Why do people engage in the noble art of teaching?  There are undoubtedly many motivations, but the theme that seems most prevalent, and at the same time most intriguing among educators, is the love of learning. “To teach is to learn twice,” stated Joseph Joubert (an 18th century French essayist), and “Who dares to teach must never cease to learn,” said John Cotton Dana (an American librarian and museum director).

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Minnesota is an organization of lifelong learners whose passion for knowledge and understanding is a driving force in their lives. And, as is the case with so many who are motivated by learning, the desire to teach, to impart that which one is passionate about, seems a natural by-product of the learning process. That is why a number of OLLI members, as well as being lifelong learners, also lead courses in subjects on which they are experts, or in which they have a strong avocational interest.

The University of Minnesota Retirement Association is an organization of individuals steeped in learning as a life force—people with a penchant for truth. You are the quintessential exemplars of the noble art of teaching—professional educators who, like Plutarch, recognize that “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, so much as a fire to be ignited.”  

OLLI is a welcoming vehicle for lifelong learner-teachers to continue to ply their calling. When UMRA members join OLLI, the result is a symbiotic relationship, not only enhancing the organization through the influx of teaching expertise, but also providing professional educators a natural outlet for their ongoing quest of knowledge—and their penchant to disseminate that knowledge.

— Gary P. Hanson, Interim Executive Director, OLLI at the U of M , hanso268.umn.edu or call 612-625-3964