Style. Grace. Love. Beauty. She made us all better people. I got the unexpected news on Monday, January 7 that my dear friend and longtime Del Campo colleague, Jerry Enroth, had died. Her light may be extinguished, but her influence will forever be with me and all who knew her. “Death lies on her like…
Category: Teaching
My Thanksgiving Memory. 49 years ago. “It’s fruitcake weather!”
November 21, 2018 Last weekend I noticed a Facebook post from Mary Beggs, a name I recognized from my past – the daughter of one of my high school English teachers at Placer High School. I only had three English teachers in high school. Mrs. Katherine Beggs for Freshman English; John Chaney for Sophomore English, and…
The Reality of My Retirement
What it’s been like during the first nine weeks of retirement. October 7, 2017. When you leave a career you’ve loved for 40 years, it’s easy to worry about what the transition to the retired life might be like, but I am here to report that retirement for me is off to a wonderful start….
Summer of 17.
The summer of a teacher is a beautiful thing. That is unless it’s too short or you work too much. This year summer was both too short and I worked to much. That is if I were going back to teach on August 7. But I’m not. This is my retirement summer. By the way you…
Jim’s First Day of School Advice to All My Teacher Friends
I have always used the metaphor that a school year is like going on a long boat ride on a sometimes raging river. There are rapids ahead, and we all need to be a part of navigating the waters together. Triumphantly. Sadly. I have just stepped out of the boat and am waving and shouting…
The Retirement Journey of James Mason Jordan
The long and winding road into retirement. When you hit 55 here in California, a teacher can begin thinking about the retirement process. At some point starting at age 55 you must declare with STRS what option you plan to take for your retirement benefit which will depend on if you have a spouse and…
“Boats Against the Current” – Speaking at the 2017 Del Campo High School Graduation.
I’ve never spoken at a Del Campo High School graduation. The last time I spoke at a graduation was June 1973 when I graduated from Placer High School in Auburn, California. But I have always wanted to do it. In the spring I heard they were going to eliminate having a teacher speaker, so I…
AP Language and Composition Scoring – Kansas City
June 10-18, 2016. Unless you’ve done it, you can’t understand how it can be fun to spend seven consecutive days scoring AP Language and Composition essays. But it is.
James Mason Jordan 