“We know as much about ourselves as we have been tested” – these words by Wisława Szymborska serve as a kind of motto for the women who initiated the establishment of the University of the Third Age in Bolesławiec, which is part of the Oskar Lange Academy of Economics in Wrocław. Students learn, among other things, English, German and computer science here. However, the university authorities have not forgotten the timeless principle that a healthy mind lives in a healthy body. The university also takes care of its students’ fitness. Classes in dance and therapeutic gymnastics began as early as November, as did... Nordic walking.
It might seem that the university’s students would be reluctant to take part in gymnastics exercises. Nothing could be further from the truth! “The largest group of people signed up for dance gymnastics,” Wiesława Olczyk, the person running the University of the Third Age and one of its founders, says, ultimately dispelling these doubts. The aforementioned Nordic walking is another – equally interesting – form of exercise. By walking along the paths in the small woodland near Piastów Street, students have the opportunity to discover and admire Bolesławiec’s natural surroundings.
University life
In the case of the University of the Third Age students, the choice of classes is often dictated by life itself. One of their goals is, for example, to master the skills needed to use the Internet so that they can communicate more easily with grandchildren living abroad. This is also why students sign up for English or German.
The first positive assessments have already appeared. “The students tell me that they can see their first small improvements,” Wiesława Olczyk says. – “In my view, however, the most important thing is that they want to come here, that they are motivated to fill their free time while also achieving a certain level of knowledge in their chosen fields.”
Another advantage of the University of the Third Age is its atmosphere. Relaxed and friendly. Students learn for themselves and monitor their own progress. “We adapt to our students’ family situations. Life must go on, and these classes are meant to provide a breather, an escape from everyday life,” Olczyk points out.
Staff
At the University of the Third Age in Bolesławiec, classes are taught by teachers from Municipal School Complex No. 2, the School Complex of Electronics, the State Music School and a rehabilitation specialist. “They are highly qualified specialists,” Wiesława Olczyk assures. – “The students have already accepted the lecturers. I am very pleased about that.”
That classes should also be relaxing for the University of the Third Age students is confirmed by IT teacher Mirosław Stuczyński, who teaches at Samorządowe Gimnazjum No. 1 on a daily basis. Stuczyński would like to teach his students, among other things, how to use bank accounts and instant messengers, as well as encourage them to post on Internet forums. “I hope that my classes will lead to the students using a computer as a modern device,” the teacher adds.
(GA report)