As Jim Bianchi gets increasingly closer to retirement he looks back at 35 years worth of memories and bonds he made in his Tech Ed classes. Now he’s beginning to look forward to the years after retirement. Bianchi is highly excited about retiring and letting the stress levels die down, as he has been looking forward to retirement for a long time.

To begin with, Bianchi didn’t even know for sure that he’d be retiring this year until he was at the top of the retirement list. 

“I for years and years sat on the last page of the seniority list and never thought I would see retirement. A teacher friend told me when the list came out this fall I was on the top of the list, I couldn’t believe it,” Bianchi said. 

Junior, Noah Lackner, has had Bianchi for 3 years and is taking his Power Mechanics and Metals II classes this year. 

When asked about how he feels about Bianchi retiring, Lackner said, “I’m sad because I wanted him to teach me consumer auto mechanics next year. He has made class something I can look forward to, and he has given me good real-life experiences.”

After retirement, Bianchi plans to stay very busy. He wants to get another job just to bring in some extra money. But he also wants to get outdoors more with all of the extra free time he’ll have. Bianchi plans to go fishing, hunting, camping, and more. 

Bianchi said, “I intend to ride the (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)ALS snowmobile fundraiser, I will be in Alaska fishing for most of this summer as COVID seems to be winding down. Bocce ball Wednesday nights, jet skiing on the warm summer days, it’s time to let the stress level down.”

Since Bianchi will be out more often, he is happy that the stress levels will finally be going down. He is also happy that he can get into his hobbies in a less rushed manner now that he won’t have to worry about school coming up.

Although Bianchi is excited to retire and be in the outdoors more often, he will miss his students greatly since he has formed bonds with many of them. 

“Working with the kids will be missed of course and the fine colleges I have grown to know over the years and formed strong bonds with,” said Bianchi. 

Carpenters Union worker, Cade Busche was a student of Bianchi’s for four years. Bianchi was one of his favorite teachers he had in all of the years he was in school. Busche spoke very highly of Bianchi and about how he taught many life lessons to his students. Over the years many of his past students and students he has today still use them to this day. 

“He prepared me for the real world, and he prepared me for the job I have now. If I never had him as a teacher, I don’t know where I’d be today,” Busche said. 

After a teaching career of 35 years, and 32 years at Superior High School, many students have come and gone through his classes, and many will remember the life lessons he taught, and the bonds he created. 

Lackner said, “Bianchi has taught me many things to use in the real world. And he has taught me that if you can fix it, just fix it.”