Back 2 School - Again? (17)

It’s back to school for baby boomers. A recent trend has put middle age adults back in the classroom as they try to pick up where they left off, or expand their horizons. According to the Newsweek November 5, 2007 edition, nearly 2 million college students are age 40-64. Talk about continuing education! Up until recently, factors such as daytime class hours and no financial aid for part-time students made going back to college difficult for grown-ups with a job and a family. Now boomers are learning new trades, trying out new jobs, and educating themselves as they move toward retirement age.

I think it’s a good idea to keep learning throughout one’s life; it keeps your mind from growing dull as you age. The effect on society that these returning students will have should be positive. They will be able to further stress the importance of education.

The Newsweek article Heading Back to College mentioned 59-year-old Mike Flynt who went back to college to get back on the football team he was kicked off of during the 70s. That’s just one of the thousands of cases in which a person has decided to give a second try where they failed during their younger years. If I had been in the same position I would probably have done the same thing; it would be really annoying to reach retirement and always remember that one big blunder from college.

These adults are pretty brave to be attending classes at college when the majority of students are young enough to be their kids. Other problems may come in the form of the modern, technologically oriented classroom. But in the end the thirst for knowledge overcomes every obstacle, producing smarter grown-ups.