Make learning a lifelong process (Printed Jan. 24, 2008)
Editor's Note: In the printed version of the story below the name
O’Hearn should have read A’Hearn and the name Charlie Coconut should
have read Charlie Kokernak. Frank A’Hearn earned his undergraduate
degree from MIT and his master’s degree from the University of
Nebraska. This version has been updated to reflect the changes.
By Ashley St. Michel
Staff Writer
“The whole emphasis is that you really never stop learning,” Frank A’Hearn a teacher and Saco resident at the York County Senior College seminar series, said. “So education in your 90s is totally possible.”
A’Hearn is referring to the opening seminars Jan. 9 at The Brothers of Notre Dame’s Spiritual Center on Shaker Hill Road in Alfred.
The York County Senior College began in 1999 in Springvale and is dedicated to providing learning opportunities for people 50 years and older. The college offers semester-long courses and a variety of daylong seminars, ranging from gardening tips to genealogy and how to make land trust decisions. Seminars are usually scheduled in two block days, where one seminar topic is discussed in the morning and another is discussed in the afternoon.
“The individual senior student attendees are coming just for the purpose of keeping current,” A’Hearn said. “There is a tendency for the courses to be very current with matters that are going on. And at the same time, so they can be in that atmosphere of being in the classroom again.”
This year, the seminar hosted a morning session titled, “Show Me The Money,” a discussion of financial matters important to seniors. A’Hearn taught 21 attendees during the two-hour seminar. He said class sizes range from 10 to 30 students depending on the subject. The course’s focus was on reading the financial pages of a daily newspaper. A'Hearn said he handed out pages of a few different daily papers so students could get a view of the financial affairs and how to look at economy on a global level.
“I was particularly interested in this subject, since I had helped families on investment planning in the past,” A’Hearn said. “I was interested in whether it is occasionally or not that families read the financial section of newspaper. Really the focus of the whole seminar was how it pays to be informed.”
The class also focused on highlighting local economy financial affairs for Maine, then comparing them with the United States economy. A’Hearn said another area of interest within the “Show Me The Money” seminar included wills and estate planning, power of attorney planning and information.
A’Hearn got involved in the senior seminars after his wife and co-chairman of the board at senior college, Margaret A’Hearn, insisted he teach and take some classes. A’Hearn said another thing that helps him with the seminars is his masters degree in business administration from University of Nebraska.
“She asked me if I would be willing to do it,” he said. “When Margaret has a need I try to respond to it.”
Margaret A'Hearn said the reason she became involved was similar to how her husband got involved.
“I had gone to a couple classes before with Charlie Kokernak, who was already on the board,” She said. Kokernak was a member of the board Margaret A’Hearn knew. “Charlie asked me to sit in on a board meeting and the next thing I knew I was co-chair of the board.”
Margaret A’Hearn said her obligations as co-chairman requires her to attend monthly and bi-monthly board meetings. The board keeps the curriculum committee in check, making sure they have courses available before the semester begins. Since the college has two meeting locations, one in Sanford and one in Saco, She said the board alternates between the two towns in an effort to keep everything equal.
During the afternoon session, students were able to attend the second two-hour seminar titled, “OOPS! We Keep Bumping Into More Things As We Get Older…Not Only Us But Also Our Planet Earth!” The afternoon seminar focused on astronomy, including a scientific look at some extraterrestrial objects that have impacted and changed the globe.
“Not many of us have a background of how the planets are laid out and what’s going on up there,” A’Hearn said. “So I find, with astronomy, that adults are greatly interested in a subject like that. It keeps the brain developing. And it’s important to keep the brain in gear.”
O’Hearn said one reason the college is important is to keep the focus local.
“It’s important to have a focus location in southern Maine,” he said. “It’s important that not all the focus going to Portland.”
But Margaret A’Hearn said some seminars don’t even make it to the first hour.
“We offered a seminar called “End of Life Decisions” last year,” she said. “We ended up canceling it because only six or seven people signed up for it.”
A’Hearn said if a seminar is cancelled, there usually isn’t one that takes its place, because by the time the class is cancelled, there isn’t enough time to host and find a teacher for a different topic.
“We are always looking for teachers,” she said. “They don’t necessarily have to be retired professors to teach one of the seminars. Teaching seniors is a whole different ball game because they are really interested in the topic.”
Margaret A’Hearn said anyone interested in teaching a seminar or enrolling can contact her at 284-4317. She added the next seminar will be sometime in March or April, depending on the weather.
