WMCC Student Resources

You're Never Too Old to Learn, In or Out of the Classroom

Katharine Eneguess, President of White Mountains Community College

A friend of mine was talking to an older acquaintance of hers the other day, a man in his eighth decade, and the subject of the latest social networking application came up. What, he asked her, is this Twitter that people are talking about? She tried to explain it enough so that he could understand the references to it in his favorite comic strip, but told him that she really didn't think he had to sign up and learn how to use it.

After confessing to her that he sometimes only checks his email every other day, he bemoaned that everything is so much more complicated these days. She replied that it's that complicated world that has kept his mind young. She said he goes out of his way to learn the latest, whether it's by listening to the news of the day or by learning a new way to keep in touch with family and friends via his personal computer. At 85, he is still learning something new every single day.

At White Mountains Community College, we pride ourselves in the amount of learning that takes place within the walls of our classrooms, but we are not foolish enough to think that learning for our students ends when they go out the front door. Learning for all of us started the moment we were born, and we are lucky if it doesn't end until we are officially called out of the game.

In recent years the results of numerous studies have been released on how effective brain exercises are at slowing down the progression of age-related dementias. There is some thinking that learning new information, and that learning and practicing new skills, builds spare capacity so that the brain is better able to cope with the loss of some function. For instance, doing a daily crossword puzzle seems to lower one's risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease. Not all researchers agree that one follows the other, though, arguing that those with good brain function are more apt to be doing crossword puzzles in the first place.

One point I think we can all agree on is that using your brain greatly increases your quality of life. The more you know, the more connections your brain makes, and the richer your daily experiences are.

My friend told me that she showed her older friend how to put the text of a World War II memoir he'd written into the body of an e-mail. He had already sent it to an age-mate of his on a disc, but the age-mate's computer, and his brain, did not have the capacity to open the file.

It is an increasing complex world, but keeping your brain in shape does not mean you have to master "texting" your friends 140-character updates of your every move. You can keep your mind flexible by learning something you are interested in. You can learn how to fly fish, research your family's history, go hiking on trails you've never been on, or read the books of an author whose work you are unfamiliar with. No matter what you choose to explore, remember that you can experience the joy of learning, no matter what age you are.

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