There is something comforting about having aunts and uncles who are in their 90s. It can also be very enlightening.
Two weeks ago, while I was working at Guilford Technical Community College, I spent one evening, driving down to Salisbury to visit with an aunt who was just home from the hospital the week before with congestive heart failure. I won’t go into details of what I was expecting to find, but this spry tiny little woman, greeted me at the door, hugged me (she always said that I reminded her of her oldest son), took my coat, insisted that I sit, while she fixed me a glass of water to drink. One of her daughters, Carol, was there and we sat and talked for more than an hour. At 90+, she looks and acts decades younger.
For years, Aunt Janet has been working on two novels, based on her extensive work on the geneology of her family. One book dramatically traces her family’s experiences from their first arrival in North America in the 1600s and the second is about her own experiences growing up in Salisbury, an especially picturesque North Carolina town
that has stuburnly held on to its century-old charm.
During my visit, Janet shared with me some of the stories from her childhood that she is including in the second book. She told me about clearly remembering the experience of holding on to her mother’s skirt (my grandmother), as she led them through the pitch black house with a single candle. You see, their part of town did not yet have electricity, so the night could be pitch-black.
What impresses me, is this woman, clearly remembering a time without electricity — and sharing that experience through computer skills she has developed for more than a decade. When I asked Janet to send me a digital picture of her at her computer, she appologized, saying that she did not have a digital camera. Thankfully, cousin Susan had one and sent me the picture above.
My point, in this story, is to say that there is nothing wrong with us oldsters (40 – 60) saying to our students that we do not know how to do this or that.
However, there is no excuse for being afraid!
The classroom of the 21st century is a place for learners.
It is not a place for cowards! 😉
technorati tags:warlick, auntjanet, education, lifelonglearning, fear, technology, literacy
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I sure hope you recorded her stories! I find genealogy research facinating, but actually getting to HEAR first hand accounts… wow.
This is inspiring. I will NOT give up on my parents, then. 🙂
A few tongue-in-cheek observations:
1. Is she looking at the blue screen of death?? Only in Windows.
2. Is that her password on the stickie on her monitor? I thought that only happened in schools!
Of course, I’m kidding.
I enjoy your ruminations.
KP
I really am going to have to stop reading your blog or quit my job. I’m about 6 weeks behind, and today is the best day I’ve had to catch up in awhile. So, as I read, the project list grows…and grows…and grows. Now, I’ve got to schedule a visit to Grandma’s house. I’ve worked with her a little on email, the Internet, etc. I need to get her publishing, though. She is a vast treasure trove of stories of her childhood in East Texas, including playing with Ladybird Johnson. She would eat this up, and it would provide an amazing heirloom for my kids. Thanks a ton, David–now, could you come babysit my kids after work?
David,
I have an 86 year old uncle who is a whiz at the internet. He is always sending me jokes and websites he has come across. He is an inspiration to me.
I am an education doc student who is concerned I am soooo far behind others, is there hope I could ever catch up. You are correct, there is nothing wrong with us oldsters saying to our students or classmates that we do not know how to do this!
Today (3-17-07) on the Saturday Early Show on CBS they announced Oxford American Dictionary was adding a list of new words. One of the words was Wiki! I guess I am not in the minority! Maybe there is hope. I think it is OK to be afraid as long as you are not paralyzed!
The classroom of the 21st century IS a place for learners. Even the fraidy-cats.