In November 2018, Adam Zainal proudly tweeted about his grandmother receiving her Master’s diploma in early childhood training. She turned into an eighty three-year-antique graduate, and the Internet applauded her success with 15,000 likes plus 27,000 retweets and shares of his put up.
Datin Siti Hendon Abdullah changed into satisfied to have a good time her graduation at Unitar, but she wasn’t about to rest on her laurels. The octogenarian has now put the pedal to the metal to pursue her PhD in early childhood education.
The retired headmistress believes age is not any barrier within the pursuit of knowledge, mainly for someone with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. And so past due final yr, she signed up for her PhD at a private college in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
“Despite being in my 80s, I nevertheless experience gaining knowledge of extra matters, be it reading educational books, magazines, or autobiographies. There is no quit to training,” she says.
Working on her PhD hasn’t been easy, particularly with her failing eyesight. “Reading small print kind is my biggest assignment, so I rely on my trusty magnifying glass to extend the words. Despite those hurdles, I look ahead to classes each week. I nevertheless pressure to the university that is 10 mins from domestic.”
The brilliant-grandmother-of-, who dedicates between one and four hours every day for studies, says studying has been made an easier way to generate. She considers the Internet the best invention given sliced bread.
“I love Google. This search engine is my savior. I love how I can dig up facts with a few clicks of the mouse. Plus, it’s miles user-friendly for human beings of various a long time and walks of existence. There are also digital libraries which permit me to look at from the consolation of home,” she says.
While she may be comfortable trawling through the Internet now, her affair with technology didn’t start at the proper foot. Some senior citizens are intimidated by technology and have fears of navigating on small gadgets or complex menus on digital devices.
Some humans time period this as ‘geriatric technophobia’ wherein the aged are skeptical about the advantages of technology.
“For the longest time, my four youngsters attempted to persuade me to apply clever gadgets. I never troubled approximately those gadgets, thinking I may want to live without them. But matters took a turn once I determined to similarly my research in early adolescence education,” Siti says.
She jokes about her conflict to get acquainted with programs like PowerPoint, Notepad, and Word. “It took weeks to discover ways to perform my computer. My grandkids had to jot down step-by-step commands on paper for me. I can in no way overlook the many incidents once I didn’t save my paintings and needed to re-do the whole thing from scratch,” she recollects.
Now that she’s versed in a generation, she’s satisfied different seniors can also discover ways to use clever gadgets and maneuver through engines like google on the Internet.
“If I managed to learn it in my overdue 70s, I’m certain other seniors can do it too. What’s wanted is confidence and backbone. Don’t hesitate to ask your children or grandchildren to guide you,” says the retiree from Johor.
Age is simply several
It was boredom that led Siti Hendon to further her own schooling. “After retiring in 1991, I saved busy via attending religious training and doing residence chores. But I still had too much free time in my arms. I become beginning to feel bored and had a sense of vacancy,” she confesses.
Fearing fitness troubles like melancholy and dementia ought to creep in, she opted to head for more studies in early adolescent schooling. Her doctorate mainly centered on literacy amongst younger youngsters.
“I’ve been teaching for over 37 years, and I specifically like coaching preschoolers. I accept it as true within human capital. It’s crucial to offer babies and young youngsters the proper foundation to enable them to in addition increase their cognitive thinking,” she says.
Siti Hendon has attended some 50 courses in early training in 25 years. Armed together with her talents and certification, she set up a playschool beside her home in 1996. Her curriculum consists of phonics, Montessori, hands-on getting to know and collaborative play, and English.
Her 4 kids help her by using financing her research, domestically and abroad. “My husband and kids were very supportive of my pursuit of higher schooling. I’m blessed that they’ve stood by my facet throughout my journey,” she says.
To ensure she has the strength for her studies, Siti – who will travel to Britain this month for some other route – takes proper care of her fitness. She has a balanced food plan with masses of vegetables and mild quantities of rice and protein. She makes it a factor to include coconut milk in her food.
“Coconut milk is right for the pores and skin. It has excessive stages of Vitamin C, which enables pores and skin elasticity. I control my sugar and salt consumption to avoid diabetes and excessive blood pressure,” she says, including that she sleeps six to eight hours every night time.
To stay suit, she makes exercise a part of her day-by-day regime and goes for day-by-day walks around the neighbourhood. “Keep the body transferring day by day. I nevertheless do housework to hold my body active. I had been a qigong practitioner for over twenty years. It allows blood flow and is a worried device. I am hoping to try silat and Spain too,” she says.
Blessed with top health, incredible family help, and a fine outlook, it’s no wonder that the voracious reader is capable of sail smoothly via her education journey.
