Never too old to go back to school

Whether they’ve always wanted to, or it’s a recent realization, older folks can become students again

Some people refer to themselves as lifelong learners, which can be represented in a myriad of ways. For some, learning is more of a lifelong dream that has been put on hold for one reason or another. Returning to school, whether it’s at the university, college or even high school level, to obtain a longdreamed-about profession is arguably a tougher slog to undertake as an adult, but many do it.

And some do it quite successfully.

A DREAM OF NURSING

Ann (Whalen) Macdonald resides in Souris, P.E.I. When she was younger, she always dreamed of becoming a nurse.

It was the thought of helping people that interested her.

She was further inspired when her sister, Mary Whalen, who lived with Macdonald’s mother Mildred in Charlottetown became a nurse.

“This intrigued me even more to pursue my dreams,” she said. “After I graduated from high school in 1961, I went to Charlottetown to see if I could get into the Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) program.”

A nun in Charlottetown, Sister Mary Henry (Sisters of Saint Martha), told Macdonald that, since she had her Grade 12 diploma, she should become a Registered Nurse (RN).

But Macdonald didn’t have the money to do this at that time.

“I went to work for three years and then started dating and married my future husband, Leonard Walter Macdonald,” she recalled.

Ann and Leonard had five children and lived in Chepstow, just east of Souris.

“When our youngest was 13 years old, I still had the desire to be a nurse,” she said. “So, in the spring of 1991, I attended Holland College in Charlottetown to upgrade some courses. I applied to the LNA program that fall.”

Macdonald had no problem doing the necessary upgrading. She had kept her schooling up by helping her children with their homework.

She attended the LNA program in Charlottetown and also had to go to Summerside for a couple of weeks’ experience in the surgery department.

Macdonald said the ages in her class ran from 19 years old to women in their 40s.

At 50 years of age, Macdonald was the oldest in her class when she graduated from the LNA program in 1992. She nursed at the Colville Manor in Souris and then with PEI’S Home Care Program.

During this time Macdonald also did private nursing for four years for a doctor who was a quadriplegic in between her manor schedule, home care schedule and her home life.

She also helped tutor a girl attending the Registered Care Worker course.

“I worked for 13 years as an LNA before retiring and I enjoyed every minute of it,” she said.

PROUD OF MOM

Cindy Outhouse is Macdonald’s daughter.

“To this day, at the age of 81, my mother continues to volunteer and help out others in need,” she said.

Outhouse said her mom is a very active lady and everyone in her hometown of Souris knows this.

“If you don’t see her out and about doing things, you’ll definitely see her at the rink or in a gym watching her grandchildren or any locals playing sports. This year she missed out on curling herself for the first time in a few years due to illness, but she is one tough woman.”

Macdonald is a cancer survivor, having battled, fought and beat lymphoma twice.

“We didn’t think she was going to survive the second round as she was pretty low, but she bounced back to her energetic, hard working, happy self and we, her family, are so proud to call her our mom,” said Outhouse.

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DEGREE

Claudia Turner from Halifax undertook studying for a bachelor of business administration degree at the age of 31.

She had been working as an administrative assistant in a post-secondary institution and was interested in a different career path, but discovered many jobs required a post-secondary degree, which she didn’t have.

Her education background consisted of diplomas in office administration and information technology.

“Working in post-secondary myself, I was inspired by other adult learners around me and decided to enroll in a degree program online,” she says.

In June, Turner accomplished her goal and graduated with her degree from Memorial University, completed via distance education.

A FEW BUMPS IN THE ROAD

Turner had started and intended to get the degree when she was younger, but had her first child in 2012. She took a year of maternity leave and decided to take a break from school as well.

“Starting and then stopping proved difficult as, when I returned to work, I was also returning to school as well,” she said. “I found it challenging, so I decided to take it slow, really slow, and only took one course per semester.”

This was followed by a new job. “An opportunity came for me to get a new job in the field of information technology and this job was everything I was hoping for,” she said. “Still working in post-secondary education, but a job that had a lot of opportunities for learning and interesting challenges.”

Turner had her second child in 2017. After this pregnancy, she approached her university studies differently.

“This time, I decided to not take a break in school, but instead started doubling up in my courses because 40 courses, one semester at a time was taking a long time,” she said. “I started taking two courses per semester and felt like I was finally making progress.”

Things were going well. Then, in 2020, the pandemic hit. Like many others, Turner was affected by the pandemic in her own way.

“Even though my learning was already online, my learning situation changed,” she said. “I found myself working from home, my daughter was home due to daycare being closed and my son (at that time in Grade 2) was doing online schooling. Everything was out of sorts and I found a huge shift in my ability to process this situation which I had no control over.

“I think most of us likely felt this way during the beginning of the pandemic.”

SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY

These last few years with the pandemic have certainly had their challenges, but Turner was grateful to finally be finished and even more grateful that Memorial University has started having in-person convocations again.

She and her husband planned to fly to St. John’s to attend her convocation and celebrate her accomplishment by proudly walking across the stage to accept her degree in person.

She acknowledged the support she has had along the way from her husband, her family and friends. In fact, one friend’s husband tutored her in calculus when she needed the help. Her coworkers and supervisors were also supportive when she needed to take time off to study and or write exams.

Her children also played a part. “My children have been supportive and my son, currently in Grade 4, has enjoyed doing homework with me.”

Turner is currently employed with the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) as a functional analyst in the Digital Innovation and Technology Department.

THE COACH

Christopher Mercer of St. John’s took on university courses at Memorial University when he was 38 years old.

Mercer said that in his career field as a full-time professional coach at the time, it was necessary to participate in ongoing professional development opportunities.

“Some are offered through the national coaching associations, but I opted to expand those opportunities by taking advantage of my previous status as a student at Memorial as well as the proximity to my employment and pursed some courses through the Human Kinetics and Recreation program,” he said.

He specifically considered courses related to his role as a coach with the team as well as administrative skills that support running such an organization.

“After taking 10 courses with the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation (HKR), due to university regulations, I had to enroll as a student in their program if I wished to continue,” he said.

Mercer enrolled in the program in 2019 and is currently working towards completing his Bachelor of Recreation degree. He has a couple of courses left and anticipates graduating in 2023.

OVERCOMING THE AGE GAP

One of the major changes that Mercer experienced returning to university as an older student was the social dynamic within the classroom.”

“Given that most university students are in their late teens and early 20’s, there is a notable difference between their life experiences and mine,” he said. “To me, this makes group work tasks and coordination take on a different context.

“Who wants to be stuck working with the old guy in the class? But, thankfully. most students see it for what it is, an assignment to be completed and the age gap doesn't get in the way.”*