We asked some former teachers why they retired and how it has changed their lives.

'Teaching - the best job in the world', these words were often voiced by my husband, Steve Sinnott, late General Secretary of the NUT, who realised his childhood ambition when he became a secondary teacher in the early 1970s. Steve's passion for teaching remained constant and was something he communicated so forcibly that I too was proud when, in 1991, I'd completed my degree and PGCE and was ready to embark upon my own teaching career.

Being a teacher can be intellectually, physically and emotionally demanding as teachers deal not only with academic but also social and personal issues that impact upon the lives of the children in our care. However, being a teacher is also a position that presents opportunities that allow us to help shape the lives of the youngsters we teach. Teachers have the ability to enthuse and inspire young people and to encourage them to develop self-belief as they work towards their goals in life. I enjoyed the challenges and opportunities that being in the classroom afforded me. I always felt particularly privileged, when witnessing the innate sense of fairness and justice that children have being turned outwards and directed towards ensuring the goals of others as well as their own could be met.

In April 2008 my husband Steve Sinnott's, former General Secretary of the NUT, untimely death came as a shock to colleagues, friends and the education community in the UK and the world over. It left me directionless and unsure of who I was and what I now wanted to do in life. At this time my family, friends and colleagues were a lifeline for me. Two of Steve's closest friends suggested that we should extend and build upon Steve's legacy by creating a Foundation in his name to honour his passion and commitment to education and continue the momentum of his work by supporting and promoting the UN Millennium Development Goals for Education. The Steve Sinnott Foundation was officially launched in May 2009. Now I felt as if I had a direction to follow, and after some soul searching I decided to retire from teaching at the age of 56. Today my time and energy is channelled into working to achieve the aims of the Foundation. This finds me in the enviable position of still being able to work with and for children, alongside teacher colleagues and others interested in achieving 'Education for All'.

One of the last things I did with the children in school before retiring was to be part of the 'Send my Friend to School' campaign organised by the Global Campaign for Education Coalition, of which the Foundation is now part. My Year Six pupils keenly voiced their opinions and views about the 'heart breaking' situation wherein millions of children worldwide were denied access to primary education. Along with the literacy work completed as part of the project we sent a letter to the PM, Gordon Brown, in which we highlighted the fact that the children were 'staggered and appalled' to learn that at that time there were approximately 72 million children worldwide being denied something they themselves enjoyed - the opportunity to attend school.

All involved in the work of the Foundation are, as was Steve, excited about knowledge and learning. We too believe in the power of education to bring about change for the better for individuals and for the world as a whole. We too believe that teachers and pupils, all working together, have an enormous contribution to make to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The Foundation's first major undertaking 'Project Nepal', has successfully enabled 300 children from the poorest families in West Nepal to go to school, seen the rebuilding and refurbishment of three school buildings, appointed additional teachers to work there, added to teaching resources and equipment and built toilets and medical centres. All the children also now get a meal in the schools. Two more schools are to be included by summer 2012, by then we'll have helped 500 children. We have also promoted school twinning and currently have eight successful UK/Nepal school partnerships.

Our second project focusses on 'Teacher Training & Continued Professional Development in Sierra Leone'. It is divided into two phases - the first took place very successfully in London from 31st October-4th November 2011. The second phase is to be implemented in Sierra Leone over the next twelve months. Thirteen teacher colleagues who joined the Foundation's Education Team in London went through an intensive one-week 'Developing The Developers' course which was, in the words of participants and trainers alike, 'truly inspirational'. The returning teachers went back to Sierra Leone as 'Ambassadors' of the Foundation, committed to the Millennium Development Goals and ready to cascade the training to fellow teachers at home. They said, "We are looking forward to taking back our new found learning and experiences and putting things into practice. Horizons have been expanded; creativity and imagination have been sparked. Determination has been ignited." According to the World Bank (2007) close to 40% of teachers in Sierra Leone are untrained and the negative impact of that is clearly reflected in the sub-standard performance of students, so this 'determination' is well founded and necessary to eradicate a widespread culture of underachievement.

'Retirement' is offering me great opportunities and fulfilment. You too can join in the work of the Foundation and be part of the biggest education campaign in history that seeks education for the 66 million children in the world currently out of school. Please visit our website www.stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk for further information, or contact our Project Manager, Sam Tiwari, at 54 Clarendon Road, Watford. WD17 1DU TEL: 01923 431653.

If you are thinking of retiring or want to find out how to make the most of your retirement you may find these factsheets useful:

Retirement practical guide

Planning for retirement

This article was originally featured in The Supporter magazine. To read the magazine in full or to subscribe click here