VOA教育报道2023--For Some Retirees, It’s Not Time to Stop Learning

For Some Retirees, It’s Not Time to Stop Learning

For those attending classes at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) in Washington, D.C., retirement¹ is not a time to slow down. And it surely is not a time to stop learning.

OLLI, which is on the grounds of American University (AU), offers classes especially for retirees. The institute has more than 90 classes each semester and has about 1,600 members, or students. It costs just $300 per semester or $550 for the spring and autumn semesters.

OLLI offers its members classes in 10 different fields. The courses for this spring include the History of Slavery in America, the Ancient Mediterranean², Color Theory, Play Writing, and The Ups and Downs of Weather. Classes meet once a week for seven to 10 weeks.

"I think the typical OLLI members ... were the kids who were most excited about school," said Tony Long, OLLI's executive director. "They love education. They love learning. And these are people who, for the most part, retired³ at the height of their respective professions."

OLLI at AU is one of 125 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes on college campuses nationwide. The programs started back in 2001 with financial support from businessman Bernard Osher's foundation. And in 2008, the Osher Foundation provided a $200,000 gift to create OLLI at AU.

OLLI at AU is considered to be the most demanding program in the country, Long said.

Much of it has to do with the OLLI membership in Washington, D.C. said Penny Hansen. She has taught a course at OLLI on the Supreme⁴ Court for several years. The nation's capital is known as a city with many knowledgeable⁵ people in law, politics, public policy and media.

"A lot of people retire in Washington and just stay here," Hansen said. "They really like it here because it's a stimulating⁶ environment here."

Unlike some teachers at OLLI, Hansen had no official teaching experience before OLLI. She also does not have a law background. But she spent 30 years at the Environmental Protection Agency, helping⁷ carry out the agency's programs. Hansen said she became very interested in the Supreme Court after retiring, and after taking classes at OLLI for a few years, decided⁸ to teach one.

"I did not know... 80 percent of what I'm teaching now when I started out in OLLI," she said. "What I bring to this is the larger view of being... out in the world and understanding government and how people view and approach government."

She said she prepares for her classes, which are largely about recent Supreme Court cases, by reading many books and reports. This semester, there are seven lawyers taking the class. The class is not designed for people with a strong legal background. But Hansen said it does not bother her that there may be people taking her class who know the subject better than she does.

Kevin Mills is a recently retired business lawyer in Hansen's class. He said he had long been interested in issues of constitutional law, but "I didn't really have the time to focus on it as much as I do now." He added, "I can dig deeper now that I have more time."

Long said that at OLLI, the relationship between student and teacher is more equal than at a traditional school.

The idea is that "everybody who comes into the room has knowledge and experience," he said. "It's going to add to the classroom discussion. Throw that in with no grades or test, and it's a good combination for taking classes."

Sarah DeCarlo was taking the class on the Supreme Court for the second time. "My degree was in speech pathology, so I didn't get a chance to take a lot of these liberal arts courses," she said. At OLLI, she has taken classes on music, movies and history. "When do you get a chance to do that?" she asked.

DeCarlo attended the class with her friend Marysue Flanagan, whom she recently persuaded to join.

Flanagan said she had previously⁹ audited¹⁰ classes at a different university and greatly enjoyed the experience of being with younger college students. Auditing¹¹ means attending a class but not for credit.

But she said to take a class with the experience of someone like Hansen, "and with your contemporaries is just a totally different dynamic."

Words in This Story

semester — n. one of two usually 18-week periods that make up an academic year at a school or college

respective — adj. belonging or relating to each one of the people or things that have been mentioned

foundation — n. an organization that is created and supported with money that people give in order to do something that helps society

stimulating — adj. exciting or interesting

view — n. an opinion or way of thinking about something

approach — n. to begin to deal with or think about

focus — n. a main purpose or interest

grade — n. a number or letter that indicates how a student performed in a class or on a test

speech pathology — n. the study and treatment of speech and language problems

liberal arts — n. areas of study that are intended to give you general knowledge rather than to develop specific skills needed for a profession

contemporary — n. a person who lives at the same time or is about the same age as another person

dynamic — n. the way that two or more people behave with each other because of a particular situation

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

3 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。

6 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

10 audited   

v.审计，查账( audit的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The accounts have to be audited by a firm of external auditors. 这些账目必须由一家外聘审计员的公司来稽查。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• E. g. few if any charities collection publishes audited accounts. 例如很少义款收集有公布经过查核的帐目。 来自互联网

11 auditing   

n.审计，查账，决算

参考例句：

• Auditing standards are the rules governing how an audit is performed.收支检查标准是规则统治一个稽核如何被运行。
• The auditing services market is dominated by a few large accounting firms.审计服务市场被几家大型会计公司独占了。