Every year during graduation ceremonies around the country, colleges and universities celebrate older graduates who came back to school to complete their degrees after decades away. The human interest story almost writes itself as we read about the challenging, interesting, and far flung lives of these individuals that took them away from campus and eventually brought them back.
In large part, these stories grab our attention because we still have a very narrow image of a "student" in our minds. We may have moved beyond terms like "traditional" (18-24) and "non-traditional" (25+) but we still think of college students as younger adults. Thus, seeing someone in their 70s or 80s completing a degree stands out for us. Now, don't get me wrong, we should absolutely be celebrating these individuals' accomplishments. However, I think we are missing the bigger lesson they can teach us. Education stops when we decide it stops.
Learning is not confined to the formal classrooms we occupy for a fraction of our lives. We can all agree on this, generally speaking. However, we often forget just how many opportunities for learning exist all around us each and every day. We talk about the Ph.D. as being the "terminal" degree, as though those three letters signify mastery of all there is to know in a particular area. In reality, the Ph.D. (or any other degree) should be just the beginning. It indicates that we've figured some things out, but more importantly, we've figured out HOW to figure some things out. Ideally, any degree should equip us with the tools for lifelong learning and the motivation to pursue that education. Once we leave the formal classroom and the guidance of professional educators, we need to find our own teachers. We need to continue to seek out our own education. We need to continue to look for and make connections in the world around us.
There is an ancient Chinese proverb which translates to "learning is eternal". I happen to have this particular proverb tattooed onto me, but you need to go this far yourself to remember it. The idea is simple and yet powerful. We continue to learn throughout our lives. Knowledge is infinite. Education doesn't stop until we decide it stops. What will you learn today?