When talking about the programming that New London Adult and Continuing Education is offering this fall, the word that director Denise Spellman keeps coming back to is "options."

"We have some face-to-face options. We have distance learning options, so we even have an option for Saturday distance learning," Spellman said, referring to the state-mandated courses, such as GED, High School Credit Diploma Program, English for Speakers of Other Languages, and Citizenship Preparation.

For the ESOL program, for example, a survey showed that participants preferred distancing learning, she said. She added that there's a hybrid model in place until Oct. 30, and then they'll reassess.

Maureen Murphy, a GED and Credit Diploma Program instructor, said the CDP is set up in cohorts with no more than 10 students each. She added that there is a remote CDP option, noting that some people prefer not to be in schools because they have new babies or live with elderly parents.

Murphy also runs the Family Literacy Program, in which children and parents are educated together. When schools closed in the spring, staff read stories daily and put them on WhatsApp, held bingo on Zoom, and provided packets of arts and crafts materials.

Along with the mandated programs, which begin Tuesday, New London Adult and Continuing Education continues to offer enrichment classes. While most are online and prices are generally the same as before, Spellman said, "we're still getting calls all the time. The interest is still there."

Some classes that are being offered live online include Power Vinyasa Yoga, Tai Chi, Beginner & Intermediate Guitar, Introduction to Astronomy, Real Estate, Social Security, and ones offered through Montville Florist. All culinary, arts and crafts, photography and language courses are being offered live online.

Instructor Cris Aguilar — who is teaching French and Spanish enrichment classes, in addition to ESOL classes and his day job at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School — said that staff have stressed to students that they can still meet students' language needs.

He said one benefit of online learning is that students don't have to wear masks, which can make learning a language more challenging.

Aguilar said that compared to programs like Duolingo, Rosetta Stone or Babble, language classes through New London Adult & Continuing Education allow for human connections, and getting to know students helps instructors deliver a better program.

Some courses still being offered in person at NL Adult Education, at 3 Shaws Cove, include Connecticut Security Guard Training, Professional Bartending with SMART Certification, and Pet First Aid & Disaster Response.

Horseback riding lessons are being offered at Outback Stables in Ledyard, while golf lessons are taking place at Great Brook Sports in Groton. The entire course catalog can be found at bit.ly/NLadulted.

"At times it's been depressing when I see the amount of classes that I cannot run without them being in the building, but we're getting through it, we're adapting," said Peggy Cherrick, enrichment program coordinator.

Some classes that have been offered in the past, such as knitting and swing dancing, aren't being offered this fall. Cherrick said that's due to a combination of instructors not being available and the fact that some classes don't translate well online.

New London Adult and Continuing Education still is offering day trips, though Cherrick noted bus capacity has been reduced from 50-54 to 30. Attendees will have to wear masks on the bus.

Mandatory adult ed classes to begin in Norwich next week

For Norwich Regional Adult Education, CDP courses begin Tuesday at its Norwich and Stonington sites, while GED and English as a Second Language classes start Sept. 14 at the Norwich, Stonington and East Lyme sites.

Director Jody Lefkowitz said staff members are working to provide all programs in-person except for the citizenship classes, which will be live online, and the National External Diploma Program, which students can do online on their own time.

CDP and ESL classes will be limited to 12 people; Lefkowitz said CDP classes are not always larger than that but ESL classes have run as high as 20 or 30 people in the past.

For students who can't participate in-person, Norwich Regional Adult Education will provide remote options and lend Chromebooks. The program serves 12 school districts in the region, and Lefkowitz said if a district closes schools and goes remote again, adult education will follow suit.

Lefkowitz said staff members still are figuring out continuing education classes, which will start in November and be entirely online. Like in New London, she said offerings will include arts and crafts, cooking and financial literacy.

e.moser@theday.com