Sunday, March 22, 2015

A GUIDE TO NOT RETIRING


“Some people nearing retirement don’t want to leave their jobs. But defying expectations can be difficult – both in the office and at home”
By: Anne Tergesen
Published: March 15, 2015; The Wall Street Journal; http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-guide-to-not-retiring-1426475064
Level of Difficulty: ***
Note to the Student: This is a tough level ** and an easy level ***:  some of the questions are pretty straightforward but others are tough.
BEFORE YOU READ
Watch and discuss: 100 year old Brooklyn math teacher who refuses to retire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBrnZeO04fk
·         Should there be an age of legal retirement? After all, some countries have such a figure, others don’t.
·         If the answer is ‘yes’ what should it be and why?
·         What factors should governments take into consideration when determining the age of legal retirement?
·         What factors should individuals take into consideration when deciding to retire?
·         Why do you think many people don’t want to retire?
QUESTIONS
1.       Start reading the text. Now answer the following questions.
·         Where does the introduction end and the development begin?
·         Which sentence informs the reader of the issue to be discussed?
·         What is the relationship between the first sentence in this section and the last?
2.       The conclusion we can draw from the paragraph beginning still is that …………………….
3.       The fact that…………….enables the well educated white collar workers to continue working longer.
4.       What two factors motivate these people to continue working rather than retiring?
5.       The major life style choice faced when deciding whether to retire or not is ……………………….
6.       The yardstick which determines whether a person has what it takes to continue working is his willingness to…………………………………………………………..The reason is that this indicates he has…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7.       Look at the bar graph detailing the reasons why most people seem to want to continue working. There are two broad categories of reasons. Divide the reasons into two categories and give each category a name.
8.       Now study the pie chart under the heading ‘Working Late’ and write a paragraph detailing the trends you observe. Include your predictions based on the information you have gleaned from the text as well. A sample paragraph is included in the ‘Key’
9.       Read the story of Randall Martin. Which sentence in the section best summarizes the reason why retirement is not for him for the time being?
10.   Read Jan Abushakrah’s story. Should she be asked to retire? Why or why not? Explain with reference to the text you are reading.
11.   Study the bar graph titled ‘The Changing Face of the Office’. It can be understood from this graph that whereas ……………………has been dropping steadily and is expected continue to do so in the future, ………………………..has been rising steadily and is expected to continue to do so.
12.   Read the section titled ‘Discontent at home’. The disagreements listed in this section are probably not due to: mark as many as necessary
·         Different world views
·         Lack of forward thinking
·         Lack of forward planning
·         Lack of communication
·         Lack of agreement
13.   Find the wrong answer. Discussing the decision concerning retirement can:
·         Make all the sense in the world
·         Develop empathy and understanding
·         Lead to disappointment
·         Lead to arguments
·         Lead to a compromise
14.   Mrs. Peterson resolved her differences with her husband by making sure to be……………..
15.   Read the story of Roberta Taylor and Bruce Narasin. Their solution to the dilemma they faced was not for…………………………………………but to…………………………………………………………………
16.   Why should someone who decides to continue working inform people he is working with of his decision?
17.   The older worker who wishes to go on working can avoid negative consequences in the office by ……………………………………………and………………………………………………………………..
18.   Why does Mr. Harnden organize goal setting exercises? You will need to tweak the text.
WRITING TASK: THE FIRST ALTERNATIVE
Look back to question 8. Graph writing is an integral part of the IELTS exam so put your interpretation skills to the test by completing this task.
WRITING TASK: THE SECOND ALTERNATIVE
Discuss the factors that enable an individual to go on working after the socially expected retirement age. Use the text.
·         Passion and excitement
·         Keeping up with modern technology
·         Physical and mental health – people live, on average 25 years longer
·         The continued to desire to commit to the job
WRITING TASK: THIRD ALTERNATIVE
Discuss the advantages of delaying retirement:
In terms of the state:
·         The strain a large group of pensioners who live into their 90’s put on the economy avoided
·         Benefitting from amassed skills and experience
·         Passion and excitement allowed to spread
In terms of the individual:
·         Satisfaction derived from continuing to be useful
·         Satisfaction derived from doing a job one loves
·         Better physical health linked to improved psychological health
WRITING TASK: FOURTH ALTERNATIVE
Discuss the reasons why people don’t wish to retire
Practical considerations:
·         Keeping health insurance benefits
·         Need money to make ends meet
·         Want money to buy extras
Lifestyle factors:
·         Want to stay active and involved (people live longer, physically fit)
·         Enjoy working (passion and excitement)
A GUIDE TO NOT RETIRING KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES
The subject matter of this text may not have much appeal to some young people but the issue is so well analyzed on various levels and leads to such a superb writing task that I couldn’t resist. Retirement is, after all, becoming a major concern in both developed and developing countries: think Japan, France and Turkey. Increasing longevity makes retirement a serious economic problem for governments; good health way into what is traditionally defined as ‘old age’ makes it a personal problem for individuals. Whichever way you look at it, retirement is a huge issue.
1.       The development begins with the paragraph beginning “Still”. The issue to be discussed is introduced in the last sentence of the development. The first sentence introduces the issue of retirement and the last sentence narrows it down as any good introduction should
2.       Deciding to stay at work isn’t easy.
3.       Life expectancy is a good 25 years longer than it was a century ago
4.       Working at something they love and get paid for.
5.       How people want to spend that scarce time. You need to replace ‘they’ with people and explain what ‘that time’ is. You need to replace all references in an answer.
6.       Take on a new project, raise his hand particularly if it gives him new skills to stay current; passion
7.       The first group which could be called practical or financial reasons comprises ‘keep health insurance and other benefits, need money to make ends meet and want money to buy extras’. The second category which could be called lifestyle or personal reasons comprises ‘Enjoy working and want to stay active and involved’
8.        Pie charts: Working Late: The two pie charts demonstrate the views concerning the retirement age in 1999 and 2014. There are marked differences in attitude concerning the issue and over all there seems to be a swing towards a higher retirement age. The percentage of people  who felt one should retire before the age of 60 halved in this five year period; the percentage of those who felt the retirement age should be somewhere between 60 – 64 dropped by 6% and lastly, the percentage of people who felt 65 was a good age to retire dropped by 8%. One the flip side, there seems to be an increasing inclination to retire later reflected in the views of those who wanted to retire between 66 – 69, those who wished to retire at 70 and later and those who wished to remain on the job for ever. The percentage of people who wanted to retire between 66 – 69 almost tripled reaching 11%.  The percentage of people who wanted the retirement age to be 70 or older rose from 14 to 22%. The percentage of people for whom retirement was not an option doubled. This trend is expected to continue as people live longer and remain both physically and mentally fit for longer. People also appear to be more desirous to work;  a wish reflected in the charts
9.       Developing these innovations is what gets me up in the morning
10.    No, she should not because she has passion. Such people are very useful for a company or institution.
11.   The number of 16 – 24 year old workers / the number of workers over 55
12.   Lack of communication and lack of agreement (The fact that they disagree means that there is obviously plenty of communication and no agreement)
13.   Lead to disappointment
14.   More available
15.   Ms. Taylor to retire but to spend good quality time together
16.   When you are in your mid 60’s and above, unless you state otherwise, the assumption is that you will be retiring soon. The previous sentence will not do because it is not specific enough.
17.   Signaling a long term commitment and a youthful mindset and disclosing the desire to stick around in both informal conversations and an annual performance review.

18.   To create passion and excitement 

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