I have always considered myself a life-long learner. Even though I got kicked out of high school, I began taking community college courses in my twenties, and I took correspondence courses pre Internet during my thirties, then community college courses during my forties. I attended full-time college for seven years during my fifties, and if I could've, would have gone for a Ph.D. (health issues prevented this). Now I'm retired but I am still taking courses online, am a member of Skillshare and Udemy, Domestika, and other online creative platforms. I'm also a huge reader. This is one thing I am proud of...being a life-long learner. I don't intend to ever slow down in regards to learning. I'm an elderly woman in years but don't feel like it in my mind at all. I love that you write about this subject, Matthew. And thank you Terry for allowing yourself to be featured!
Great article Terry, I enjoyed reading it. Certification is everywhere unfortunately! And old is not always a pejorative, there are cultures where to be described as old is a term of respect…
I still remember the first time I read that word and realized that to some, I was included in the mix. A newspaper article stated that a 60-year-old elderly woman was hit by an SUV (ever notice that it’s always the car or truck that hits the person, not the driver? Weird!). Anyway, that was 13 years ago. . But I like the way you think!
Yep, strange that, like the driver is somehow not an active participant! I have a couple of years on you (ouch, gave myself away!), and I’m still not using elderly! We have wisdom and learning at our age, many of the cultures I’ve worked in respect that in older people and treat them appropriately. My older self is probably a much better person than my younger self, so much learning and understanding about ourselves as time passes, if we’re open to it.
Yes...and being older myself cause me to realize that when I'm looking in a wizened old face, full of wrinkles and white hair, there's a lot of the younger self still there so I need to tap into that.
Ha! I’m not sure I will ever get into one but my son rode in many on his trip to San Francisco lately! Mine was similar to the Airtag but for dogs. I saw that someone else came up with it about five years after I had the thought. I’m sure I wasn’t the first one to think of it.
Thanks Linda. We're on the same page: I have this sense of urgency of wanting to get as much reading and learning done as possible before I shuffle off this mortal coil -- which is nuts really because presumably once that happens I won't be bothered by it!
That's so funny! I think about that all the time! I often feel a sense of pressure from not meeting certain goals yet and then I remember to just enjoy the process because if i don't meet them, I better at least have fun trying. I won't care a lick once I'm gone.
I suppose it could be a chicken and egg situation, Robert. I love teaching in adult education, but I'm pretty sure that if the college said that from now on all courses must lead to a recognised qualification, I'd pack it in. Not because I can't do it-- i can -- but because I've done all that and I can do without the pressure and having to see students get stressed. I'm sure I can't be the only person who thinks that way.
Here in the UK it's down to funding, F.E Colleges have had there funding slashed over the last 15 years so to offer a course without a qualification attached it has to be run on a full cost recovery basis and sadly that means it prices people out. The college I used to work at would try to organise DIY courses in the various trades as we had a long list of folk who were interested but when the time came to pay for the course we would never get enough people to pay to make it financially viable to run the course. On the other hand if there were a qualification attached there were pots of funding who would cover the costs 🙄
Indeed, I had some experience of this myself, when a company brought me in to teach Excel to a group of trainees. Once the government funding dried up, so did that course. But don't you think it's a shame that more money isn't made available to fund non-certificated courses?
Absolutely, however unfortunately I doubt it will be far up the funding agenda given all education providers are fighting for money to keep the lights on. I am very lucky were I live to have access to a WEA centre but even they don't offer the range of courses that they used too
I have always considered myself a life-long learner. Even though I got kicked out of high school, I began taking community college courses in my twenties, and I took correspondence courses pre Internet during my thirties, then community college courses during my forties. I attended full-time college for seven years during my fifties, and if I could've, would have gone for a Ph.D. (health issues prevented this). Now I'm retired but I am still taking courses online, am a member of Skillshare and Udemy, Domestika, and other online creative platforms. I'm also a huge reader. This is one thing I am proud of...being a life-long learner. I don't intend to ever slow down in regards to learning. I'm an elderly woman in years but don't feel like it in my mind at all. I love that you write about this subject, Matthew. And thank you Terry for allowing yourself to be featured!
Never say elderly ... we can be older but never elderly, certainly as long as we keep learning
Very true, Peter, though even 'old" is a pejorative word in some circumstances.
Great article Terry, I enjoyed reading it. Certification is everywhere unfortunately! And old is not always a pejorative, there are cultures where to be described as old is a term of respect…
Yes, unfortunately not in my own(UK), at least by officialdom
I still remember the first time I read that word and realized that to some, I was included in the mix. A newspaper article stated that a 60-year-old elderly woman was hit by an SUV (ever notice that it’s always the car or truck that hits the person, not the driver? Weird!). Anyway, that was 13 years ago. . But I like the way you think!
Yep, strange that, like the driver is somehow not an active participant! I have a couple of years on you (ouch, gave myself away!), and I’m still not using elderly! We have wisdom and learning at our age, many of the cultures I’ve worked in respect that in older people and treat them appropriately. My older self is probably a much better person than my younger self, so much learning and understanding about ourselves as time passes, if we’re open to it.
Yes...and being older myself cause me to realize that when I'm looking in a wizened old face, full of wrinkles and white hair, there's a lot of the younger self still there so I need to tap into that.
Maybe it was a self driving car prototype 😂
Ha! I’m not sure I will ever get into one but my son rode in many on his trip to San Francisco lately! Mine was similar to the Airtag but for dogs. I saw that someone else came up with it about five years after I had the thought. I’m sure I wasn’t the first one to think of it.
Thanks Linda. We're on the same page: I have this sense of urgency of wanting to get as much reading and learning done as possible before I shuffle off this mortal coil -- which is nuts really because presumably once that happens I won't be bothered by it!
That's so funny! I think about that all the time! I often feel a sense of pressure from not meeting certain goals yet and then I remember to just enjoy the process because if i don't meet them, I better at least have fun trying. I won't care a lick once I'm gone.
Is the decline also reflecting a reduction in the number of those willing and able to be the teachers for such continuing education?
I suppose it could be a chicken and egg situation, Robert. I love teaching in adult education, but I'm pretty sure that if the college said that from now on all courses must lead to a recognised qualification, I'd pack it in. Not because I can't do it-- i can -- but because I've done all that and I can do without the pressure and having to see students get stressed. I'm sure I can't be the only person who thinks that way.
Here in the UK it's down to funding, F.E Colleges have had there funding slashed over the last 15 years so to offer a course without a qualification attached it has to be run on a full cost recovery basis and sadly that means it prices people out. The college I used to work at would try to organise DIY courses in the various trades as we had a long list of folk who were interested but when the time came to pay for the course we would never get enough people to pay to make it financially viable to run the course. On the other hand if there were a qualification attached there were pots of funding who would cover the costs 🙄
Indeed, I had some experience of this myself, when a company brought me in to teach Excel to a group of trainees. Once the government funding dried up, so did that course. But don't you think it's a shame that more money isn't made available to fund non-certificated courses?
Absolutely, however unfortunately I doubt it will be far up the funding agenda given all education providers are fighting for money to keep the lights on. I am very lucky were I live to have access to a WEA centre but even they don't offer the range of courses that they used too