Grandpa Domenico: Back to school at 83. Reading fairy tales to his grandchildren.

After elementary school, he worked a variety of jobs, from driver to laborer. A brief stint in Germany. Now, he's graduating middle school, in a special education class. The reason? His lively and intelligent grandchildren, to whom he read fairy tales, keeping their brains sharp.

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studying as an elderly person

When Domenico heard the school bell ring for the last time, the pens weren't yet ballpoint pens, but there were nibs and inkwells. That was almost eighty years ago. Recently, however, Domenico Di Bartolomeo returned to school, taking advantage of his retirement and free time, at the age of 83, armed with a pen—this time a Bic—and a great, great desire to learn.

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STUDYING AS ELDERLY

Domenico's motivation, however, isn't just a passion for learning; it's much more affectionate: his super grandfather, who lives in Puglia, specifically in Corato, has gotten back to studying to spend quality time with his grandchildren. Sometimes in the evening, before bed, grandparents and grandchildren read stories together, and Domenico, fed up with not being able to read them fairy tales and fables as he would have liked, and especially tired of feeling "inferior" to those smart and energetic digital natives, has decided to spend hours of his afternoons at school, thus obtaining the much-desired middle school diploma, which he never obtained due to the need to work and earn money to support his family.

From Monday to Friday, for an entire year, Domenico Di Bartolomeo sat at his desk at the Corato branch of the Provincial Adult Education Center (CPIA), and, under the guidance of teacher Maria Pansini, studied Italian, math, science, French, and technology. He was then admitted, with great pride, to the summer exams to earn his middle school diploma.

ELDERLY PEOPLE WITH A DESIRE TO STUDY

So, at 83, Grandpa Domenico took a chance and decided he didn't want to spend his afternoons and evenings playing cards at the bar, or, worse, curled up on the couch in front of the television.

And, while he admits to having some age-related physical ailments, he is particularly concerned that the passing of the years does not affect his brain function.

He's always there for his grandchildren, who are so smart he can't keep up with him, but to whom he's very proud to show off his learning progress: he loves Italian, and is improving his verbs and pronunciation, learning so much and gaining access to all the knowledge he couldn't absorb as a child in a state school that specializes in adult education.

studying as an elderly person
Domenico and his class. Screenshot from a Gedi Visual video from La Repubblica Bari.

TO KNOW MORE: Grandpa Ugo, a retiree who tells fairy tales to kindergarten children. He makes them dream with his performances, as if he were at the theater.

STUDYING AS AN ADULT: GRANDFATHER DOMENICO'S STORY

Son of a large family, with many children, Domenico had not been able to continue his studies after elementary school, and with that piece of paper in his pocket he had gone around the world to do hard work or to emigrate: from labourer to truck driver, with a good part of his life in Germany.

Never, however, abandoning the desire for revenge, the passion for study and the firm will to continue his studies which had been abruptly interrupted.

Then he turns to the provincial CPIA of Bari, in the branch in Corato, and begins his journey through books and textbooks again. In a special class.

The class Domenico is placed in, in fact, is a class that perfectly represents the purpose of the adult education center, which is to promote education and literacy for those who, for one reason or another, have been unable to continue their studies: the students, all adults, come from all over the world. His classmates are of every color and nation. The best in the class is Pepe Jean, a university student who fled from the Ivory Coast, and Vincenzo, who came to school with chapped hands from hard work in the fields, the same calloused hands as Tommaso, who comes straight from his factory shift to school. For all, the hope is to improve themselves, find a better job or better living conditions, break down barriers or prejudices. All of Domenico's classmates were admitted, except one: Yaya, whose residence permit had unfortunately expired.

(Featured image from CoratoLive)

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