Wayne State University in Detroit is hosting the 55th annual Michigan Association for Adult and Continuing Education Conference March 19. Jesse Tucker wrote about the upcoming conference for The South End, the university's online newspaper. Take a look at the diversity expected:

"Anyone can attend this annual conference, but those in attendance consist mostly of individuals that represent vast and diverse educational sectors, such as school districts, intermediate school districts, community colleges, public and private colleges and universities, correctional facilities, literacy organizations along with businesses and industries."

Don't you love it? Adult education encompasses so many different kinds of learning in myriad settings, from basic reading and writing to executive training in corporations around the world, from hobby classes to state-of-the-art continuing ed. for the highest levels of professionals.

How do you participate in adult education?

Today is the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. The organization is celebrating all year long. Find an event in your area and check it out. Scouting provides lifelong opportunities for learning and for mentoring others.

Dr. Linda Teal in Mountain Home, Arkansas started volunteering for BSA when her son, Josh, was a Cub Scout. He's well into his 20's now, and Teal and her husband, Mike, are still involved. In fact, Linda is the lodge adviser for the Order of the Arrow, Scouting's honor society, and she's passionate about it. I wrote about her service for The Baxter Bulletin.

Lifelong learning comes in many forms. What are you learning this month?

In the Debate Room this week at The  New York Times is the question of whether or not the government's Pell grants should be increased in dollar amount, and how much they affect the general cost of higher education.

Experts on the matter weigh in, some for better Pell grants and some blasting the fact that low-income students generally show up at college needing more remediation than others, primarily because they come from inner city secondary schools that don't adequately prepare them for college. This lack of preparation, they say, causes all college tuition to increase because the schools are having to spend resources bringing these students up to par.

This is a huge topic. What do you think? Are you a non-traditional student in school on a Pell grant? Would you be in school without it? Tell us. And after you vote, tell us whether or not you think you were ready for college, no matter what age you are.

I ran across a blog today written by a woman who teaches Shakespeare at a "highly ranked private school." She's been thinking about leaving the academic world for a career as a technical writer. A compliment from a non-trad student-turned-friend has given her pause.

At one point in his message he wrote, "I like that you think more deeply and cause others to do the same. This is a special talent you have. That is why you are the teacher!"

Thinking deeply is an underrated skill. It holds the power to change lives. At 54, I'm still grateful every day for Dr. Howard Hong, my philosophy teacher and personal counselor at St. Olaf College, who taught me to think deeply.

I can't imagine giving up Shakespeare for technical writing, but if you don't follow your heart, you'll die with regrets.

Included in President Obama's education agenda was a move to shut down student loan businesses and give taxpayer money directly to students. As one would expect, those loan companies are not dying quietly. According to an article in The New York Times by Eric Lichtblau:

"Sallie Mae, a publicly traded company that is the nation's biggest student lender with $22 billion in loans originated last year, led the field in spending $8 million on lobbying in 2009, more than double the year before, ..."

The fight was expected:

"We anticipated this," Arne Duncan, the education secretary, said of the lending industry's lobbying efforts. "They've had a sweet deal. They've had this phenomenal deal that taxpayers have subsidized, and that's a hard thing to give up."

Stay tuned. The outcome of this brouhaha promises to be interesting.

My funny find of the week is an article by Jeremy Reed for the The Eastern Progress at Eastern Kentucky University. Reed has some good advice for undergrads, including a suggestion to leave varsity letter jackets at home, and this gem:

"Second, roller backpacks aren't cool. Unless you're a non-traditional student (who for some reason pull it off nicely), you don't need one of these things."

I hadn't ever thought of using a suitcase with wheels as a backpack. I certainly wheeled my share of things working for the airline industry, and I love wheels of all kinds. They're practical. They make life easier. It's good to know that while a roller backpack is taboo for regular students, it's perfectly okay if you're old. And I use "old" with affection.

What kind of backpack are you hauling around?

That's what author Joe Nolan says in a short piece for the Nashville Scene: Eye and Mind: Lectures on Art Works in the Vanderbilt Collection.

"Offered as an opportunity for adult, lifelong learning," Nolan writes, "the $50 price tag comes out to the cost of five films in Green Hills or a month of rather cheap brunches. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning."

After lectures by experts on individual pieces, students have the chance to ask questions and examine the works up close.

I have to agree with Nolan. What a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.

For those of you who have encountered prejudice because of your GED when you've applied for jobs, consider taking this Proof of Achievement along next time. The American Council on Education, the official GED testing website, offers it to help with exactly that prejudice.

We talk a lot here about non-traditional students, but there's another way to go back to school as an adult: as an adjunct professor. Have you thought about it? Phyllis Korkii wrote about adjuncts for The New York Times:

"Adjuncts are in demand both because enrollment is surging and because budget constraints have made it necessary to supplement full-time faculty," Korkii quotes Pamela Menke, associate provost of academic affairs at Miami Dade College.

Working as an adjunct is a great way to boost your income, share your life experience and wisdom, and stay in touch with lovers of lifelong learning.

Are you an adjunct? What do you teach?

When was the last time you had a great evening and learned something at the same time? Something like the tango.

The senior center in my town just started offering Zumba Gold classes. They're dance classes for the 60+ gang, and they include Latin dances like the tango, samba, and cha cha. How fun is that?

The senior center in Farmington Hills, MI has dance classes too, plus all kinds of other great classes: Italian culture, healthy world cooking, Pilates. They even have a spelling bee and a softball team.

Lifelong learning can be a blast. What are you taking up next?