Wednesday, May 26, 2010

June Spaces Filling Up

The Monday/Tuesday classes in June only have ADVANCED spots available.

As of right now, there are still open spots for all levels in each of the Wednesday/Friday times.

Please call or e-mail me with any questions or if you'd like to register.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

June Registration

I want to take a brief detour from the comments/suggestions to fill you in on our filling up!

May 31st will be the last day to register for a June swim class. There are still many openings in July, and that will remain open for about another month or so.

As much as I would love to keep registration open until the last possible minute, it is just not possible given the staff and budget we are working with.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you'd like to sign up your child.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Post-Lesson Questions/ Comments; pt. 4

I have been responding to the comments left on the post-lesson questionnaire form the May session. The previous responses can be found at the bottom of this post.

I hate getting comments that are negative. I'm sure nobody likes it. That being said, if you have a concern, please talk with me about it. I ask you to talk with me. Not shout or whine, or complain. Staying home with my children, I get enough of that!

I am more than happy to address your concerns and try to fix them or explain my reasoning. Really. I love to explain why things are the way they are, or to help resolve a problem. All I ask is that you are calm, cool and collected and at least want to find an answer or solution.

Some parents are concerned with their child's progression in the water. I am right there with them. After 6 classes, how can they not swim well? First off, this is our first year. Which is not to say we are all new at this. I am simply saying that just because there was no major improvement, does not mean that your child is not doing better. I am only pointing out that we do not have 2 or 3 stages of beginner classes, which would be ideal.

I am hoping that we do have enough children next year to support something to that effect. A Beginner I, Beginner II, Intermediate I, Intermediate II, etc. We just do not have the funding or staff for that right now.

I had a parent suggest that a progress report was given to the parents. I agree. It is nice to know how your child is doing. I am hoping that about midway through this next session we can offer a small report on the progression of our students. Just because your son isn't officially ready for the intermediate class, does not mean he isn't much better than when he began two weeks ago.

If you have questions about your child's progression, please talk with me or the teacher. Since I do not get the opportunity to work with all of the children, talking with the teacher is best. Ask me, or the instructor when would be a good time - right then, or maybe before the next lesson. We want to help the children. If we don't get any results, then our time is wasted, as well as yours.

Something else to consider is the fact that these are group lessons. Albeit smaller groups than some offered, groups nonetheless. Your child will not have as much progress as they may from private lessons. Please try to keep expectations realistic.

Also, children can plateau. Your daughter may have made great strides over the past few years, then she kind of stalls in the water this summer. Muscle development, mental development or desire can all play a part in this. A 5yr old may be able to get along fine in the deep end, but may lack the coordination at that age to perform freestyle & backstroke.


1) Same gender instructors
2) Lifeguard attention
3) Lesson time spent out of water

Friday, May 21, 2010

Post-Lesson Questions/ Comments; pt. 3

At the end of lessons, a questionnaire was filled out by the parents of the students. I have been responding & answering the comments & questions. If you missed the first two responses, there are links to them at the bottom of this post.

I had a number of parents comment on the lesson length. This is tricky. I completely understand where they are coming from, and having taught lessons, I understand the other side as well. Please let me try to shed some light.

A) One of the major things to first teach children about the water is safety. Whether they are terrified or fearless, they must learn how to be safe around water. Part of the time is taken up by reviewing the safety rules of the pool, and swimming in general.

B) Sometimes the skill level of the child is not necessarily what they need. I will elaborate more on progression in the next post, but for now I am talking about the out of water time. Let's take beginners. A 4yr old will have an easier time practicing freestyle & back stroke ares out of the water before trying them in the water. It is also easier for the instructor to correct their technique on solid ground, then in wavy water.

*I will address comments about the instructors in a future post*

C) There are classes when the slow migration to the water is helpful to those who fearful of swimming. Unfortunately we had no children this session that would benefit from such an exercise, so I am unable to plead our case on those grounds.

I understand that the out of water time is seen by most parents as a waste. I really do understand. We do need to make sure that these children do understand not to run. Where the deep end is. How to get help. That being said, I will do my darndest to make sure that the out of water time is less during these following sessions.

