Nina Friedman of Bearsville took the T’ai Chi Chih course during the first period, and found it to be an interesting variation on standard T’ai Chi. Rather than a continuous flow of movement, she says, it was a series of repeated poses.
Her next class of the day was called Dreams as your Personal Advisor. “I took a course on dream analysis through Bard,” she says, “but it was more analytical, about Freud and all that. This course looks like it will be more of a personal approach to dreams.”
Many of the conversations in the hallway in between classes turn on what courses have been signed up for, and how classes compare to those taken through Bard’s adult education program. The consensus seems to be that while the course offerings at Lifespring are not as extensive as Bard’s, the participants enjoy the fact that Lifespring is not only less expensive but is closer to home.
So close to home
The need for an education program of this kind closer to Saugerties was a big reason for Lifespring’s creation, said Susan Puretz. Other than Bard, residents could make the trip to Ulster Community College in Stone Ridge, but most of its continuing education classes are scheduled in the late-afternoon and early evening, and some people aren’t comfortable driving at night.
The program has grown in scope since it started two years ago. At that time, just a handful of courses were offered. Now, participants choose from a selection of 12, ranging from the history of Saugerties to The Great Gatsby . Retired history teacher Matt Ostoyich’s course, The Living Constitution, is a six-week examination of why the Constitution and the Bill of Rights remain such a vital factor in our country today. Passionate about his subject, he says he plans to make his course an interactive discussion, not a static lecture, and wants the participants to be actively involved. Sounding like the experienced teacher he is, he says “it’s more important to ask questions than to look for answers.”
