No expiration date on learning
SANDTON – Elderly members of the University of the Third Age (U3A), who had a poetry lesson in Morningside, are determined to continue learning, regardless of their age.
The University of the Third Age (U3A) promotes education and knowledge, like any other university around the world.
However, its students are not fresh-faced youngsters straight out of school, but rather a group of elderly residents who believe that the pursuit of knowledge is timeless.
U3A Johannesburg has 800 members who have a range of qualifications from psychology to teaching and the university was established in the area 15 years ago. The members cover a variety of subjects during their lessons such as the arts, geography and history.
At a townhouse complex in Morningside, English teacher Heather Kluyts explored a famous, inspirational poem with a group of 20 U3A attendees.
Kluyts said this was the second poetry lesson that she had held with the group. “After the last lesson, I left with a song in my heart. There is nothing like the power of words… It brings me to tears.”
To her mind, her experience with the group of students is not an ordinary lesson but rather a sharing experience where the U3A members are invited to use their ‘poetic licence’.
Kluyts selected the poem Ulysees by well-known poet Alfred Tennyson. “This poem has so much more to give us… [there is so much] more to living and life… What a gift and journey our lives can be.”
This particular poetry lesson invited an informative history discussion on the ancient Greek figure, Hercules, the Trojan War and historic methods of sea travel.
Students volunteered to read the poem and their passionate, animated interpretation of the words enthused the students and invited creative interpretations of the words.
Kluyts used the powerful words of the poem, ‘To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield’, to stress that the process of aging is inescapable but all people still have the power to determine how they will live their life.
“Look through the telescope of your life and you will see that there is still more,” she said.
One of the students, Maureen Spiro said, “Every single word in this poem [about aging and life] rings true with me because we are all here to learn and have learnt so much from you.”
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