Where have all the veteran teachers gone?

Every time I look around the room at a faculty meeting, I am astonished at the number of young people, most of them first or second year teachers. I miss the camaraderie I once shared with other veteran teachers. It is difficult to establish a relationship with people who are young enough to be my son or daughter. The last thing a new teacher needs is a mother figure in the workplace, and the last thing I need is another child.

I suppose I can continue being the fountain of endless resources; however, many of the strategies I parcel out are strategies that I labored hard to create. Most importantly, I don't want to jeopardize my own plans of writing a book filled with instructional strategies to help struggling readers and writers. I want to be thought of as a team player, but I don't want to share everything. I'm caught between a blackboard and a hard place!