A regular Source feature, Undercurrents explores issues, ideas and events as they develop beneath the surface in the Virgin Islands community. This is the second in a two-part series about senior citizen education at the University of the Virgin Islands.
No matter what course they’re taking, senior citizens enrolled in free classes at the University of the Virgin Islands tend to learn the same thing pretty quickly: It’s not like it used to be.
“There’s a big difference” between the seniors and the traditional students in her classes, music professor Lorna Young-Wright said. For one thing, the seniors tend to be highly motivated.
“They are prepared to take advantage of every moment,” she said. They come to class on time, with their materials, and “they can answer questions because they’ve taken the time to prepare.”
With few exceptions, that contrasts sharply with the typical student who has entered college shortly after finishing high school, she said.
Marthious Clavier, who teaches computer skills at UVI, also noticed his older students’ eagerness.
“The majority of seniors would be there 10 minutes before class. The younger students will come in five minutes before, or a minute before – or a minute after,” he said.
Art professor Cynthia Hatfield said her senior students are generally better at time management than her traditional students and that their dedication is inspiring.
“Their work is rich. It’s really deep; it’s not superficial,” she said. “They take everything they do to the nth degree.”
But that’s not to say that there are no disadvantages for late learning. Over 60, you may not have the same quality of retention you had at 20, Hatfield noted. “So it’s a lot of work.”
“Some of them are afraid a little bit of technology,” Clavier observed. “They think they might break the computer, they might wreck the system,” and that makes them a bit hesitant. Whereas “the young people are ready to jump right in.”
Senior learner Alphonso LaBorde can relate. He’s taking three music courses and two are relatively easy for him. But music theory is quite a challenge, he said. In fact, it’s a challenge for young minds as well, but it’s also stimulating.
Anthony Rodrigues, who took computer classes from Clavier, voiced what seems to be the general willingness of seniors to go the extra mile: “When you put your mind to it, it’s not difficult.”
“You have to be able to put something into it,” said art student Dorothy “Habiba” Evans, adding that the work takes time.
Retired after a teaching career in St. Croix schools that spanned grade levels from first to 12th – as well as a stint teaching literature at Howard University – Evans long used quilting as her artistic outlet. But in the past few years, she’s taken four art courses through the free Senior Citizen Education program at UVI: composition, drawing, and painting I and II.
Had she taken the same sort of classes at the age of 25, she said, “It would have been different because I’m old enough now to prioritize things, to know what’s important and what’s not important.”
As a younger student, she said she would probably have been more concerned with deadlines and how her work looked to the teacher.
“I’m glad that I am free of having to meet criteria,” Evans said. “It’s nice to be able to experiment.”
When William Bowles took a drawing class as part of the senior education program, he found a particularly pleasant part of the experience was interacting with his classmates – both fellow seniors and the younger students in late teens and early 20s.
“Motivations were definitely different,” he said. The traditional students were generally taking the course because it was a requirement, whereas many of the seniors were there for personal enrichment. But, he said, all the students took the work seriously. “Everyone was enjoying it, just for different reasons.”
In the best case scenario, the older and younger students use their strengths to help one another.
Hatfield said she likes the give-and-take in her classroom. Seniors “inspire younger students with their work ethic” and younger students infuse the class with high energy. “I really enjoy the mix.”
“The interaction is very good,” said Clavier. Since the younger students are generally more comfortable with the computer, they often assist seniors who may be somewhat reticent.
Conversely, her senior music students tend to “ground” their younger classmates, Young-Wright said.
“Everything is so immediate for our traditional students,” said Xuri Maurice Allen, who teaches a freshman orientation course. They’re used to texting and tweeting and generally having instant access. Seniors can show them that it’s okay to take some time now and then.
Under a law passed in 1988, senior citizens can attend regular classes at UVI for free; the law established a line-item in the university’s budget to cover the cost. Some of those who spoke with the Source said they would have taken classes even if they weren’t free. Others said they would not have been able to afford the courses if they had to pay.
Hatfield estimated that about one-fourth of the senior citizens in her art classes probably fall into the latter category because they have trouble paying for materials and supplies and many of them do not own cars.
Between the St. Croix and St. Thomas campuses, more than 100 seniors are taking free courses this year at UVI.
