15 Lessons I Learned from Retiring Teachers

Join us for an interactive session filled with meaningful discussion, practical advice, common sense tips and a helpful checklist on the important topic of teacher retirement planning. Ray Hoppins brings insights from hundreds of conversations with retiring teachers during his career in a large Alberta school division. These retiring teachers graciously shared powerful stories, honest reflections and practical tips. Please come join us to hear their messages, connect with colleagues, and discover what really matters in retirement. And, and as a bonus, we’ll unpack the many acronyms (ATRF, ARTA, ASEBP, CPP, EI, FTE, HALE, RRSP, RRIF, OAS, TFSA, etc.) of teacher retirement planning. Teachers are planners, and we plan each day, week, and year of our professional lives. However, our own transition plan to retirement often gets trumped by the busyness of our lives in our service to others. Perhaps this session can help. It is not ‘sit and get’, rather it is ‘sit and give’ as it is a discussion-based session designed to help teachers learn about teacher retirement and access the support available to them through the ATA as well as other partner organizations. Teachers will leave with resources, strategies, tips, and checklists that will prove helpful as they plan their own retirement. As a system leader, I learned a great deal from those that retired before me. I draw energy from passing along these lessons learned. Past participants in this session have appreciated the infusion of stories, resources, straight-forward information and humour. (This session was full at SWATCA 2025, I thought it may be helpful to offer it again if it is helpful) Note for committee: Tables for discussion groups of 5-8 people are greatly appreciated as the session engages participants in meaningful dialogue with each other throughout our time together. 40 Participants