Robin Carson

Lifelong learning must be an end in itself — an attitude , a philosophy of life . Although the term is often narrowly applied to continuing education courses made available to seniors at colleges and universities , lifelong learning is much more than that . If it is truly “ lifelong ,” then it is the aggregate of what we have learned throughout our lives . It is the foundation of the wisdom that we are expected to have gained as a kind of trade-off for the aches and pains of age . However , by adding to that foundation of knowledge , the mind stays alive and there is currency in whatever wisdom we might display . So , while the reason for getting into a desk once a week for a six-week course might initially be just to fill time , the benefits to the learner are many .

For over twenty years , parallel to my teaching career with Edmonton Public Schools , I taught adults who were either seeking to enrich their lives with subjects outside their working lives or to explore topics of interest that they finally found time for in their retirement . I taught theatrical makeup through ( what was ) Grant MacEwan Community College , Latin through Metro Continuing Education and , more recently , writing via workshops for seniors .

Very early on , I learned that adults who have paid for a course have little patience when they are not learning — or not being challenged . Unlike school children with whom motivation is always a concern , adults come to class wanting — expecting — to learn . Adults take notes , do extra research , and willingly participate in classroom discussions . Adults raise their hands to say , “ I don ’ t understand that .”

I found that people enrol in continuing education for many and varied reasons . One young adult took one of my Latin courses because he wanted to be an undertaker . ( Just what Latin has to do with that , I never did find out .) A retired doctor in the same class was taking Latin to revive what he

remembered from school . Most adult students , though , seem to enrol out of a perceived interest in a course , and either find that they want to continue with more learning about that subject or , more often , find that one course is enough to satisfy them . This is a feeling I understand , having once taken an excellent course myself in creating with stained glass , something that I had always wanted to do . As much as I enjoyed the course , my desire to be a stained‐glass artist ended when the course did .

Adult courses usually must be presented outside of working hours ; so , at learning centres , dark winter evenings see otherwise-empty classrooms filled , with lights burning and adults eager to learn . Adult students enter classrooms with quiet excitement that is quite unlike the noisy exuberance of , say , a high school , but their excitement is almost palpable .

Courses are offered by local school boards , universities and colleges , libraries , and individuals , and are often available according to what local instructors are able to teach . There may be courses in languages , cooking , golf , photography , home

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