Like any other career, the time comes eventually for beloved staff members at Southeast Polk to retire. The big, burning question with this is how to spend a retirement. Some people will settle down and relax at home, while others will become world travelers. Others may bury their nose in long awaited hobbies, or spend quality time with their family.
Penny Zaugg, a retired music teacher from Willowbrook Elementary, has spent her time doing various different things. For a little while, she did substitute teaching, but when COVID hit, she couldn’t bring herself to come back afterwards; things had changed. So instead, she picked up a job at a scrapbook store in Ankeny. Beyond that, Zaugg has also traveled. A lot.
“We’ve traveled every year. We’ve been to numerous places,” said Zaugg.
These places have included Vancouver, British Columbia, Alaska, Caribbean and Disney cruises, as well as drives to Texas, Branson, and Springfield. Out of all of these places however, Zaugg has had a favorite.
“I would say the West Trek and Alaska cruise, 6 week venture, with my husband was one of my favorites, and then the Disney cruise this year with all of the kids was my next favorite,” said Zaugg.
The aforementioned phrase of “world traveler” really feels applicable to Zaugg. Though traveling has been great for her, it hasn’t been her favorite part of retirement, something else has.
“Flexibility,” said Zaugg, “being able to do what you want to do when you’re not supposed to work, and right now we have the flexibility of babysitting our newest and youngest granddaughter. So that’s going to be my January and February.”
Another retired Southeast Polk staff member is the previous administrative assistant at the SEP High School, Marla Kelly. Like Zaugg, she finds immense enjoyment in the flexibility of being retired.
Photos courtesy of Penny Zaugg, Robin Norris, and Marla Kelly respectively.
“I really enjoy being able to plan my time doing whatever I want with few schedule commitments. Being in charge of one’s self is quite liberating,” said Kelly.
With this freedom, she has spent time reading, knocking many titles off her TBR list, taking some of the clutter out of her house, traveling to Kansas and Arizona to see her daughter and son respectively, and even volunteering at the ARL.
“[I] do spend time at the ARL as a volunteer when they need assistance,” said Kelly. “This provides great temptation as there are so many dogs and cats and other cute little creatures who need a home. Since we already have three cats, I have resisted bringing any of them home with me. We’ll see how long that lasts.”
While all travels so far have consisted of trips to see her daughter or a trip to see her son for a week around Christmastime, she does say that there are trips in the plans, just no major ones taken yet. Her favorite part of retirement is getting up early, as opposed to sleeping in, to really utilize the open time to seize the day.
“Retirement is definitely a time of adjustment. I still have moments when I wish I were still working at Southeast Polk, mostly because I miss the staff and students. I also miss the constant interaction with people. We go to games, concerts, performances, etc. at Southeast Polk, which we thoroughly enjoy. We still have 3 grandchildren who attend school there, so the connection is still a thing, but even when they have graduated we will no doubt still include events at SEP as part of our calendar.”
Not only teachers and associates retire, so do principals. Robin Norris, a retired principal from Willowbrook Elementary, has been busy. Specifically, with a load of traveling.
“The first trip was a retirement celebration to Greece, a place that had long been on my mind,” said Norris. “That same year I also returned to Australia for a month to see good friends with whom I had taught while on an exchange program in 1989.”
With a high school friend, Norris took up biking as a form of exercise and enjoyment. This hobby took her and her friend along the Rhine River through France, Switzerland, and Germany. Later, the two found themselves on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
Norris, this friend, and various other friends ended up in Antarctica at one point, which Norris said was fantastic.
“My next biking trip in September will be along the Mosel River. We will actually be staying on a boat each night and biking during the day! I think traveling, which not only means seeing sights but also meeting people of many different backgrounds, faiths, and experiences, helps one to continue to grow and have a better understanding of our world.”
Beyond biking and traveling, Norris has a home in Florida to keep warm during Iowa’s colder months. She does however still spend time around Altoona, volunteering, keeping up with friends, and serving as a director on the board of Dollars for Scholars.
“Probably the most important thing being retired has given me, is the time to spend with my now 93-year-old mother. Time is precious and I am so thankful we can spend this time reminiscing,” said Norris. “I am very fortunate to have had a long, meaningful career, and can now continue to learn.”
As shown through these three anecdotes, there are several ways that people can spend time and make the most of their retirement. Zaugg, Kelly, and Norris have all found where they best see fit for themselves without being required to work. Traveling, flexibility, and enjoyment of leisure are their key ways to spend time, though the doors are wide open for countless possibilities.
