Killing It In My Sixties

At my age or thereabouts, people start to evaluate their life and the choices they have made. But even more important – they begin to consider what choices are left in life. “They” is me. I am fully aware that I can’t change what is in the past but, what is to come in my future is up to me and God. God’s got the big stuff – but he tends to keep the final outcome pretty close to his chest. In the meantime- the world is my oyster. (Weird saying..)

I know I can’t stop time, and I can’t do much about what gravity has planned, but I still have the ability to make plans and dream about what may come. Part of aging is deciding what you can let go of, and what doesn’t quite fit anymore.

For example, I am too old to wear crop tops, and too old to stay out all night partying, and am too old have any more children. Definitely too old to go skydiving or in my case – go camping – because I HATE camping. Too old to move to a new place without movers, and much too old to try to please people who have already decided they don’t like me.

But I still want to travel and explore new places, meet new people, taste exotic cuisine, and experience other cultures. When I think of other things I want to do – I DO ask myself if I am too old. I hate that – I don’t want to be limited – especially by myself or my own fears. And I especially don’t want to be judged by others as to whether or not I am too old to chase my dreams.

One thing in particular that I have thought about often in the past two or three years is going back to school. But then I would think – ‘I’m too old, what would I do with a doctorate degree at this point in life?’ And I just paid off my student debts finally after 25 years – I don’t want to start that again! But a research idea kept invading my thoughts – especially having worked in schools for the past several years: Dissertation topic loading…..How has COVID affected our education systems?

COVID irreversibly changed our lives since 2020 – in ways none of us could have imagined or predicted. I would contend that the education of children since the shutdown of schools – has suffered more than any other area of our lives. Studies are already reporting a measurable decline in student learning outcomes – specifically in the areas of Math and Reading. Just as profound is how the social emotional development may have taken a toll on these young lives. It can be observed through their behaviors and abilities in ways that will be reflected in future generations to come.

Being in classrooms and interacting with students has provided a rich opportunity to observe different age groups and to see the changes in student attitudes that can be traced back to pandemic and post-pandemic learning environments. For months, and in some case a year – students were doing school in their bedrooms alone on a Zoom call, no one-on-one learning; some children were using WiFi in a public place because their home was not equipped, and teachers were forced into fast-tracking their technical abilities to teach online from an empty classroom.

I could go on and on.. But instead – I am going to go for it and earn my doctorate in Education Psychology. Am I too old? Who cares! What will I do with it? It doesn’t matter – it’s the ‘doing it’ that fascinates me! I’m old – not brain dead – so wish me luck – I’ll be the gray-haired old lady in the classroom – be gentle with me please.