Minnesota residents 66 years of age and over can enroll in classes at Minnesota state colleges without cost. There's a small charge if you wish to receive credit towards a degree, but auditing is free. I've been taking advantage of this from time to time for several years now, taking linguistics and language classes. I'm currently enrolled in a Spanish history and culture course, a German linguistics and grammar review, and a second semester Chinese course. (The Chinese course is for the third time, but it gives me the chance to hear. speak and review. Only one year of Chinese is offered here at Bemidji State.)
Some may think our senior brains are starting to harden up and get crusty like our arteries and our muscles, and we can't cram any more into them or compete with the millennium generation. I believe the brain is like any other muscle. the more we exercise it, the better it functions. While it's true we may be deteriorating some, we have one distinct advantage. We can draw from 66+ years of experience. Besides, our fellow students have 46 more years than us to contribute to our society, and if they do better than us, more power to them. We're not in a competition, we're learning with them and from them.
So if you're a senior citizen and have an interest in languages or any other subject, check with your local college or university. You may find that other states, provinces or areas have even lower age minimums. If you do find that, I would appreciate letting us know in the comments section below. Of course any other questions, comments or criticisms are always welcome.
Is there a language table or group trying to learn Mandarin Chinese? I am the ESL teacher in Bemidji Public Schools and really want to learn Mandarin-but find myself less motivated since I have no one to learn it with. I'd love to audit Chinese classes-but alas, I'm too young to audit for free and there don't seem to be community ed. classes for Mandarin. I have Pimsleur for Mandarin, and am not very motivated to study it since I have no one to practice with.
ReplyDeletev wangberg,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your inquiry. We don't currently have a Mandarin table, but I would be interested. How about we meet at the Cabin Coffeehouse at 5:15 pm on Wednesday, May 2 to discuss it? If this isn't a good time, let me know. Otherwise I'll plan to be there. I'll be the one with the grey hair, grey beard and the big red Chinese dictionary. Anyone else interested in a Chinese conversation table? 青睐。qing lai. Please come.