I had a hunch they would work. They did. I was able to use writing prompts, strategies, and activities I had used with high school students with senior citizens. Needless to say, this was very gratifying. Here's the story.
About a year ago, after enrolling in a Tai Chi class through my local community center and then again at a local gym, I met a number of retired seniors who just happened to be some of the friendliest people I have ever known. Our little community of elders id talkative and delightful. After talking with a number of them, I realized that they certainly had some stories to tell. They had been and some still are all manner of professions. Teachers, nurses, realtors, lawyers, waitresses, architects, and more. It occurred to me then that a writing class where seniors write about their lives to preserve stories for posterity might be something they'd be interested in. So, I set about trying to make that happen. It took about two months to talk to the director of the community center, go through a couple of interviews, submit a CV, and get a background check, before this notion became a reality.
The interview was definitely memorable. Here I was at age 78, with over 40 years of teaching experience, being interviewed by two 30 somethings. The questions were standard, but I couldn't help but think that this is ridiculous. Please forgive my arrogance. They meant well, but the questions were required of all working for Portland Parks and Recreation and some were dramatically inappropriate. Still, even though my students would all be over 60, I had to represent my knowledge of how to work with unmotivated students, and be aware of those who might be abused or otherwise come from difficult circumstances. Nevertheless, I passed all the required OSHA trainings and began my little writing workshop with 5 students.
A few of the original 5 have gone on with me. I recently completed the 2nd session and a series of 4 meetings is scheduled to begin next week. Most surprising has been how most of the seniors have responded. It occurred to me that most of the teaching techniques I used have been developed long after they were young students. For example, I showed one person, who wanted to flesh out her piece a bit more, how to use a mind map like a word collage. She was eager to try and found it quite effective. Another activity I employed was using the Table of Contents from Sandra Cisneros' House on Mango Street. This book of vignettes about childhood in a specific neighborhood serves as a model for writing our own vignettes of childhood memories with intriguing titles.
Oddly enough, while everybody but one person wrote clever titles for specific events, one woman make each title the name of a man she'd previously had a relationship with. One track, for sure, but definitely saving her memories.
So what have I learned? First, people can benefit from having structure to write and opportunities to talk about their lives and experiences. They can improve memory and verbal and social skills in this setting. Finally there is a good deal of validation when others appreciate our stories and recollections. Also, and much to my delight, teaching methods developed after many seniors went to school can be quite effective and are definitely are useful with all ages.
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