GATES MILLS, Ohio — Ask your average person to name all the U.S. Presidents. Most of us will say something akin to, "Okay, Washington was first, then Lincoln was in the middle somewhere…" A few Roosevelts and an Obama later, chances are, you’ve missed quite a few.
But if you listen to Margaret Gornik, it’s easy to name all 43 of them, in order. I had the chance to visit her unusual classroom, at the Gates Mills Library, made up of students from an assisted living facility in Mayfield Heights. A veteran teacher of over fifty years, Margaret says, she was ready to give back to her fellow residents after a serious health scare.
"I almost died four years ago...and my body completely came back," she recounted. "And I want to go back and pick up where I left off trying to teach."
Margaret realized the learning techniques she had developed to help teach young readers decades ago, could be used to help her fellow residents, at this stage of their lives. Using pictorial associations, her methods harness mental connections to information, not just route memorization.
Many of the students are overcoming their own health challenges and say Margaret's classes have helped them improve. Like Carol Lawrence, who has battled a series of strokes.
"Because of the strokes... I wasn't, as Margaret said, linking things. I was always go to the most common denominator. So if I look at the picture and I see the link, I can get to the next president. Before, I would just be like deer in a headlights."
Fellow student Gregory Zelinksky, suffered severe injuries from an accident in his youth, but is now seeing improvements after engaging in the classes.
"It is something different. It reassures and helps me feel confident," he said. "When you have to think about something, it builds your brain."
For Margaret, it’s also about meeting the needs of each student.
"I come with a heart that doesn't want to leave anybody behind," she said. "Most the people that I've talked to, they go, I can't learn anymore. And they just don't even want to try. And so I founded that this group that I started, 40 people have come through [my class]."
And so, we salute all the Margaret’s of the world. People and teachers who strive to help us be our best selves, no matter how old we are.
If you're interested in learning more about Margaret, her teaching methods, and upcoming classes, you can email her at mgornik489@gmail.com.