During my many years of teaching, I have noticed that individuals who are predominantly aged between sixty and eighty years have formed a new social group.

They reject the notion of ageing and prefer to exclude it from their vocabulary as they strive to lead fulfilling lives.

The period between 2019 and 2022 significantly changed how I conducted my classes. The venues equipped with the necessary facilities and ideal for my classes for many years suddenly became unavailable. With the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19, a quick and drastic change was required. The need to embrace the technology and online teaching era came much sooner than expected. Therefore, I had to adapt my class plans and teaching techniques to be able to use the Internet as quickly as possible.

As my part of the process continued, I wondered if my students would be able to adapt to the significant change that was happening. Surprisingly, I discovered that my students were not stuck in the past. They were men and women who had taken advantage of the pandemic restrictions to learn how to use computers and were now proficient at using them to write and see their faraway children. They had even abandoned their old phones and started using email and WhatsApp to contact their friends. I was grateful for their trust in my ability to provide them the service they were accustomed to and their ingenuity to bring new activities to the session, such as how to prepare a “virtual” cup of coffee.

My students were all independent individuals who had worked hard for a long time and managed to change the negative connotation attached to the concept of work in literature. They had found a job they enjoyed and made a living out of it, far away from the monotonous office environment. They were content with their work, and some, including myself, had no plans of retiring anytime soon.

Those who had retired were able to fully enjoy their days without the fear of being idle or lonely. They could grow internally and cherish their free time because they had spent years working, raising children and dealing with various needs, efforts, and events. After all these years of hard work and dedication, it was worth taking the time to appreciate the beauty of the surroundings where they lived or went for a visit.

Before, those who were that age were old; today, they are no longer old. It was proven during an activity where students

presented pictures of their elderly relatives, and the rest of the group had to guess their ages. To everyone's surprise, although the elderly relatives looked much older, they were much younger than expected. After analysing the possible reasons, such as medical advancements and historical events like world wars, the group focused on the older adults’ contemporaries who lived in present times to understand the reason for the difference.

The conclusion drawn was that modern-day students, who are of the same age, are full mentally and physically. They remember their youth without wistfulness because they understand that youth is also full of failures and nostalgia. Nowadays, people in their 60s, 70s, and 80s appreciate every moment of their lives and smile at themselves frequently, just like my students do every week when they meet their classmates. They try to retain the knowledge they acquired in school or discuss their plans.

In my previous writings, I emphasized the significance of maintaining mental agility. Like my students, the "re-born" generation seems to have a unique understanding that youth is an internal state. When I sit in front of my computer and welcome my students at the beginning of term, I always think how lucky we are to be that generation that lived the age of common sense and using your hands and also managed to bridge the gap towards modern technology and who knows AI developments.