for wars. We claim that it is for our defense, but one has to wonder when we have so many troops, so much of the time in so many other nations of the world, and our drones are doing what they are supposed to, but killing many good folks too.
Maybe it is old educators who save beaucoup stuff. At least this old duffer did. I started teaching in 1947, secondary for six years, superintendent for 13, and retired from the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 1967. As if that weren’t sufficient, I taught university summer schools in Colorado, Montana and Wisconsin. I read too much and saved even more after sharing with colleagues. Now, I’m in the process of ridding myself of untold junk. I decided the following might interest some readers.
Death should be discussed. Some of you are probably saying "not now" and will quit reading. If not, everyone comes face-to-face with death. When a loved one dies or nears death, all of us are aware of our limited time in this life. I realize it is a dark, dismal, unpleasant subject that nobody wants to dwell on although we all know we will face the Grim Reaper someday.
Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be. Most of us in the aging bracket have heard that line, originally by poet Robert Browning. In our younger days, we may have believed that. It has a get-up-and-go essence that is pleasant to hear. But after the years have passed as it has with yours truly, we take such claims with a grain of salt.
Conservatives complain about welfare for the poorest Americans. Why don’t the needy work like most successful citizens are? These critics don’t seem to see the vast differences in opportunities that cause many people to need welfare. My field was education so I’ll give the general cause in that field.
My get-up-and-go has got up and went. I’ve spent too much time of late trying to figure out why. Most obvious, I’m not a kid anymore, but this feeling is a recent event. I need to get up and go before it is too late.
For those who have lived long enough to be interested in reading what is often called the Aging Column, they are lucky. It may be that somewhere, somehow and someplace there is someone writing another such column, but I’m personally not aware of it. It dawned on me that I, at age 91, am old enough to do so. Younger folks deserve to know that experience really is the best teacher.
Will there ever be an end to war? In my lifetime, I can only justify one war, World War II. Having served in the U.S. Army then is not my reason for saying that. Jews were being murdered, and Hitler had dictatorially brought Germany into being a very serious military threat. In fact, that war probably should have started sooner before so many were murdered in the Holocaust.