The Villages is an active retirement community in more ways than one; people living there may have retired from their jobs, but not from the process of active learning. This is evident from the various educational facilities that are available here.
The Villages runs an innovative institution called as the Lifelong Learning College which does exactly what is implied by the name. This college offers various courses and activity classes for those who are interested in continually enriching their body, mind and soul.
Variety of Courses
Whatever your area of interest – whether it’s the arts and crafts or real estate or psychology – you’ll find a course that could help you learn and hone your skills. If you’re one of those people who want to have fun, you could learn that too – the College at The Villages has a course on how to become a clown.
There are courses on topics as varied as beading, art history, playing bagpipes, operating iPads, training your dog and even analyzing the psychology of a serial killer.
For those interested in Agriculture, classes are conducted on topics like caring for palm trees and landscaping gardens.
Calendar of events
New courses start every month with classes held throughout the year. The similarity with other educational courses ends there – no exams are held at this College. Yes, old age is stressful enough without the burden of exams complicating things, you’d probably say. Actually, learning is more natural and fulfilling when the student is not under any sort of pressure to prove it; a fact that is recognized here.
The course is taught not as a theoretical class; it also includes actual hands-on experience. Wherever possible, there are field trips and visits to various other institutions and places relevant to the subject. No wonder then that a class studying genealogy may travel as far as The Holy Land.
To teach is to learn
The experts who teach a course are generally ‘Villagers’ who are suitably qualified professionals. In many cases, it will be these teachers who propose a particular activity class to be added to the curriculum; the class is on if more than 10 people evince an interest in attending.
The Villages College also invites guest speakers who can guide the students further in their study of the chosen subject. On many occasions, these seminars provide the speaker too with an opportunity to learn from the expertise of the ‘student’ in some other sphere.
Another special feature of the College is how naturally the process of learning evolves into a practice group; it ensures people continue to learn as a team. Considering the fact that the best investment you can make is in your own progress, it helps people living here to keep reaping rich dividends.
When The Villages started this institution, it was primarily to provide senior citizens an opportunity to stay actively engaged. Today, although residents swear by the wealth of knowledge they’ve gained, most of them candidly admit that they take up courses because it drives away the feeling of loneliness by giving them a social life, too.
Like us? Please support us by clicking the buttons below:
