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The Hoary Head is a Crown of Glory
- University Press of New England
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21 mathematician Archimedes, who, upon submerging himself into a bathtub and watching the resulting displacement of water, ran through the streets shouting “Eureka!” because he had discovered a means of calculating the volume of solids? None of my dreamers—those students who had no business being in college—have yet become famous (so far as I know). But almost all the ones who have heeded the better angels of their inclinations and left school for their fields of dreams have become happy. What a wonderful thing to be. o p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p thehoaryheadisacrownofglory It was the first day of the new semester. I was introducing the course material to the fifteen students in my marine biology class when I noticed her standing on the threshold, her books clutched to her breast like a nervous schoolgirl. Only this student was squat and gray-haired. “Can I help you?” I paused to ask. The woman glanced about, birdlike, at all the young faces that had turned to her. “I know this class is full,” she said, “but I was just wondering if I could sit in.” “Please do,” I said, and I watched as she limped into the room and nestled herself among the teens and twenty-somethings. I normally dedicate the first marine bio class meeting to a survey of my students’ native knowledge, to see what they bring to the course. I ask about the difference between a sea and an ocean, what makes a sponge an animal even though it looks like a plant, what evidence we have that whales once walked on land, and even the grammatical difference between the statements, 22 p c l i e n t e l e “Look at all those fish” vs. “Look at all those fishes.” (Answer: “those fish” refers to members of the same species.) As usual, I was met with mostly quizzical looks as I plied these waters. But Natalie—the older woman who had requested a box seat—had her hand up at every turn, volunteering answers with the alacrity of a game show contestant. When the class was over and the other students had ambled out (perhaps wondering what they had gotten themselves into), Natalie came up to me, bright and confident, and said, “I’m so sorry this class is full. I’d love to take it.” “Listen,” I told her. “You stay and I’ll drop the other fifteen students. I don’t want to lose you.” I added her to the course. Natalie was in her seventies. She turned out to be as vital and dedicated a student as her debut had augured. She commuted fifty miles each way to get herself and her bad hip to school— often in horrendous Maine winter weather—and never missed a class. She was engaged, enthusiastic, and hard working. Beyond this, she was so contact-friendly and helpful with my younger students that they came to be drawn to her. In Natalie I had more than a good student; I had a role model for the others. Natalie belonged to a category of students labeled “nontraditional ” by institutions of higher learning, meaning they have not followed the customary route of graduating from high school and then automatically plopping into college. They are, as a result, older and, in one way or another, more experienced. In the main, they tend to be more cooperative and organized as well, because cooperation and organization are skills that have helped them build families and succeed in jobs. As a result, they are very rewarding to teach. Of course, not all older students do well. I have had some who were poorly suited for college, but not because of their age. They were simply not college students, in the same ways that any person, including a recent high school grad, might not be: lack of curiosity, poor or non-existent study habits, aversion to books, laziness. But they have an interesting advantage over [23.20.220.59] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 08:05 GMT) The Hoary Head Is a Crown of Glory p 23 their traditional-age cohorts. It lies in the length and depth of their life’s path. After having worked at a job, raised a family, and met any number of personal and professional challenges, they have a fairly expansive worldview. While a return to school may at first be intimidating, they tend to...