A Letter of Recommendation from Laclede Groves Independent Living, in St. Louis MO:
ElderAcademy has been an exciting edition to our Lifestyle Enrichment calendar at our Independent Living community. William brought a captivating 4-week class that our residents were enthusiastic every week to attend. Better yet, each class was able to stand on its own, so if a resident missed a class, they were not left behind trying to catch up. I have heard many residents comment amongst themselves how happy they were to be learning again in a classroom-type setting.
The new knowledge they gained from each session has been the topic of many dining room conversations! William is not only a wonderful educator, but the manner in which he presents the material is fun to watch- very charismatic and riveting. I would also like to add that, unfortunately, other “educators” tend to talk down to this older population (“elder-speak”). William talks to our residents and presents his material in the same manner one would to a younger group of learners. Many kudos for that!
I highly recommend William and ElderAcademy to other retirement homes. I look forward to working with William on more and new learning opportunities for our residents.
Excerpts of a Letter of Recommendation from Avalon Assisted Living Community, Madison WI:
Avalon Assisted Living residents truly enjoyed learning and William certainly delivered unique educational seminars and was very knowledeable about each one. He held their attention and was able to engage the residents with song and music, a short play that residents got to partake in, and putty molding to keep their hands and minds busy with creativity.
William … appreciates his audience members and their enthusiasm to learn. He is a great speaker and connects well to others.
I whole heartedly recommend William Layher as an educational presenter to other senior living facilities and centers.
Excerpts of a Letter of Recommendation from the University of Wisconsin - Madison program in Continuing Studies
William is an excellent teacher. He is extremely bright and has wide interests. His illustrated presentations are clear and well-organized. He uses an interdisciplinary approach in his lectures incorporating literature, history, geography, philosophy, art history, history of science, and music. …
His presentations are very creative and engaging. His students can see his passion for teaching as well as his love of his subject matter. …
William also creates a very positive, welcoming climate for learning; he is respectful of his students and works well with adult learners. …
His classes are always lively – he encourages the students to get involved in the topics by designing questions for them to think about and then discuss in groups, or he has them write short essays that he would then read to the class. They enjoy his classes immensely and he has already built up a loyal following in our UW Continuing Studies community. …
William is a wonderful teacher and scholar with an impressive publishing record. I would highly recommend him as a teacher.