repairs — almost every conceivable subject . And these “ interest ” courses may be taught alongside high-school curricular subjects also available to adult students seeking missed credits or upgrades .
Many courses have a practical function , but “ interest ” courses may not . One might want to learn Spanish for planned travel or take a course in “ Cooking for Two ” to make better use of their own resources , but a course in introductory guitar is appealing for more personal satisfaction . The courses that I taught most certainly had limited appeal as practical courses , but my Latin students dug into declensions and conjugations as if they ’ d booked travel to Ancient Rome .
I did , however , always try to link what I taught to the practical . My courses in makeup usually attracted adult actors who were already involved with amateur theatre , and I used to stress the point that they themselves would be the ones designing and executing the makeup that they needed . In my Latin classes , I stressed reading Latin since speaking it and writing it aren ’ t really skills that are needed any more . And I always linked learning Latin to improving English vocabulary and grammar .
And the best part is that no matter what learning we may take part in , such learning opens doors . Always . Even if it is just knowing that making a single , stained-glass Christmas ornament is enough to satisfy a desire to pursue the art , that is knowledge gained . Exploring limits of interest and capacity are certainly reasonable incentives for learning .
By the time we reach retirement , we have learned that we can ’ t be excellent at everything we do , so trying new learning is never the risk it was when we were training for the world of work . Want to try calligraphy , but your hand shakes ? Give it a go . Who could possibly be hurt by your effort ? Want to speak the Ukrainian of your forebears ? Why not try ? Write the Great Canadian Novel ? Do it ! It ’ s always fun to try something absolutely new — and to remember that for most adult courses , there are no exams to pass !
Robin Carson , former editor of news & views , has confessed to being a 1960s folk singer . One of his more recent attempts at something new was to move to Prince Edward Island after a lifetime in Alberta . ( He ’ s not the only ARTA member on the island .)
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