For teachers who retired in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, it was a sad goodbye to – what for many was – a decades-long career. At Vernon Elementary School in Portland, Ore., first grade teacher Kristi Kucera’s plans to say goodbye to the school community she helped build were disrupted. Here she reflects on what it’s like to retire in a pandemic – farewells from a distance and post-retirement trips canceled – while also looking forward to figuring out the next chapter of her life. June 18, 2020.
