I took a class titled “Communication in Aging.” For the most part, it was much like any other class where you learn the material from textbooks and PowerPoint slides. One particular day took a different approach. The professor organized a small panel of five individuals from the community that was in their 70’s and 80’s. While many different topics were discussed, the overarching theme was the importance of life-long learning. One woman spoke excitedly about trips she takes with different groups that have an educational component to them.
All of these individuals were active in the community and have a variety of interests. All of this was attributed to their dedication to life-long learning.
This wasn’t a new concept to me, however, it was not something I had ever taken into personal consideration. I was sitting there with the thought that I had one month left of school and that I would continue education at the School of Hard Knocks for the rest of my life.
But, why wouldn’t someone want to be a life-long learner?
Why be complacent with picking up bits of knowledge here and there when you can be active about it even after you’ve graduated?
This can be done in a couple of ways.
You can continue your education by taking classes at your local community college or park district, or you can take your own creative approach.
At the start of the New Year, my resolution was to learn about a new thing every week (or to simply expand my knowledge on something that I already knew a little bit about.) While my dedication tapered off due to graded research taking precedence, I have picked up this resolution since graduating and have had a blast learning about new things.
My list ranges from information about orca whales to Camino de Santiago, to mortuary science, to how to make a citizen’s arrest. Yes, I am aware that this list is strange (I didn’t even include the ones on the stranger side).
But, I’ve found that learning about these varied items has expanded my mind and has enhanced my small-talk skills. Getting to learn about something different each week keeps me educationally invigorated, and I hope that it helps as I go through my own process of communication in aging.
Staff Writer, Taylor Leddin is a publicist and freelance writer for a number of national outlets. She was featured on Thrive Global as a successful woman in journalism, and is the editor-in-chief of The Tidbit. Taylor resides in Chicago and has a Bachelor in Communication Studies from Illinois State University.
