Award-Winning Teacher Forced into Retirement
Image Source: HUAAI
My 65th birthday came and went. This one was bittersweet. On the one hand, I made it to 65 and had the strength to blow out the candles on my birthday cake. On the other hand, my age disqualified me from continuing teaching due to mandatory retirement in the country where I have taught for the last 15 years: China. In China, the retirement age is 60 for men and 55 for women.
Since I turned 60, I have had to apply for special consideration for work permits and, with the help of the school where I teach, these permits were granted for five years. However, this year was different. Despite students, parents, administration, and faculty clamoring for me to continue my teaching career, my work permit was not approved by a system which does not recognize dedication or the fact I can still do my job very well. So I will be forced to retire.
Michael Matteo has won awards to recognise his outstanding work with students.
My teaching career began in 1985 as an American public school teacher. After opening a business, I continued teaching at night and on weekends for a variety of schools that ranged from adult education to private schools.
After closing my business, I attempted to get back into education as a full time teacher, but American school administrators who champion the rights of everyone (except older people) didn’t want to hire someone in his 50’s. Getting a job interview was almost impossible, so I decided to try international education and China called out to me.
In China, my age was revered and respected and I served in many leadership positions at different schools where I worked. These positions included head of ESL, assistant principal, director of curriculum, assistant headmaster and finally head of the humanities department at the school where I am employed until March.
The news of my work visa not being renewed was inevitable. I had been fortunate to be given five extra years to teach, but it still hit me hard. It was like a visit from the grim reaper that told me my time as a teacher had expired. It was also devastating news for people at my school. Teachers contacted me with tears. Administrators told me it was heartbreaking. Both parents and students sent me messages thanking me for the things I did to help them and regretted I would no longer be able to teach.
So what has 4 plus decades of being an educator taught me about teaching as a profession?
Teaching is a calling, not just a job.
When you decide that you will be a teacher, you commit to so much more than earning a paycheck. You commit to being a role model and someone who has a direct impact on young people. You guide, shape, and influence your students through your actions and the positive contributions you make directly impacts the future.
Good teachers adapt.
Over the 4 decades I have been a teacher, I have learned teachers must change with the times. AI is here to stay, so it was vital to work with it. It is the future. Each time period involves new ideas about education, but you must find a way to make what you teach relevant to students or they will tune you out faster than a principal’s lecture about dress codes at a school assembly.
Education is active not passive.
We learn to drive our cars not by being told how to drive, but by getting behind the wheel and doing it. Students learn by doing presentations and projects. They learn by teaching! Lectures should be reserved for eulogies at funerals where the deceased is a passive participant.
Treat your students the way businesses treat their customers.
Students are the consumers of education. Do year end surveys so students can assess you (anonymously of course) since you spent the year assessing them. There is a great deal of value in student observations and teachers may be surprised and hopefully influenced by the feedback.
It is important for a teacher to be friendly and to never cross the lines.
Don’t let students think you are their friends. This is a fine line because younger people may not understand boundaries. Friends are equals. When you give grades, enforce school rules, or manage a classroom, you are the authority. Part of this requires being objective. There are students whose attendance makes us smile and others we pray might be absent because of their behavior. Yet every student must be treated the same. Reaching a kid no one else can reach and changing their life can be one of the most rewarding benefits of being a teacher.
As I look back on my teaching career, I am saddened by news of students who have passed. I’m also proud of the ones who made their lives remarkably successful and have remained in touch with me. I am honored by those who have friended me on Facebook and mentioned nostalgic memories of classes I taught 40 years ago.
Unlike some high salaried professions, teachers will never get rich monetarily from teaching. However, there is a richness of experience and wealth is measured in this environment by the exchange of ideas. What good teachers impart here is a priceless commodity that can last a lifetime.
Michael A. Matteo
Matteo is an international author and award-winning educator. His latest release is a YA dystopian novel, It Began with a Whisper. His work blends moral questions with compelling storytelling, encouraging readers to think deeply about justice, conscience, and personal courage. Beyond fiction, Matteo shares his perspective on learning, creativity, and community engagement, helping readers connect story with life.
