September 22, 2005
Never Too Old
In one of my recent classes, I had the privilege of teaching an 84-year old World War II veteran. He had fought in the war as part of the Air Force, and had received several decorations during his tour of duty. Since he was early for the class, we were able to visit a while, and he told me a little bit about his war experiences. I could have listened to his stories for quite a while longer, but the other students had arrived, and we needed to start the class.
I was impressed deeply by the fact that this man, truly a member of greatest generation, a man who had endured the depression, had been part of a great war effort, and had seen many more national highs and lows, still wanted to keep learning. He wanted to improve himself. Although his hands were stiff with age, he worked hard to get the hand positions needed to play the chords. Before the class he commented, “I may never be able to play that well, but I will learn to really appreciate what those who can really play are doing.”
Now I don’t yet qualify for senior citizenship, but I have been around a while. I’ve seen people my age who have stopped learning, and in some ways it seems as though they have stopped living. Long ago I learned the value of continuing to learn new things and grow mentally. Not only am I striving to acquire new knowledge, but also as a teacher I am always seeking new and more effective ways to impart knowledge to my students.
Posted by leon at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)