Some instruction on the deck is inevitable, but we will try to keep it to the bare minimum.

POST LESSON
1) Same gender instructors
2) Lifeguard attention

Post-Lesson Questions/ Comments; pt. 2

To re-cap, please let me know of any concerns you have during lessons. I would love to explain the reasoning behind it, or to fix the problem.

The first comment I addressed was a suggestion to have female students with female instructors. If you would like to read my response, you can click HERE.

Let's move on to the next comment.

I had a parent comment on the lifeguard. At times they seemed less then attentive, reading or doing other duties.

I have no issue with this comment, and I have taken steps to resolve this. While I know this guard personally, I realize you probably do not.

By no means an excuse, it is easy for a lifeguard to fall into complacency. The kids are with instructors, Cristi is walking around, it is warm...

I have spoken with this guard, and I am sure he will do better. If there continue to be issues, then I will have the joy of my very first firing!

I do in no way relish the thought of telling soembody they are no longer needed, but as a parent, I fully understand the desire for your child to be safe. Especially if there is someone being PAID to make sure of that!

This guard will be performing another task during this next session, and I expect them to do great. My new guard is very enthusiastic and I have every confidence that he will be great.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Post-Lesson Questions/ Comments

I asked my lesson parents to fill out a post-lesson questionnaire. While nobody wants to hear negative comments, I do realize that is the only way we can improve. While some did sting a little bit, I am know that they did have valid points. And now I am trying to build a thick skin!


One of the worst questions on the form asked if they would return for lessons, and would they recommend them to others. I had about 3 people answer "no."

Ouch.

I hate to hear that. I am hoping that maybe they will re-think their answer, or at least give us a second chance.

If you are signed up for lessons and there is an issue during them, please talk with me. While the feedback forms are only for my own personal information, I would hate it if somebody had a bad experience and we were able to fix it. Please speak up.

I understand confrontations are hard, and I honestly don't want to have anybody tell me they have a problem with how we are doing things, but that is unrealistic. I cannot fix what I do not know about.

Since the comments are anonymous, I will share some of them, and try to offer a response, or reason if necessary. Hopefully I will address some concerns you may have had, or if a parent is reading this, maybe they will have some more insight into how their issue was handled.

1) A parent requested that only female instructors work with female students. While this is a wonderful ideal, it is unfortunately unable to happen at this point in time.

If we were able to offer this, then the lesson cost would be much more, since we would have to divide up skill groups to allow for the gender appropriate teacher, which would mean we would need more instructors, more guards and more pay.

I am sure nobody wants to skimp when it comes to your children, but realistically, our price would have to be much more than anyone would be willing to pay. I would suggest to talk with myself, and request that your child be with the same gender instructor.

On the flip side, unless there is a major reason (and I am KNOW some folks have them), your child may respond better to a teacher of different gender.

If you have a strong feeling that your child should be with a teacher of the same sex, please let me know. We may not be able to accommodate everyone, but I do definitely want you and your child to be comfortable with the lessons.

May Session is Over!

As you may have guessed from the title, the May session is now over.

I am very pleased with how it went, and am very proud of my guards & instructors. We will only get better from here on out.

There are still some limited opening for the June session, and openings for the July session as well. I am working on setting up a link on the side so you can just click on it to go to our schedule... My strengths lie in swimming, reading, cooking and not computers. Given enough time, I will figure it out. Or bribe somebody to do it for me.

Thank you for all of your support. I hope you enjoy your summer. If you are still interested in lessons, please call or e-mail me.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Session II

We have one week left in the May session, and so far it is going well. I am hoping & praying that we will have wonderful results and very pleased parents.

The June session is quickly approaching. We do still have some open spaces. If you wish to sign up, please let me know and I can hold your spot. Although, it won't be guaranteed until the fee is paid, and that is due before the start of the session - June 7th.

Below is what is now available. I will be informing my parents in this session of these spots as well, and it is first come, first served. You can call me at the number to the right, or send me an e-mail.

