In recent years, migration trends among senior adults throughout the United States have transformed typical Sunshine State residents from young, middle-class families to a stratified population of elders. The new Floridians, pursuing retirement dreams, find solitude and relaxation in the subtropical climate. Often, they perceive Florida as a second home.
Many of these older adults have completed professional careers, have raised families, and are experiencing the joys of grandparenthood. Now they seek a relaxed lifestyle and the opportunity to explore new interests. Although retirees may revere this disassociation with traditional work routines, limited community involvement often results. This detachment can lead to misunderstandings about local governance, particularly public schools.
Last year, Florida public school districts learned an important lesson about the influence of senior citizens. In 1995, the Florida legislature had authorized district school boards to initiate a one-half cent local sales tax, with voter approval, for capital construction projects. Following that legislation, eight Florida school districts proposed referendums to provide revenues to construct critically needed new schools. Of the eight referendums, seven failed. In an analysis of these initiatives, University of South Florida professor Susan A. MacManus (1996) learned that older voters and voters with no ties to the public school system are among those who turn out to vote in school tax elections in Florida.
Connecting Senior Citizens to Schools
Recognizing the importance of senior citizens to the community, and the responsibility that all stakeholders share for the quality of their local schools, the Marion County, Florida, Public School District embarked on a mission to promote senior citizen involvement. Our goal is to improve senior citizens' understanding of public education through participation in meaningful scholastic activities. This involvement, we believe, helps them become ambassadors for students and schools.
The school district launched several efforts to involve senior citizens in schools, including a senior advisory council; "Back to School for Seniors," an annual senior citizens' school visitation event; and "Seniors On Line," computer-assisted instruction for older adults. Another initiative is 100 Grandparents, a program in which senior adult volunteers lead brief read-aloud exercises for K–2 students. In the Marion County Public School District, elementary schools are involved in the program on a monthly schedule.
Senior volunteers from retirement communities participate in 100 Grandparents at elementary schools near their homes. School buses provide transportation. Through a district schedule, all 27 elementary schools and retirement communities participate in 100 Grandparents by the end of the school year.
A typical day in the 100 Grandparents program begins at approximately 9 a.m., when a school bus picks up 15-20 senior volunteers at a church or community center within their retirement complex and transports them to a designated elementary school. On arrival, school representatives greet 100 Grandparents volunteers, and student guides escort them to an orientation meeting. Orientation leaders review the 100 Grandparents program, distribute reading materials, and make room assignments. Following this introduction, students escort the volunteers to their assigned classrooms for the storybook read-aloud activities.
Are You 100 Years Old?
Students focus intently on the volunteer readers. The dramatics of the story presentation are limited only by the imagination of the readers, and the senior citizen volunteers are often quite animated. The children ask questions as they follow the story, and they peer with curiosity at the illustrations. As can be expected, the young scholars pose interesting questions to the "grandparents": Do you have any kids? Are you 100 years old? All is in fun, and many positive interchanges occur.
Many of the 100 Grandparents volunteers, whose own grandchildren often live far away, leave the classroom with tears in their eyes. The children, who often lack grandparent role models, benefit greatly from this experience with an older adult.
After the read-aloud activity, students escort the 100 Grandparents volunteers back to a designated meeting area. Often, schools then conduct a special school visitation, including a brief campus tour, a special presentation, or time for questions and answers. The purpose is to share information that will enable the senior adults to identify more closely with the school and to feel welcome in school activities.
An important part of the activity involves students' writing thank-you notes to the volunteers. These personal tokens can have a dramatic emotional impact on the senior adult. The positive dynamics between individuals of two distinct generations have been incredibly powerful.
New Ambassadors for Schools
Following a recent school read-aloud experience, a 100 Grandparents volunteer said, "Today, there are many single-parent families or fractured families without any grandparents. We are filling a gap with more than reading, which creates great satisfaction for all of us." The 100 Grandparents program has created many ambassadors for the Marion County Public Schools, ambassadors who promote scholastic successes, respond to school critics, and support the critical needs of our district.
