By E.G. Merkel
The best teachers love their students as much as they love sharing knowledge and skills with them. That’s exactly the type of teachers you find at the JOY Center.
Expert instructors are contracted to teach classes thanks to the donations that keep JOY, or Just Older Youth, in the business of expanding and improving the life experiences of senior adults in the Upper Keys. Here’s an introduction to some of the amazing instructors you can work with at JOY:
Carlene Jarboe teaches line dancing at JOY on Wednesdays from 11 to 11:45 am.
“What I love about teaching line dance at the JOY Center is the fun we have with music and movement,” she said. “I especially love the laughter we have when we make mistakes. Where else can you really enjoy making mistakes? You are never too old to have fun!”
Theresa Hendrix (along with her sister-in-law, Kathy Hendrix) teach Five Crowns at JOY on Wednesdays from 1 to 3:45 pm.
Hendrix said she enjoys “the friendships that have developed among the participants. We truly have the best group of ladies and men. We have become very close, to the point that we are literally there for each other ‘in sickness and in health’ whether they are local or snowbirds.”
John Cooper teaches Spanish at JOY on Wednesdays from 3:45 to 4:45 pm. The class is in progress and closed until this series completes.
Cooper cites the “healthy and vibrant attitude of each of the students. They give it their all and enjoy themselves in the process. They will be able to communicate in basic Spanish at the end of the series of classes.”
Elaine Schulberg and Marge Grossman teach mah jongg at the JOY Center on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
“We provide an unforgettable experience for beginners and experts in the game,” Schulberg and Grossman said. “This captivating tile game allows all to experience strategy and chance colliding.”
Look for more introductions and descriptions of courses running on Tuesdays and Wednesdays soon. People are always welcome to stop by and see the action at the Monroe County Plantation Key Community Center, 53 High Point Road on Plantation Key in Islamorada.Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to stay up to date. Find it at https://www.justolderyouthinc.org.
