Howard Levinger currently volunteers at the JASA Penn South NORC in Chelsea, Manhattan. Since last October, he has been teaching computer classes to adults in their 70’s and 80’s. Howard, who worked in sales and recently started his own business as a computer consultant, just finished a class which lasted 10 weeks. This month he will begin two classes, one for beginners and the other for more advanced students.
Howard has a love of computers and has discovered he has a talent for fixing them, understanding their uses, and making them more accessible to people. At his sales job, he became the “go-to guy” if anyone in the office had a computer question. Now, he answers questions and explains the world of computer usage to a population used to using pens, pencils, and address books. “I understand people who grew up with typewriters,” said Howard. This is in contrast with the younger people today who have no reservations going on a computer or cell phone who, Howard says, “know how to use it without ever seeing it before.” Often , Howard says, seniors have been intimidated by these “newfangled” machines they don’t know much about. “It’s like learning a new language to them.”
Howard is a patient person who takes his time explaining the concepts, however basic, in hopes of getting students to feel more comfortable using a computer or new program. The reward comes when his students come in and tell him they have mastered a new skill or method. His goal is to point them in the right direction and give easy-to-follow suggestions. After learning how to attach pictures, Howard’s students can now send and receive pictures of family members. In a way, he’s helping to bring families closer together.
Howard relayed a story where he was telling a student in her 70’s that one can find just about anything on a computer. The student had written a poem in high school, some 60 years ago, and wanted to find it. Together, they used search engines and found an obscure publication that had her poem in it! Howard seemed more amazed in finding this poem than the student, and cites this as an example of why he enjoys helping his students make discoveries and enrich their lives through the tools of the information age.
Thank you Howard!
A special thank you to Richard Kagan, contributor of this article.
To contact JASA Volunteer Services, please call us at 212-273-5222 or email us at volunteer@jasa.org.
