In many communities, there are organizations that focus on older people. Because of better medicine, nutrition and other factors, more people are living to greater ages. I believe the market for non-fiction subjects is growing. Older people are better educated, often by schooling but certainly by experience and insight. They realize that science and philosophy and history matter and are fascinating.
We are lucky to have an organization in our small city called "Learning Is ForEver" and referred to as "L.I.F.E.". A few years before I retired, it was founded after consideration of Elderhostel and Road Scholar programs as models.
Teaching for 37 years is long enough to get in the habit of planning and delivering lessons. I was happy to get a chance to propose individual, non-credit sessions where I made a presentation of about 90 minutes. I have delivered about 15 of them and still enjoy planning and giving them.
I also enjoy attending some given by others. Many of the presenters are former professors and teachers but we also have physicians, various sorts of government officers and officials and others. One of the most enjoyable for me in recent years was a talk given by a local judge after 37 years on the bench. Actually, given some possible organizing and writing assistance, just about anyone over the age of 50 probably has several interesting and valuable presentation in them.
We also have an active senior center in our city where pottery, handicrafts and other practical skills are taught. L.I.F.E. tries to stay away from subjects and activities that the senior center handles. That center is more likely to have courses with many sessions and ongoing classes that meet weekly for a semester.
As a graduate school professor, I got interested in reviews of reading. Many people have read dozens, even hundreds of books by the time they reach their latter decades. I thought it would be fun and valuable for teachers to take time to reflect on their personal reading and recall books that have meant a lot to them. That was my most fun course as a professor and a modification of it has been the most repeated presentation I give. Each talk needs to be approved by a committee and they have seen fit to reschedule one on books recently read and enjoyed several time. We do offer talks that continue over more than one week but two or three weeks continuation is the limit.
When the program is first released for registering for classes, so many sound so interesting that it is easy to sign up for more than will actually be attended. Often half or two-thirds of the registrants actually show up for the presentation.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
