Even though I’m a fairly good writer and speaker, the lack of an undergraduate degree has been detrimental to my career. I fully believe that possessing a BA would provide many more revenue generating avenues for me. With this thought in mind, I recently made a decision to return to college as a full-time student.

Last Monday morning at 8:a.m., I drove to one of Chicago’s local colleges. After parking my car, I began walking, with attaché case in-hand, towards the main building. Along the way, I was struck by the fact that I was not only the oldest person in the immediate area, but the only one carrying a briefcase. Everywhere I looked, hordes of 19-20 year olds were trudging off to class. Each of the students had a backpack slung over their shoulder. I made a mental note to purchase this type of carrier as soon as possible.

Upon entering Room 153, where I was to attend a Speech 100 lecture, I observed that each of the students immediately sat upright in their chairs and smiled at me. Apparently they thought that I was the teacher.

Within a moment, I had settled into a chair, but not one that faced the students. Instantly I began hearing expressions of surprise such as, “Wow! Can you believe it! He’s a student!” and, “He looks older than my father!” Thankfully, my 45-year-old ears didn’t hear the word grandfather.

It was then that the actual teacher strode into the room. He bellowed, “Hi, everyone.” Then he turned to me. In a rather halting manner, he said, “Oh…ah, good morning.”

If he had said, “Good morning, sir,” I would have bolted from the room and returned home. Upon arrival, I would have reached for a shawl, a cup of tea, and a handful of Glenn Miller recordings.

After listening to a very interesting two-hour lecture, it was announced that we were dismissed for the day. It was then that I wondered if my 33-year-old teacher and much younger classmates would collectively offer to help me rise from my chair? Sitting in a cramped seat for that period of time had caused my ancient legs to stiffen and feel that they were on their last…well, legs. Apparently, however, “Caring for the Elderly 100” isn’t a course that is offered by this particular institution. Not one single person offered to help me stand up.

Within an hour, I was limping into another classroom. As I took my seat, I distinctly heard one of the jocks mutter, “Hey, Biff, what do you think he’s doing in here?” I didn’t bother to listen for the answer to his pointed question.

At last, the teacher walked into the room. To my surprise and great delight, I noted that she was quite a bit older than me. All of a sudden, I felt youthful and very rejuvenated. My legs were no longer sore and all finally seemed to be well with the world.

Following a recitation of her credentials, the professor announced that we would be required to write a research paper regarding the book, “Frankenstein,” penned by Mary Shelley. One of the students raised his hand and stated, “Kenneth Branagh was in the movie version, right?”

Once again, I felt like a very old grandfather as I recalled, many decades ago, having watched Boris Karloff star in the original film.

The next morning, I entered a classroom where a lecture series regarding Earth Sciences 100 was to be presented. Of course, I was surrounded by young ladies and men who were obviously quite amused and shocked to find an old codger joining them. I didn’t even bother trying to decode the whispered expressions of surprise.

“Good morning, all,” chirped our barely 32-year-old instructor. He took one look at me and said, “Oh, hi.”

I was pleased that he didn’t feel the need to speak more loudly in hopes that his rather aged student would hear him more clearly. At this point in my life, I haven’t felt the need to shop for a hearing aid.

At some point during the next two hours, the teacher stated, “Now we are going to talk about fossil fuels. Some of them are coal, oil, gas, etc. and are used for heating purposes. Today, most homes and buildings are heated with natural gas. Years ago, people used oil to generate heat. Decades ago, people used coal for this purpose. Does anyone know what was used prior to that?” He instantly turned towards me.

“Wood, sir, they used wood.”

“Very good, Mr. Dobson.”

I waited for the follow-up question. My answer would have been, “Flint and rock, sir, flint and rock were used to produce fire.” Thankfully, the teacher didn’t pursue the matter.

The instructor then said, “Life forms eventually turn into fossil fuels. In fact, our early ancestors are some of today’s fossil fuels.”

The very disturbing thought that I was much closer, than anyone else in the class, to becoming a fossil fuel, bore into my mind and heart.

After the class had been dismissed, I decided to open communication with my teacher. In an effort to be light-hearted about my age, I said, “You know, I feel so darned old in this class. In fact, I am much older than any of the students in my classes. I’m even older than most of my teachers, but I’m really enjoying myself. It is great to be back in school.” I desperately tried to convince myself that this was true.

The teacher responded, “Well, Mr. Dobson. I don’t think of you as being an old student. You are a non-traditional student. There! That sounds much better, doesn’t it!”

“Yes, I guess it does,” I replied. I believed, however, that he was definitely thinking, “Gosh you are old.”

Throughout the remainder of the week, I attended classes and, to my surprise, found that I thoroughly enjoyed them. I even began to bond with some of the students. A number of them also seemed to find my company appealing. It is true that they are much younger and less road-traveled than I am, but they’ve turned out to be very interesting, polite, and witty. That is a wonderful combination of human qualities.

In time, I will complete my studies and emerge with a degree. I don’t know if I’ll end up making a great deal more money after I’ve graduated, but the memories I’ll have gained, during my years of schooling, will be worth their weight in gold. It will certainly have been, at my age, a rather non-traditional way of learning new life experiences.

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You can find more articles in the archive under Reflections on a Dream