Finish Strong: The Veteran Teacher’s Guide to Staying Happy, Healthy, and Highly Effective (Navigate your final stretch of teaching and your retirement journey.) - Softcover

Tom Hierck; Alex Kajitani

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798893741131

Publisher: Solution Tree Press, 2026

Synopsis

Approaching the latter stages of your teaching career? Gain practical strategies and insights to help you finish strong while preparing for the transition to retirement. Using anecdotes and exercises informed by real-life experience, authors Tom Hierck and Alex Kajitani help veteran teachers reflect on relationships, work well with intergenerational groups, and stay energized and effective in the classroom during their homestretch of teaching.

Grades K–12 teachers can use this book to:

• Understand the stages of their teaching career
• Reflect on people who have positively impacted them through the years
• Navigate the complexities of collaborating with younger educators
• Rejuvenate their passion for teaching by reflecting on their journey and accomplishments
• Prepare for a fulfilling, secure retirement by planning ahead

Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Acknowledging Where You Are (and How Far You’ve Come)
Chapter 2: Building, Maintaining, and Reflecting on Relationships
Chapter 3: Working With Younger Colleagues
Chapter 4: Understanding That Not Every Leader Has (or Needs) a Title
Chapter 5: Sharing What You Know
Chapter 6: Asking for Help (and Helping Others)
Chapter 7: Planning for Retirement
Final Thoughts on Your Grand Finale
References and Resources
Index

About this title

About the Author

Tom Hierck has been an educator since 1983, with a career spanning all grade levels and many roles in public education. His experiences as a teacher, an administrator, a district leader, a department of education project leader, and an executive director have provided a unique context for his education philosophy.
Tom is a compelling presenter, infusing his message of hope with strategies culled from the real world. He understands that educators face unprecedented challenges and knows which strategies will best serve learning communities. Tom has presented to schools and districts across North America, sharing a message of celebration for educators seeking to make a difference in students' lives. His dynamic presentations explore the importance of positive learning environments and the role of assessment to improve student learning. His belief that every student is a success story waiting to be told has led him to work with teachers and administrators to create positive school cultures and build effective relationships that facilitate learning for all students.
His most recent books include Trauma-Sensitive Instruction: Creating a Safe and Predictable Classroom Environment, Trauma-Sensitive Leadership: Creating a Safe and Predictable School Environment (both coauthored with John F. Eller), You’re a Teacher Now! What’s Next? (coauthored with Alex Kajitani), and You’re a Principal Now! What’s Next? (coauthored with Alex Kajitani, Shan Jorgenson-Adam, and Rita Marler).
To learn more about Tom’s work, visit his website (tomhierck.com), or follow @thierck on X or Tom Hierck on Facebook.

Alex Kajitani holds the title of California Teacher of the Year and was a top-four finalist for National Teacher of the Year. He is lauded for his innovation and real talk as a teacher and leader and is also known around the world as The Rappin’ Mathematician.
Alex’s journey from frustrated new teacher to White House honoree is one he now shares with educators across the United States. He tells refreshingly honest stories about what it truly means to connect with students and colleagues, and interweaves them with proven strategies that educators can implement the very next day to make an immediate impact.
A highly sought-after speaker and a top authority on student engagement, relationship building, and teacher leadership, Alex is the author of several books, including Owning It: Proven Strategies to Ace and Embrace Teaching, which was named Recommended Reading by the U.S. Department of Education; You’re a Teacher Now! What’s Next?, which many new teachers use to be highly effective in their first years; and You’re a Principal Now! What’s Next?, which many new administrators use to be highly effective in their first years. He is also an expert in online teaching; he is the author of 101 Tips for Teaching Online, and his virtual programs and videos are used around the world. Alex has a popular TED Talk and was featured on CBS Evening News, where Katie Couric exclaimed, “I love that guy!” And you will, too!
To learn more about Alex’s work, visit his website (alexkajitani.com).

Edition details

• Publisher: Solution Tree Press
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798893741131
• Binding: Perfect Paperback
• Number of pages: 128