Retirees Going Back To School and Loving It!

October 15, 2013

Wait Lists For Many Classes at Linden Ponds for Lifelong Learning Program Courses

Hingham, MA -- Who says you have to be in college to learn about the Criminal Justice System or the Spanish language?  People who live at Linden Ponds are eager to learn and are engaging in another session of Lifelong Learning courses at Linden Ponds.
The Lifelong Learning Program, in its sixth year, offers a variety of courses from science and philosophy to literature, many taught by former professors who live at Linden Ponds.
"This active, increasingly sophisticated adult education program, is taught completely in-house by accomplished volunteers," said Sybil Bruel, Lillian Neville and Barbara Ward, co-chairs of the Lifelong Learning Program Committee.
 
Lifelong Learning hatched in 2007 during a discussion between members of the Linden Ponds Resident Advisory Council, a group of leaders who act as liaisons between staff and those who live in the community. The group saw an opportunity for courses that would be intellectually stimulating and encourage participants to learn new skills.  They looked around and saw what talent they had right there in-house so they decided to start their own program at home, at Linden Ponds.
"This year people lined up at 5:30am to make sure they could get into the class they wanted," said Ward.  "People at our age still love to learn." The program officially launched in the fall of 2008 with a six-member committee and a booklet offering six courses.  Since then the program has gained a loyal student base of about 90 members, who pay $75 a year for up to six courses, three each semester. Courses run for between four and six weeks with weekly lectures of between one and two hours.
"The people here are great to work with and I'm always very impressed with the high standards of our residents and their abilities," says Bruel, who also designs the program's course catalogs.
Sybil Bruel and Barbara Ward talk about Lifelong Learning at Linden Ponds.  http://youtu.be/e1STW5K1F9s

About Linden Ponds: Linden Ponds is one of 16 continuing care retirement communities managed by Erickson Living. Linden Ponds is situated on a scenic 108-acre campus in Hingham, Massachusetts. The vibrant campus opened in October 2004, and is home to 1,200 people who are enjoying life to the fullest.

Back