Anyone Up for Coining New Words
This writer understands the premise that writers write, even when it is hard. But what does a writer do when the right words have not yet been associated with new phenomena? Today’s 300 words are a “Dear Ann Landers”-type request for answers from you, my brilliant and creative colleagues.
First: retire and the iterations retirement, retirees. We need a new word. Many have tried but, really, people. Rehirement. Reinvention. Encore phase. Second act. Third life. My contributions are equally lame. So, what DOES one call this new group of 55-105 year olds who have left (resigned, been kicked out of, fallen away from, voluntarily closed the door on or ran screaming from) the 100-year-old institution called the “regular job”?
Second: non-traditional student. Adult learners, defined as individuals older than 24 (yes there are semantic problems here, too), now fill between 42-85% of student slots in post-secondary education, depending how institutions you include. The non-traditional learner has become the norm…which means by definition, not so non-traditional any more. “Adult learner” won’t last if only because “traditional-age” college students are also, legally, adults in many ways. Again, creativity fails me. The best I have done in this regard is “big kids on campus”…at least it brings a chuckle from the audience. I promise to (a) share widely and (b) attribute to you any suggestions that may play well with my audience.
Who knows, you could be the brilliant writer whose term becomes THE term to describe the retiree and/or the adult learner. Ideas and humor are equally welcomed at laura@backtoschoolforgrownups.
Darla Wear Said,
August 10, 2010 @ 10:42 pm
Instead of retiree….Do what they do with skin care…call it age defying as in age defiant learners. LOL How about Renewed? Renewed Learners? Instead of Golden Girls, how about Golden students? How about Cocoon-er’s (after the 1985 movie)? Seasoned Betteron’s? As in you’re not getting older, you’re getting better? Grudents? Which would be short for Grown students or would that be grodents? Ooh, that one’s bad. Life learners? Lifers? LOL Vintage-learners? Classic Students? Anyone over 50 could be an Antique learner but that just wouldn’t be right. Returning students? Instead of Eternals, how about Returnals? That’s all my brainstorming has come up with!