I hold two degrees from the University of Toronto, one in Commerce and Finance, and the other in Law. Curiously enough, I have spent my whole adult life feeling less than educated! That is because neither of those courses offered any arts subjects. I always wondered what Chaucer's Canterbury Tales were all about, or Pope's The Rape of the Lock.. So I vowed that when I retired I would go back and find out.

Ten years ago I registered as an English Major at the University of Toronto. I arranged to take one course per year in weekly evening classes from 6 to 9 p.m. so that I could still work when I wanted to. It turned out to be a total victory and one of the best things I've done in my retirement. Sure there was the stress of essays and examinations but I'm the sort of person who likes to do well, so I did not mind putting in the hours studying.

I was aware from the beginning that my young classmates had a big advantage over me in that they knew how to find material on the internet, while there I was in the Robarts Library late at night doing it the old way. No matter it was worth it.

The first time I entered a classroom after a 45-year hiatus, I took one look at the professor and thought: "This young fellow hadn't even been born the first time I graduated from this university!" One night my class was lined up outside a tutorial room waiting impatiently for the occupants to leave because they were over their time. When they finally filed passed us, the instructor looked at me sheepishly and apologized. He thought I was the professor!

One advantage of being a senior student is that you have no fear of confronting professors. I took a course in Anthropology that I just loved. The professor, however, was a very arrogant young man who was not above embarrassing young kids publicly if they dared come late to his lecture. I got 98 out of 100 on the first term test which was multiple choice. I didn't worry about the two I missed, and just passed it off to carelessness on my part in ticking the wrong box. When I came to study for the final exam, however, I thought I'd better find out where I went wrong. One question touched a topic I knew as well as my various aches and pains, and yet I got it wrong because I chose "none of the above" when he wanted "all of the above". So I e-mailed the professor saying that since I got 98 out of 100, I was not complaining about my grade, but for the sake of future students, a little less ambiguity would be appreciated. Back came the arrogant reply: "That's the whole reason I put my question in the negative". So I e-mailed him again saying: "Goodness you're a stubborn young fellow. Let's try it again. Suppose you framed your question in the positive. Surely the correct answer is 'all of the above'. Would you mind telling me how the correct answer can be the same whether you put your question in the positive or the negative?" No reply.

One of the great joys was being surrounded by all those bright, enthusiastic people who were still of child bearing age! I made many friends and they did not seem to notice the difference in our ages. Of course I was careful not to make the mistake of saying "When I was your age…"

By the way, I graduated June 18, with "High Distinction" and made the Dean's list. Now I'm watching the mails for job offers!