“I think as seniors we need to be stimulated but we don’t need to formal college course with the exams and papers to write,” she said. “I think a lot us who have worked, there’s a lot of knowledge out there that people never gain. I wasn’t interested in astronomy but I was interested in the discussion. The seminars are another way to expose yourself to the information and knowledge.”
By Ashley St. Michel
Staff Writer
“The whole emphasis is that you really never stop learning,” Frank A’Hearn a teacher and Saco resident at the York County Senior College seminar series, said. “So education in your 90s is totally possible.”
A’Hearn is referring to the opening seminars Jan. 9 at The Brothers of Notre Dame’s Spiritual Center on Shaker Hill Road in Alfred.
The York County Senior College began in 1999 in Springvale and is dedicated to providing learning opportunities for people 50 years and older. The college offers semester-long courses and a variety of daylong seminars, ranging from gardening tips to genealogy and how to make land trust decisions. Seminars are usually scheduled in two block days, where one seminar topic is discussed in the morning and another is discussed in the afternoon.
“The individual senior student attendees are coming just for the purpose of keeping current,” A’Hearn said. “There is a tendency for the courses to be very current with matters that are going on. And at the same time, so they can be in that atmosphere of being in the classroom again.”
This year, the seminar hosted a morning session titled, “Show Me The Money,” a discussion of financial matters important to seniors. A’Hearn taught 21 attendees during the two-hour seminar. He said class sizes range from 10 to 30 students depending on the subject. The course’s focus was on reading the financial pages of a daily newspaper. A'Hearn said he handed out pages of a few different daily papers so students could get a view of the financial affairs and how to look at economy on a global level.
“I was particularly interested in this subject, since I had helped families on investment planning in the past,” A’Hearn said. “I was interested in whether it is occasionally or not that families read the financial section of newspaper. Really the focus of the whole seminar was how it pays to be informed.”
The class also focused on highlighting local economy financial affairs for Maine, then comparing them with the United States economy. A’Hearn said another area of interest within the “Show Me The Money” seminar included wills and estate planning, power of attorney planning and information.
A’Hearn got involved in the senior seminars after his wife and co-chairman of the board at senior college, Margaret A’Hearn, insisted he teach and take some classes. A’Hearn said another thing that helps him with the seminars is his masters degree in business administration from University of Nebraska.
“She asked me if I would be willing to do it,” he said. “When Margaret has a need I try to respond to it.”
Margaret A'Hearn said the reason she became involved was similar to how her husband got involved.
“I had gone to a couple classes before with Charlie Kokernak, who was already on the board,” She said. Kokernak was a member of the board Margaret A’Hearn knew. “Charlie asked me to sit in on a board meeting and the next thing I knew I was co-chair of the board.”
Margaret A’Hearn said her obligations as co-chairman requires her to attend monthly and bi-monthly board meetings. The board keeps the curriculum committee in check, making sure they have courses available before the semester begins. Since the college has two meeting locations, one in Sanford and one in Saco, She said the board alternates between the two towns in an effort to keep everything equal.
During the afternoon session, students were able to attend the second two-hour seminar titled, “OOPS! We Keep Bumping Into More Things As We Get Older…Not Only Us But Also Our Planet Earth!” The afternoon seminar focused on astronomy, including a scientific look at some extraterrestrial objects that have impacted and changed the globe.
“Not many of us have a background of how the planets are laid out and what’s going on up there,” A’Hearn said. “So I find, with astronomy, that adults are greatly interested in a subject like that. It keeps the brain developing. And it’s important to keep the brain in gear.”
O’Hearn said one reason the college is important is to keep the focus local.
“It’s important to have a focus location in southern Maine,” he said. “It’s important that not all the focus going to Portland.”
But Margaret A’Hearn said some seminars don’t even make it to the first hour.
“We offered a seminar called “End of Life Decisions” last year,” she said. “We ended up canceling it because only six or seven people signed up for it.”
A’Hearn said if a seminar is cancelled, there usually isn’t one that takes its place, because by the time the class is cancelled, there isn’t enough time to host and find a teacher for a different topic.
“We are always looking for teachers,” she said. “They don’t necessarily have to be retired professors to teach one of the seminars. Teaching seniors is a whole different ball game because they are really interested in the topic.”
Margaret A’Hearn said anyone interested in teaching a seminar or enrolling can contact her at 284-4317. She added the next seminar will be sometime in March or April, depending on the weather.
“I think as seniors we need to be stimulated but we don’t need to formal college course with the exams and papers to write,” she said. “I think a lot us who have worked, there’s a lot of knowledge out there that people never gain. I wasn’t interested in astronomy but I was interested in the discussion. The seminars are another way to expose yourself to the information and knowledge.”
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