AARP offers teachers driver safety discounts

Teachers add a lot to our society, yet sometimes it seems as though thanks for their work is harder and harder to come by.

AARP has a big reason to thank educators – after all, if it were not for a retired California high-school principal, AARP would not exist. That principal was Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, who founded AARP in 1958. In 1947, Dr. Andrus also founded the National Retired Teachers Association, which eventually led to the Florida Retired Educators Association.

Here’s how AARP is saying thanks: From July 1 through Aug. 31, 2012, anyone who has ever been an educator, whether current or retired, is eligible to take the AARP Driver Safety classroom course for just $5.

They say a teacher never knows all the good that comes from his or her work. Dr. Andrus’s work led to AARP Driver Safety, the nation’s first driver safety program designed especially for the older driver. More than 750 AARP driver safety volunteers power this program in Florida, helping more than 48,000 older Floridians a year to refresh their driving skills. Those who pass the course also may earn discounts on their auto insurance.

To make it simple to take advantage of this thank-you promotion, AARP Driver Safety is making it available to anyone who has ever been an educator, or who has worked for a school district or university in any capacity.

This includes everyone from custodians, secretaries, aides, pre-school teachers, college professors, guidance counselors, band directors, school nurses, Sunday school teachers, cafeteria workers, and even parents who home-school their children. It doesn’t matter how long someone was an educator or if they have a teaching degree. We want to say thanks to all educators.

For more information about AARP Driver Safety, or to locate a course near you, please go to aarp.org/driving29 or call 1-888-227-7669 toll-free during regular business hours.

In November, AARP Driver Safety will offer another thank you to another group deserving of all the thanks we can give them – America’s veterans. Watch the AARP Bulletin, AARP The Magazine or our award-winning website, aarp.org for more information about this promotion.

On behalf of all 2.7 million AARP members in Florida, I want to add my thanks to everyone who’s ever worked in the field of education. Their work has enriched my life and those of millions of other Floridians, even if I struggled with AP Chemistry back in high school in Jacksonville. Sorry, Mr. Phanstiel.

Jeff Johnson is AARP Florida’s state director.