Volunteer reading coach Mary Blair offers second-grader Kayla Cohen a book to try at Sea Breeze Elementary School in Bradenton in May. Utilizing older volunteers as mentors helps schools to serve all students, especially amid budget cuts. Herald-Tribune Archive
Regarding David McGrath's guest column "What is another word for retired?":
The reason it's so hard to come up with a new name for senior citizens or retirees is that one word just doesn't fit such a wide category. The AARP calls people senior citizens at age 50. People age 50 don't want to be called that. We need new categories:
Age 50 to 60, you are a Junior. You have knowledge and are still very active.
Age 60 to 70, you are a Senior. You have more knowledge but are less active.
At age 70, you become a Sage. You have a lot of knowledge, wisdom, and world experience that needs be passed on.
America's greatest treasure can be found in the minds of the Sages. But young people don't search for it, because we are portrayed as senile, shuffling around. I learned more from the Sages in my life than I ever learned in a classroom.
We need to make reaching this stage of life important and positive. Award a certificate and a special symbol -- designed as a ring, pin, bracelet or necklace. This symbol should be an open invitation for any young person to ask questions and gather information about Sages' life experiences.
Our young people are crawling into a shell and spending their time alone chatting on the Internet. They are losing a chance to develop their personalities and learn how to really communicate. It will be hard when they enter the working world.
A lot of brilliant people could expand on this idea and start a whole new way to look at life. [rc]
Larry J. Tracy
Sarasota
Copyright © 2009 HeraldTribune.com
August 9, 2009
USA: Sage wisdom surrounds us
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SARASOTA, Florida / Herald-Tribune / Letters / Opinion / August 9, 2009
Volunteer reading coach Mary Blair offers second-grader Kayla Cohen a book to try at Sea Breeze Elementary School in Bradenton in May. Utilizing older volunteers as mentors helps schools to serve all students, especially amid budget cuts. Herald-Tribune Archive
Regarding David McGrath's guest column "What is another word for retired?":
The reason it's so hard to come up with a new name for senior citizens or retirees is that one word just doesn't fit such a wide category. The AARP calls people senior citizens at age 50. People age 50 don't want to be called that. We need new categories:
Age 50 to 60, you are a Junior. You have knowledge and are still very active.
Age 60 to 70, you are a Senior. You have more knowledge but are less active.
At age 70, you become a Sage. You have a lot of knowledge, wisdom, and world experience that needs be passed on.
America's greatest treasure can be found in the minds of the Sages. But young people don't search for it, because we are portrayed as senile, shuffling around. I learned more from the Sages in my life than I ever learned in a classroom.
We need to make reaching this stage of life important and positive. Award a certificate and a special symbol -- designed as a ring, pin, bracelet or necklace. This symbol should be an open invitation for any young person to ask questions and gather information about Sages' life experiences.
Our young people are crawling into a shell and spending their time alone chatting on the Internet. They are losing a chance to develop their personalities and learn how to really communicate. It will be hard when they enter the working world.
A lot of brilliant people could expand on this idea and start a whole new way to look at life. [rc]
Larry J. Tracy
Sarasota
Copyright © 2009 HeraldTribune.com
Volunteer reading coach Mary Blair offers second-grader Kayla Cohen a book to try at Sea Breeze Elementary School in Bradenton in May. Utilizing older volunteers as mentors helps schools to serve all students, especially amid budget cuts. Herald-Tribune Archive
Regarding David McGrath's guest column "What is another word for retired?":
The reason it's so hard to come up with a new name for senior citizens or retirees is that one word just doesn't fit such a wide category. The AARP calls people senior citizens at age 50. People age 50 don't want to be called that. We need new categories:
Age 50 to 60, you are a Junior. You have knowledge and are still very active.
Age 60 to 70, you are a Senior. You have more knowledge but are less active.
At age 70, you become a Sage. You have a lot of knowledge, wisdom, and world experience that needs be passed on.
America's greatest treasure can be found in the minds of the Sages. But young people don't search for it, because we are portrayed as senile, shuffling around. I learned more from the Sages in my life than I ever learned in a classroom.
We need to make reaching this stage of life important and positive. Award a certificate and a special symbol -- designed as a ring, pin, bracelet or necklace. This symbol should be an open invitation for any young person to ask questions and gather information about Sages' life experiences.
Our young people are crawling into a shell and spending their time alone chatting on the Internet. They are losing a chance to develop their personalities and learn how to really communicate. It will be hard when they enter the working world.
A lot of brilliant people could expand on this idea and start a whole new way to look at life. [rc]
Larry J. Tracy
Sarasota
Copyright © 2009 HeraldTribune.com
