Alison Orton: My oldest student was 91 years old

Alison Orton comes from Nebraska and lived in Chicago. She came to Europe due to her studies for PhD. She loves travelling and works as teacher of Englsih at The Bridge. We interviewed her about her job with students at senior age.

How long have you been a teacher and what do you like about teaching?

I’ve been teaching off and on since the mid-1990s. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to teach all ages (from preschool through senior citizens). I’ve had the most experience teaching history to university students, and I’ve taught English to adults since 2021.

I love teaching for so many reasons. It feels very natural for me to be in a classroom as either a learner or a teacher, probably because both of my parents were teachers. I think my favorite thing about teaching is that I’m also constantly learning – I learn something from each of my students, both young and old.

When did you start teaching seniors and what do you like about it?

I started teaching seniors in the autumn of 2021.It seems to me that the seniors are more relaxed about learning than most other groups. There is no pressure to get good grades or pass exams. My senior students are retired, so they aren’t trying to advance in careers. They attend class for the joy of learning. It’s really a teacher’s dream to have a class full of students who are eager to learn, and open to discussing almost any topic. I also find that senior students are very supportive of one another in ways that one doesn’t often see among younger students (whether children or adults). In many ways, my group of senior students is the most youthful group of learners I have.

There is also a nice balance of realism and optimism among my senior students. Their life experiences inform their learning styles and their priorities. They are role models for me, and I really believe that I learn much more from them than they do from me.

Do you recommend to start learning a language at any age?

Of course! My students are living proof that language-learning is a life-long activity. And I also speak from my personal experience of starting to learn Slovak when I was about 50 years old. My progress is definitely slower than it was when I was learning German at age 20, but it’s wonderful exercise for the brain. It’s never too late to learn. A while back I asked my senior students about their motivation and experiences while learning English. They brought up something that surprised me. It seems that each of them was told by at least one person in their lives that learning and practicing English as a retired person was a waste of time and too much effort for people their age. But they agreed that coming to class helps them “charge their batteries” instead of making them feel more tired.

What are the benefits of learning a language at senior age?

People usually talk about the cognitive benefits of language-learning as senior citizens, and of course that is very important – studies show that language learning increases memory and cognitive function.

But when I asked my senior students about the biggest benefit for learning a language after retirement, the cognitive benefits were important, but secondary. They unanimously said that that attending classes gives them a sense of community and reduces the isolation some of them felt before joining the classes. I have seven students in my class and they have become close friends through their English lessons. They meet often outside of class (and I’m honored that they include me in their meetings and invite me to events). They share the ups and downs of life with each other and are a reliable support network for each other outside of their families, so it also gives them a sense of independence.

The third reason they listed for learning English was so that they could communicate better when they travel.

Do you remember a funny story or a learner who you grew fond of?

One of my students broke her hip a couple years ago. The whole class was shocked when she attended class from the hospital on her phone the day after her hip surgery. She joined us for part of the lesson and participated as much as she could. Then, when she returned to in-person classes, she was using crutches to help her walk. After a couple weeks, she came in with only one crutch and announced to the class that she got rid of one “cockroach” (she mixed up the words for crutch and cockroach). Soon she was done with her “cockroaches” altogether. Every few months, crutches come up in class and the group still jokingly calls them cockroaches.

What was the age of the oldest learner you had?

91 years old.

What are you learning at the moment?

Well, I’m on a slight break from learning Slovak while I finish writing my PhD dissertation in history. But working on my dissertating means constantly analyzing and connecting new material related to my topic. I love watching documentaries (but I’m very picky about the quality – they have to be well-researched). And I try to learn more about teaching as well. But overall, I look at each life experience, whether positive or negative, as an opportunity to learn. My goal in life is to stay curious about the world around me.