April 10, 2024
Fifty and Better (FAB)
Submitted by John Reiter
My name is John, and I am a student in the Fifty and Better program. I have been taking classes in the program for about four years. I like the opportunity to learn about new topics and to meet other members of the community. As a retiree, it’s nice to have that option. The beauty of FAB is you can learn so many different topics without the pressure of having homework or tests. It’s a very casual yet very informative program. I really like the art classes with Eleanor Schrader and Katherin Zoraster. They really run the gamut of art history with samples of the various artists and periods of time, it’s a fantastic job they do of illustrating those histories. I enjoy the politics classes with Herb Gooch. He does a great job of breaking down what’s happening, both in the past and current day. And religious history classes with Jason Hensley are especially good. He really goes into detail about topics I’ve never known much about. Very well presented, he does a great job. Tai Chi is fun and I’ve enjoyed those classes a great deal. The activities have also been fun. I have done a tour of the Santa Paula Museum and attended Kingsmen Shakespeare Festivals, and am looking forward to touring the Camarillo Ranch House. As a retiree, the idea of testing and homework didn’t appeal to me with the other things I want to spend my time doing. So when I heard about the FAB program, it really fit the need I had of wanting to learn more about a variety of topics without homework or tests or worrying about my performance, just strictly learning in a relaxed atmosphere about many topics. When I think of FAB, words or characteristics that come to mind are that it is education, it is catered to different audiences, very relaxed but also energizing, very well suited to the retired community or anyone over 50 who has the time and interest in learning about a variety of topics.