You’re never too old to learn …

Group of elderly students

Last year, Moraine Park Technical College served almost 7500 students in Community Education. Of those, 36.65% were age 62 or older. We help older adults learn new skills by providing classes in subject matters from yoga to computer basics.

Nancy, a student, from our crafts classes has this great advice about Community Education:

“For anyone who would like to challenge themselves and try something that they could only imagine doing, the adult enrichment classes are wonderful! Bring a friend or two because it’s fun and educational.”

A lot of hard work goes into determining the right class to offer our older adults. Community Education staff collaborate with other departments at the college and use data and best practices from top institutions in the country when preparing our course offerings. We go into classrooms and ask our students what kind of classes they are interested in for the future. We look at the resources available to us through the college for ideas that might interest our older adult lifelong learners.

Lifelong learning benefits your mind and body.  Henry Ford (American industrialist, founder of the Ford Motor Company) said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” “Ford was interested in every aspect of life around him.  He explored innovative forms of education which, in time, lead to the founding of the Edison Institute, known today as The Henry Ford.” The satisfaction that comes with lifelong learning never ends. The more you know the more interesting you become. Lifelong learning can help to improve your self-esteem and give you a greater understanding of yourself and those around you.

No matter your age, you can learn new hobbies and broaden your horizons. Becoming older and wiser go hand and hand.

Here’s a look at the Top 5 MPTC Community Education Classes

  1. Computer Basics for Beginners
  2. Quilt Projects for Profit
  3. Beginning Spanish
  4. Basic Microsoft Excel and Word
  5. Introduction to Sign Language

We recently unveiled our Community Education Course Schedule that highlights these and other offerings for Fall 2016.  A copy was mailed to every resident in the Moraine Park District. Click here to see all the options! We hope you will enjoy the offerings and share them with your family and friends.  As you do that, we are already planning for next semester’s course offerings and thinking about opportunities and trends that may interest our residents in the next 3 to 5 years.

Written by Samantha Story