Retirees

By Bob Bardwell, MASCA Executive Director

/While on the surface, some of you may not think that this column is for not for you with the word retirees in the title of this column but rest assured, this is for all members – graduate students, young professionals, mid-career professionals, soon to be retirees and yes, our already retired members.

Let me be clear. The retirees are back – bigger and stronger than ever and that is super exciting. This is good for our organization. It is good for our members. And it will be really good for those who will retire down the road, either in the next year or two or in the next decade.

So, what’s a benefit of being a retired MASCA member? First off you do get access to membership and professional development at much reduced rates compared to professional members. But beyond that we can do much more. Clearly one of the challenges of retirees, particularly during the pandemic, is to stay connected. Zoom no doubt makes this easier than in the days of in-person meetings only. No travel is required and as long as you have internet and a device, then it is fairly easy to connect.

To be honest, I do not believe that MASCA has ever really catered to the retiree population or done well to engage that population. This is not really anyone’s fault, but we have clearly not been focusing on our retired members’ needs. While I never said we should not have retired members, neither did I do anything to promote their membership.

That all changed this year.

Robert Bardwell Executive Director, MASCA

CA can be to our retired colleagues. Seeing the retirees come together as part of our National School Counseling Week celebration and specifically the joy and networking connections, was really cool and exciting. They showed me that despite being retired, there is still a need and place for this group in the MASCA membership. We have to do better, and we can do more for this group. Retired does not mean unimportant and no longer relevant.

Enter Anne Thidemann French and Helen O’Donnell, who agreed to colead our newly formed Retirees Special Interest Group (SIG). Beyond networking and connecting, Anne and Helen have some other ideas. The current plan is for future SIG meetings to consist of fun and networking along with timely topic sessions that will be of interest to retirees. Possible discussion topics include: Leaving your legacy – What do you want to leave to whom and in what format?

Technology tools – Can’t quite figure out how to zoom with your family or record a video? Then a tech session can help learn the skills you need to stay current.

This doesn’t mean that SIG participants cannot talk about school counselor topics or attend our conference or professional development activities, but my guess is that more general topics might sound a bit more fun, exciting and relevant to our retired colleagues. It is my hope that taking a broader view of what retirees may want, which is different from what they would have needed prior to retirement, will help provide some energy and excitement for this new focus of retiree engagement.

I am also happy to report that during the month of April, any non-current retiree can join or rejoin MASCA for free. That means that the regular $15 annual dues will be waived for someone who was a member and is no longer or was never a member. We currently have 28 active retired members with another 32 contacts in our database who were members at one time. Please do your part in spreading the word that MASCA is now open for business for our retired friends and colleagues and we warmly welcome them into our membership.

I invite all of our retired and soon to be retirees to join us for the next SIG meeting on Friday, April 16 from 3:30 – 5:00 via zoom. You should pre-register here. Be sure to bring a refreshment or cocktail to enjoy.

I am sure it is partly due to the pandemic but likely not having seen many folks outside of their families and household members for almost a year, showed me just how important MASTravel tips and planning – Where in the world have you gone, or would you want to go? Share your experiences or ask questions of others who have gone before you. Here’s to new, exciting and stimulating retiree experience that you don’t want to miss. And if you are a few years from retirement, by then the SIG will be well established and ready for you.