{"id":24403,"date":"2025-01-25T14:51:05","date_gmt":"2025-01-25T13:51:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebridge.sk\/?p=24403"},"modified":"2025-01-25T15:08:56","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T14:08:56","slug":"alison-orton-my-oldest-student-was-91-years-old","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebridge.sk\/en\/alison-orton-my-oldest-student-was-91-years-old\/","title":{"rendered":"Alison Orton: My oldest student was 91 years old"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/strong><\/p>

How long have you been a\u00a0teacher and what do you like about teaching?<\/strong><\/h2>

I\u2019ve been teaching off and on since the mid-1990s.\u00a0Over the years, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to teach all ages (from preschool through senior citizens).\u00a0I\u2019ve had the most experience teaching history to university students, and I\u2019ve taught English to adults since 2021.<\/p>

I love teaching for so many reasons.\u00a0It 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.\u00a0I think my favorite thing about teaching is that I\u2019m also constantly learning \u2013 I learn something from each of my students, both young and old.\u00a0<\/p>

When did you start teaching seniors and what do you like about it?<\/strong><\/h2>

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.\u00a0There is no pressure to get good grades or pass exams.\u00a0 My senior students are retired, so they aren\u2019t trying to advance in careers. They attend class for the joy of learning.\u00a0 It\u2019s really a teacher\u2019s dream to have a class full of students who are eager to learn, and open to discussing almost any topic.\u00a0I also find that senior students are very supportive of one another in ways that one doesn\u2019t often see among younger students (whether children or adults).\u00a0In many ways, my group of senior students is the most youthful group of learners I have.<\/p>

There is also a nice balance of realism and optimism among my senior students.\u00a0Their life experiences inform their learning styles and their priorities.\u00a0 They are role models for me, and I really believe that I learn much more from them than they do from me.\u00a0<\/p>

Do you recommend to start learning a\u00a0language at any age?<\/strong><\/h2>

Of course!\u00a0My students are living proof that language-learning is a life-long activity.\u00a0And I also speak from my personal experience of starting to learn Slovak when I was about 50 years old.\u00a0My progress is definitely slower than it was when I was learning German at age 20, but it\u2019s wonderful exercise for the brain.\u00a0It\u2019s never too late to learn. A while back I asked my senior students about their motivation and experiences while learning English.\u00a0They 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.\u00a0But they agreed that coming to class helps them “charge their batteries” instead of making them feel more tired.<\/p>

What are the benefits of learning a\u00a0language at senior age?<\/strong><\/h2>

People usually talk about the cognitive benefits of language-learning as senior citizens, and of course that is very important \u2013 studies show that language learning increases memory and cognitive function. <\/p>

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\u2019m 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.<\/p>

The third reason they listed for learning English was so that they could communicate better when they travel. <\/p>

Do you remember a\u00a0funny story or a\u00a0learner who you grew fond of?<\/strong><\/h2>

One of my students broke her hip a couple years ago.\u00a0 The whole class was shocked when she attended class from the hospital on her phone the day after her hip surgery.\u00a0 She joined us for part of the lesson and participated as much as she could.\u00a0 Then, when she returned to in-person classes, she was using crutches to help her walk.\u00a0 After a couple weeks, she came in with only one crutch and announced to the class that she got rid of one \u201ccockroach\u201d (she mixed up the words for crutch and cockroach).\u00a0\u00a0 Soon she was done with her \u201ccockroaches\u201d altogether.\u00a0 Every few months, crutches come up in class and the group still jokingly calls them cockroaches.<\/p>

What was the age of the oldest learner you had?<\/strong><\/h2>

91 years old.<\/p>

What are you learning at the moment?<\/strong><\/h2>

Well, I\u2019m on a slight break from learning Slovak while I finish writing my PhD dissertation in history.\u00a0 But working on my dissertating means constantly analyzing and connecting new material related to my topic.\u00a0 I love watching documentaries (but I\u2019m very picky about the quality \u2013 they have to be well-researched).\u00a0 And I try to learn more about teaching as well.\u00a0 But overall, I look at each life experience, whether positive or negative, as an opportunity to learn.\u00a0 My goal in life is to stay curious about the world around me.<\/p>

Thank you for the talk.<\/h2>
\"\"<\/figure>

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