Many senior citizens have so much to offer children that I believe school systems from kindergarden through high school should reach out to use their knowledge. In many cases it would be better than reading a text book that would never be finished in two semesters time.
6
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Really? Are they not responsible for the totally fucked up position the world is in today?
callmedubious
Level 8
Jan 22, 2019
0
Depends on one's personal opinions.
All seniors? That's a ridiculous blanket generalization. It's actually absurd.
Always remember:The oldsters of today, were the youngsters of yesterday. Many were smoking funny green hay before you were born. Many protested the Vietnam War, marched for Civil Rights, had a swell time at Woodstock, or were 'flower children' in San Francisco.
@CaroleKay ,
Obviously not all. But most of them voted for govts which caved in to the military, industrial, security, complex which is responsible for attacking countries around the world.
Aside from all the innocent civilians killed, they, along with the wall st. crooks caused caused the national debt to go exponential.
So now the younger generations are supposed to somehow pay that huge debt when most of them can't even afford decent health care coverage.
It's a terrible mess that has seen income inequality jump to levels not seen since the 1920s.
All this didn't happen just by chance.
@callmedubious Obviously they shouldn't listen to you.
Some of the schools around here are starting to do "class grandma" volunteers. 
stinkeye_a
Level 8
Jan 22, 2019
2
I am sometimes a jerk with my appreciation of friendships, but i have tried to send thank you notes to those older ladies who give me their time.
Lillyfield41
Level 7
Jan 22, 2019
3
My daughter's school had career day in her middle school where they invited people to come and give presentations of whatever they did in their career. I was a graphic designer who had transitioned to teaching graphic design at the college level and had about 10 years experience teaching. I volunteered to give a presentation. The presentation went very well and I had excellent participation and a few kids even came up afterward to say that they now wanted to become professional graphic designers. I spoke to my daughter later that day and she said that my presentation was good but it was the ONLY good one. All of the rest of them were worse than terrible. Of course I was one of the only presenters with teaching experience and had learned about 150 techniques to keep young people's attention and keep them engaged. I wasn't a senior citizen them but am now but until one has done it a lot, keeping a room full of young people awake by enlightening them with one's experience and knowledge is not easy. There is also a certain amount of Showmanship 101 necessary. Seniors don't usually come preloaded with that stuff. Sorry if I popped your bubble. Your idea SOUNDS like it would be great but probably not without substantial training.
OCJoe
Level 6
Jan 22, 2019
1
I found that a little humor always was an aid also if the school could provide an outline for them to follow. A list of the things I did would never work and would be boring you must instill the excitiment one receieved from doing the work to make it interesting.
i fou
Depends. If they don't have patience for teaching it's a no-go. Also if they feel the need to pass on their prejudices and bigotries to the next generation, they shouldn't be allowed around kids.
CommonHuman
Level 7
Jan 22, 2019
1
what makes you think that senior citizens in particular have more bigotries and prejudices to pass on than younger teachers, or that they would be less patient? i sometimes see news articles about teachers who are racist or impatient, and they are invariably younger teachers! thinking this way about senior citizens is itself bigoted.
g
@genessa I actually have great respect for my elders. I have the same thoughts towards anyone who want to teach.
@CommonHuman There always are the good and the bad in everything we do and we can only hope the better ones make a better impression than the ones with a chip on their shoulder.
While I appreciate the generations that came before me. For goodness sake, my father was the worst tutor ever as he was lightning years ahead of me in everything.
There’s a skill to educating. 1:1 with a student is one thing. Keeping control of 30-35 kids is another.
There’s always a need for volunteers in the school systems at every level. In the library, help kids cross traffic, etc.
Green_eyes
Level 8
Jan 22, 2019
2
or to teach. was your father a bad tutor only when he got old, or was he always that way?
g
@genessa he wasn’t old when I was in high school. He just never had the patience or the ability to dumb it down for a kid.
@Green_eyes right. but the post was specifically about senior citizens. so... senior citizens who were patient when young might still be patient, and those who were not when young may not have gained patience. if all people of your generation are not the same way, patient or not patient, then people of other generations are similarly diverse. a generation cannot be judged by one person!
g
@genessa my comment was specific to my father and he certainly didn’t change in his seventies. I volunteer three to four days a week at schools.. there’s a definite need for qualified help as substitute and volunteers.
@Green_eyes yes... and good pay for the supposedly paid staff too. volunteers wouldn't hurt, for sure!
g
I believe those who would have something to offer would be those who step forward. I have found that those with the chip on their shoulder or who think so much of themselves normally do not volunteer anyway.
Seniors get a bad wrap. We all will age and die. If we are fortunate to live long lives, we all will be there one day. We should be honoring our elderly and treating them with kindness and respect. Their lives, stories and experiences are our history.
CaroleKay
Level 8
Jan 22, 2019
3
You sure you want a bunch of old guys who watch Fox news 6 hours per day in there educating the children
BD66
Level 8
Jan 22, 2019
1
I am a senior and I have been allowed to teach basic logic (the syllogism) to middle school students at three local schools. I now have the material on an app called ReasonLines--available for iOS and android devices for $0.99--and I look forward to offering it again using the app.
Wallace
Level 7
Jan 22, 2019
3
Our library had a program where elderly Japanese war brides where older kids could listen to their stories of what it was like to come to the USA after WWII...my mother participated...her great grandchildren learned a lot about stuff that was never in books...
thinktwice
Level 8
Jan 22, 2019
4
We had an astronaut in training come a businessman, iron worker,chemist, bank teller and several others before the school held career day. It gave the kids a chance to explore fields of interest that otherwise they might never be subject to. It was a great deal and I understand that some employers paid the people that came and told us about their jobs.
@Marine There are lots of ways to educate people...it is good to see some old fashioned one-on-one..
@thinktwice U bet ya
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