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