Bridging the generation gap
YOUNGER STUDENTS THINK THEY ARE SO GOOD WITH CHANGE, BUT WHEN THEY LISTEN TO OLDER PEOPLE AND HEAR ABOUT THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCES AND WHAT THEY DID, THEY CAN’T IMAGINE DOING IT THEMSELVES.
Each Wednesday, Katie Taub leads a small group of Grade 7 to 12 Havergal students to The Briton House Retirement Centre. The one- hour visits make a big difference for the students and the residents.
This is the second year that Katie, in grade 10, has taken part in the program. Now she is the co-leader. For her it’s a chance to appreciate her grandparents and others of that generation. “I love spending time with the seniors. We join in sing- alongs, play games, or sometimes they’re happy to just sit in the courtyard and talk. They often like to share stories and their perspectives on life. And I’ve gained a better understanding of seniors’ situations and how it affects their lives.”
She also appreciates their advice. “They have told me to follow my passions and take advantage of opportunities. One told me to travel a lot. It was all good advice.”
There’s fulfillment and gratitude in having that time with another generation, says Garth Nichols, vice- principal of student development and experiential learning at Havergal College. “It’s important for students to have engagements with older generations that are as meaningful of possible. It helps them broaden their world view.”
Visiting seniors; connecting with guest speakers at an event; being mentored by an alumnus: contact with the older generation is a significant experience for two reasons, Nichols says. “One is perspective. The other is compassion.”
Often perspective gets lost in the day- to- day hustle and bustle, he adds. “It makes so much of a difference for students to hear first-hand stories from veterans who fought in wars, or people connected to the Holocaust. By listening to their stories and visiting their worlds, they gain a deeper appreciation of humanity as well as uncover misconceptions on both sides of the table.”
The curriculum can only change so fast at school, Nichols notes. “Accessing people who are living in a moment of change and have a broad spectrum of experience is really important in helping students figure out what they don’t know.”
The same benefits hold true for family members. Vanessa Vanclief, a humanities and social sciences teacher at The Bishop Strachan School middle school, says communicating with older family members can be an eye-opening experience for many students. “They may think they’ve heard grandma’s stories many times before, but when they actually listen they discover a more human side.”
Students are often surprised to discover that older relatives were trailblazers in their profession, or overcame incredible adversity in the past, she adds. “When they have those conversations, they see older people in a very different light and develop a greater appreciation for that generation.”
Among many outreach programs in the local community, students pay monthly visits to a nearby retirement residence and long-term care facility. “It’s really interesting to see how the years wash away between the two generations when they communicate with each other,” Vanclief says. “A 95- year- old woman from Saskatchewan talking to a young teenager from China might discover they like the same books or played the same sports. It breaks down barriers and stereotypes on both sides.”
Those serendipitous moments can be as much of a lesson as their differences, she adds. “They often discover commonalities around courage, family values, and adaptability.”
The learning is reciprocal at times. During one visit, the students talked to seniors about their school experiences in the past. “They were struck by what individuals would do for fun without technology,” Vanclief says. Later they invited the seniors to tour their own school to see what education looks like today.
These connections are becoming essential in a world where many students don’t necessarily live near their extended families, Vanclief notes. “They simply don’t have the same intergenerational connections in their day- to- day lives. By connecting with older people, they start to value their expertise and experience.”
As for adaptability to change, the older generation can teach youth a thing or two, Vanclief says. “Younger students think they are so good with change, but when they listen to older people and hear about their life experiences and what they did, they can’t imagine doing it themselves. They often learn things in unexpected ways.”