Author: Teresa

Quilts, good books and dogs. Plus a cup of tea. Life is good.

For my GA teacher friends close to retirement and thinking about exiting early

August 3, 2024

Each potential retiree’s situation is different. There are so many moving parts at play in figuring out the best options for you and your family. Knowledge is key. Reach out to your district’s HR dept, TRS and SHBP as needed. Working with a financial planner is also very helpful.

Gather your information:

  1. Visit the TRS website and set-up your account, if you haven’t already done so.
  2. Attend a one day pre-retirement workshop offered by TRS.
  3. Read and bookmark the TRS Member’s Guide. Other helpful information can be found on the TRS website under the Newsroom tab.
  4. Watch and bookmark the SHBP Retiree Educational Video about health insurance options after retirement and what your options are in case you need to leave before your official retirement date.
  5. Bookmark the Retiree Page on the SHBP website.

Key things to keep in mind:

There are two health insurance pricing brackets for retirees. Know which one you fall under.

Whoever you want to cover under your health insurance in retirement needs to be on said insurance before you retire. Add them during Open Enrollment before you plan to retire, if necessary.

If you plan to leave early, know that you have to keep the SHBP insurance continuously in place for it to follow you into retirement. COBRA/State Extended Coverage isn’t cheap.

For me, attending a pre-retirement workshop was the catalyst that made me realize leaving early was possible. The slight bump in my monthly pension check if I stayed two more years simply wasn’t worth it. Health insurance was our sticky wicket. Once we figured that piece out (and how to fund it), it was my choice to stay or resign. One month later, I resigned and left at the end of my contract. We’ve enjoyed two wonderful years that we wouldn’t have had if I’d kept working. It was absolutely the right decision for us and would not have been possible without continued access to SHBP insurance.

Today is my official retirement date, but I’m not officially retired

August 2, 2024

Don’t laugh. I’m totally serious.

New retirees have an official retirement date, but the Teacher Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) doesn’t consider one officially retired until after receipt of one’s first pension check. This will happen by mid-August.

I’m not worried about the money, because I knew there would be a two week delay after my official retirement date for the first pension payment.

The issue is I can’t get the health insurance premiums adjusted to the correct retiree amount now due until TRS notifies SHBP/ADP (company contracted to manage health insurance billing) of my retiree status. This is done via an electronic data file update that is uploaded twice a week.

Every time I contact TRS, I get a different answer as to when SHBP/ADP will be notified of my retiree status. Two weeks ago, I was informed they would be notified on 8/1. Today, I was told it would be after receipt of my first pension payment. I don’t know what to believe anymore. There’s a system update happening this weekend and most premium bills are generated by the 7th of the month. Perhaps I’ll get lucky and things will update in the next few days.

I’m thankful for the anticipated retirement benefit and thankful for the health insurance. I’ll be equally as thankful to save $1700/month in insurance premiums.

Photo by Leeloo The First on Pexels.com

Back to school time – will your kids be sewing this fall?

August 1, 2024

Hard to believe, but our local public schools start back later this week. Classes for my hybrid homeschool group resume 8/19 and I’ll be teaching “Travel Stories” – exploring maps & geography through picture books. I’ve had a lot of fun researching read-alouds and activities for this class. The number of students in each class will decide how many “craft” activities I can do with them. I’m hoping for a sewing unit with my 4th & 5th graders!

CraftLAB and private lessons resume in late August. Most of my students are now middle school age – which is great. They’re more independent and our projects are definitely driven by their interests. I do require a community service project – which is to make a pillowcase for Ryan’s Case for Smiles or a placemat for Meals on Wheels. My guild makes up the pillowcase kits and I provide materials for the placemats. If you are in Smyrna, Vinings, or NW Atlanta, you are invited to reach out about lessons. I have limited openings for students in third grade & up. After school sessions are available.

I’m on email lists for just about every fabric shop, quilt shop, sewing machine dealer and maker studio in the area. Not much has been advertised in the way of fall kid/teen classes just yet. Here’s what I have found:

  • If you’re in Loganville, Monroe or Watkinsville and homeschool, Sew Sew Studio in Bogart has a reasonably priced 6 session course available for homeschool students. Everything is included in the class fee.
  • If you live in the Suwanee and Duluth areas, several stitch schools have recently launched. Google “sewing classes Gwinnett” to find them.
  • For those closer in to the city, Fabricate Studios (Howell Mill Rd/Chattahoochee Industrial area) and Topstitch Sewing Studio (newly reopened in Decatur) also offer kid and teen classes at times to suit working families (after school and weekend classes).
  • If you live in Cobb County, the local library system offers free sewing classes at the Switzer and Northwest Regional library branches several times per year. These classes, designed for teens and adults, are led by volunteers from the American Sewing Guild and other experienced sewists. Feedback on classes offered through the library has been very positive.
  • Cottontail Quilts and Tiny Stitches offered youth sewing classes over the summer. The Stitcher School sponsored summer sewing camps at Covenant Church (located near Campbell Middle School). So far, I’ve not seen or heard about any plans for fall sewing classes.

There is one more option: if you have a sewing machine, rudimentary sewing knowledge and patience, you CAN teach your child (plus a friend or two) how to sew. Classes can be expensive. Classes can be offered at times that don’t work with your schedule. Classes may be too far to justify the drive in Atlanta’s notorious traffic.

Show your child how to use the machine. Start them stitching on notebook paper without thread in the machine (or search for free printable cute sewing practice pages online). Beginner projects like a pillowcase, pocket tissue holder, bookmark, drawstring bag or simple tote bag are confidence builders for newbie stitchers. A small investment of time spent researching tutorials/projects for kids on Pinterest and YouTube will be well worth it. The money you’ll save by teaching the basics can go toward your child taking more advanced classes to learn skills you’re not comfortable teaching or for attending sewing camps.