As Hartstern Elementary School teacher Joann Samuels looks around her classroom she can’t help but remember the journey that got her to that place. She officially stopped teaching in 1999, and, although she’s been able to fill in here and there, she thought teaching in a full-time capacity was a thing of the past. She spent nearly two decades traveling and relaxing, but she said there was something those trips couldn’t do for her that a classroom could. "Once a teacher always a teacher," Samuels said. "There's a drive that you have that can't be erased. It's there."It's that drive that got her interested in possibly returning to teach, and it didn't take long until she got the call she was waiting for. This month, Kentucky Senate Bill One was passed allowing school districts to hire retired teachers on a full salary, while also allowing them to keep their pension. Samuels said it was an opportunity she simply couldn't pass up."Teachers are really needed, and what better source than us who have the experience," Samuels said. "I feel like we are able to, with experience, give them (students) the foundation that they need to succeed."Before KY SB1 retired teachers could only make up 1% of a district's teaching staff. Under KY SB1 that number was increased to 10%. It’s because a nationwide teaching shortage has been exacerbated due to COVID-19 forced quarantines among staff. Samuels is one of the many retired teachers the district is welcoming back. District leaders say under the Bill they now have the opportunity to hire 600+ retired teachers."This is really a time where we can take experience and put it back on top," Hartstern Principal Duan Wright said.Wright went on to say after a roller coaster year of uncertainty, Having retired teachers like Samuels come back helps ensure there are no hiccups."This is a call to people that are not tired, they are just re-tired," Wright said. "This gives them a chance to revisit what they loved, and gives them a chance to impact the world."While Samuels said the extra money was a big reason for her return, what really brought her was the students. She believes they’re enough to bring back any retired teacher on the fence. "We love children, we didn't enter this career not loving children," Samuels said. "If you have a love for children, I would encourage you to come back. They need us."JCPS district leaders said, this week, they'll start reaching out to retired teachers in the area to get them to come back this year. Those interested must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 14 or agree to regular COVID-19 testing.