JUNE 7-25
Monday/Tuesday(4:30-5:15): Approximately 7 beginner spots, 5 intermediate spots, and 5 advanced spots

Wednesday/Friday(5:10-5:55/4:30-5:15): Approximately 7 beginner spots, 10 intermediate spots, 5 advanced spots

Wednesday/Friday(6-6:45/5:15-6): Approximately 7 beginner spots, 5 intermediate spots, 3 advanced spots

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Restructure

Since we started our lessons as bare bones and very simple, it has already started to change.

We have taken a few kids from a couple of classes and out them in one class above where they started. We also formed an advanced class with two kids from the intermediate class. My pool lifeguard was a good sport and stepped into a teaching position at the last minute.

So far things to be going well. I am still hoping and praying that we are able to get through to the kids and make at least a little bit of difference, and you parents happy!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Splash!

Well we have survived the first ever day of our swim lessons! My instructors did great, as well as the kids. And since they are almost as involved, the parents did a very good job, too!

I was thrilled with my instructors as they took charge, and I was happy to discover that they had all been placed with an age group that suits them well.

All of the children did great. I think out of 19, there was one child who did not go under the water. They all jumped - either with help or alone, but not forced, and they all seem to be at or above their assigned skill level. One of the beginner classes may even be promoted to an intermediate class after tomorrow!

While my first day jitters are over, I am still a little high strung about the remaining session, as well as those to come. I am hoping and praying that all goes well, and that we can make the parents happy, while teaching their children a very valuable skill.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Instructors

We have a staff for the May lessons! I am confident in them, and excited about what they will be able to do.

Since I am running the show, and therefore responsible for all that happens, I will not be teaching. I will be walking around, checking in on the classes, and offering help when needed. I don't feel that I can adequately do both. I love teaching, but I also want as many children as possible to learn how to swim. This is the best way.

I have two lifeguards. C has taught lessons previously, but is more comfortable with the older children. Since we are lacking an advanced class in May, he will be guarding. S is the other lifeguard. He is wonderful with children, and will be a helper/guard. He will be mostly in the water, helping the instructors with the kids, and then hopefully gaining some experience to be able to start teaching in the June session.

I like that they are boys, since some children identify better with males. Especially since my 4 instructors are all girls!

C is training with me to teach, and I think she will be wonderful with the kids. The other C has teaching experience, and she very excited about the lessons. K has also taught for 4 years. B is on the swim team and she is also training with me to be a teacher. I think she will be very good as well.

I hope that my staff is happy with their job, and wants to come back and work with me again. I also hope that the kids like them, and that the parents are happy with the lessons.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Sessions Open

As stated earlier, the May session is full. However, June & July are still open for registration.

As of right now, each time has openings for each skill level in both sessions. I will keep you informed when they fill up and then closed for registration.

I was thinking of next year, and the possibility of offering an "early bird" fee for lessons. Then after the set registration dates, the amount would go up a few dollars. Then if we were in the month of the session the person wants, then the cost would be an extra $5.

Aside from the fact that we are a self-sustaining structure, there is a lot of unseen work that goes into late and last minute sign ups. It may not seem like much, and as a parent I know it sounds like a lot of money to shell out just because of a simple date, but there is much that needs doing, and it is a job.

Do you have any thoughts? Any suggestions on how we can raise money? Any ideas to make lessons more profitable for all?

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Lessons Looming

The May session is full. While we are not at our maximum, unless I have a whole lot of people want to sign up before the end of this week, May is full.

June & July still have open spots at all levels. If you are interested, please e-mail me, or call me at 358-7286.

As the lessons quickly approach, I am getting very anxious. I am worried I won't find enough instructors. I am worried that I won't make the right decisions in the instructors I do find. I am worried that no child will learn anything then I'll have a mob of angry parents!

I am a worry-er by nature.

I am learning to calm my fears and trying to be confident and content in the choices I do make and the things I do have control over.

So, in less than a week we will know how lessons are going. They will only get better as times goes on. I hope we can help you and your children be confident in and around water, and mostly safe.