newbie with a question about swimming lessons

Hello to the group!

I was hoping I could tap some of your collective experience regarding
kids and swimming lessons.

My daughter is 5, has always loved the water, even if she was a bit
timid about getting her face wet.

Anyway, I enrolled her in a beginners class at the local pool. The
class is for 4-5 year olds, mostly, and is just to get them comfy in the
water.

The first day, she loved it, but it went downhill from there, thanks to
the teenagers the pool employs as teachers. The teachers would say
things each time like "OK, now everyone put on your goggles." When my
daughter said she didn't like when another kid splashed water at her
face, the teachers told her that she needed earplugs and a noseplug.

After hearing this, my daughter started refusing to even put lay down in
the bathtub to wash her hair, because she thought that it was bad to get
water in the ears! She used to wet her hair this way all the time.

I complained to the head of the program, and he told me that goggles are
not allowed until the 3rd or 4th level up, and he instructed the
teachers to stop saying to put on goggles in class, but by that time,
all the other kids had goggles and the damage was done.

My feeling (as a former WSI many years ago) is that the entire POINT of
this class is for the kids to get comfortable in the water--to discover
with the help of a caring instructor that nothing bad will happen if a
little water gets in their ears or eyes. If a child doesn't want to put
her head in, that's fine, but the teachers should be encouraging, and
demonstrating, and making it fun and not scary. They shouldn't be
making the kids think they need goggles, nose plugs and ear plugs! This
is the complete opposite of what the class should be doing.

I kick myself for continuing the classes, hoping things would get
better, because by the time 5 or 6 classes had passed, my daughter was
refusing to do anything in the water at all.

We decided to try swimming again in a month or so, with a completely
different teacher at a different pool as well, and see how that goes.
In the meantime, I would appreciate your thoughts and experiences!

Suz

In article , suz wrote:

My feeling (as a former WSI many years ago) is that the entire POINT of
this class is for the kids to get comfortable in the water--to discover
with the help of a caring instructor that nothing bad will happen if a
little water gets in their ears or eyes. If a child doesn't want to put
her head in, that's fine, but the teachers should be encouraging, and
demonstrating, and making it fun and not scary. They shouldn't be
making the kids think they need goggles, nose plugs and ear plugs! This
is the complete opposite of what the class should be doing.

I agree about the nose plugs and ear plugs (except when medically
necessary, such as when recovering from a sinus infection), but goggles?
Are you swimming in a chlorinated pool? Half an hour of that and
your daughter's eyes will be burning, won't they?

You might look around for another swim class, or for someone who will
work one-on-one with your daughter. Have you considered teaching her
yourself? It sounds as if you have a lot of water experience.

- marty
(mom to alex & andie, 3-year-old girls)

suz wrote:
I kick myself for continuing the classes, hoping things would get
better, because by the time 5 or 6 classes had passed, my daughter was
refusing to do anything in the water at all.

We decided to try swimming again in a month or so, with a completely
different teacher at a different pool as well, and see how that goes.
In the meantime, I would appreciate your thoughts and experiences!


I wouldn't do another set of classes until she is having fun in the water
again. I'd just take her to the swimming pool with the intent of having fun
and not learning a single thing.

Hunter had the preschool swim lessons this winter. No mention of ear plugs
or goggles. He was convinced to put his face in the water once. He enjoyed
the classes but the last 4-5 sessions he tended to wander away from the
group *a lot*. He'll probably take them again this summer, same level.

--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (5) and Luke (3)

"suz" wrote in message ...
Hello to the group!

[snip]

I kick myself for continuing the classes, hoping things would get
better, because by the time 5 or 6 classes had passed, my daughter was
refusing to do anything in the water at all.

We decided to try swimming again in a month or so, with a completely
different teacher at a different pool as well, and see how that goes.
In the meantime, I would appreciate your thoughts and experiences!

Suz

It's up to you whether or not to go to the same pool or different one. But
some kids take a while to feel comfortable in the water. DD (now 6) took
the same class for about 3 sessions before moving on to the next level when
she first started taking swimming lessons. That was okay with us (I'm not a
swimmer). Then she just took off (she's now taking diving lessons). In the
last session, she had classmates (sisters) who absolutely refused to get
their hair and face wet although they could swim and liked being in the
water. Their mom said they had been taking lessons for about 2 years. Then
all of a sudden, both put their faces in the water! It was great - we all
clapped and cheered.

I agree with you that your daughter's instructor didn't sound like she was
very good with young children. I found that *older* instructors (people in
their 50's) are great instructors - they seem to have a patience and
calmness missing in the younger instructors.

Good luck,
Jeanne

Bruce Bridgman and Jeanne Yang wrote:
"suz" wrote in message ...

Hello to the group!


[snip]


I kick myself for continuing the classes, hoping things would get
better, because by the time 5 or 6 classes had passed, my daughter was
refusing to do anything in the water at all.

We decided to try swimming again in a month or so, with a completely
different teacher at a different pool as well, and see how that goes.
In the meantime, I would appreciate your thoughts and experiences!

Suz


It's up to you whether or not to go to the same pool or different one. But
some kids take a while to feel comfortable in the water. DD (now 6) took
the same class for about 3 sessions before moving on to the next level when
she first started taking swimming lessons. That was okay with us (I'm not a
swimmer). Then she just took off (she's now taking diving lessons). In the
last session, she had classmates (sisters) who absolutely refused to get
their hair and face wet although they could swim and liked being in the
water. Their mom said they had been taking lessons for about 2 years. Then
all of a sudden, both put their faces in the water! It was great - we all
clapped and cheered.

I am in total agreement with you. My intention was that she just stay
at the Level 1 having fun in the water with no expectation of anything
as long as she wanted. The instructors told me that many kids stay at
level 1 for 3 or 4 months, which is fine. I just wanted her to get
comfortable in the water little by little. What I didn't want, is for
her to come home with all kinds of complexes about equipment that she
"needs" according to the teachers.


I agree with you that your daughter's instructor didn't sound like she was
very good with young children. I found that *older* instructors (people in
their 50's) are great instructors - they seem to have a patience and
calmness missing in the younger instructors.


The instructors are teenagers, who don't even put their own heads in the
water. My daughter said last time that she wanted them to teach her
how, not just insist that she do it. She may just be 5, but she is
right! It sounds like the teens perhaps didn't want to muss their hair!
[just kidding!]

Marty wrote

I agree about the nose plugs and ear plugs (except when medically
necessary, such as when recovering from a sinus infection), but goggles?
Are you swimming in a chlorinated pool? Half an hour of that and
your daughter's eyes will be burning, won't they?

The kids barely get their faces wet at all in this class. The pool is
not over chlorinated, so no, I do not believe her eyes would be burning
just from being near the water, or even if she dunked under a few times,
which she never has. I really find the idea of goggles before they even
are comfortable in the water to be ridiculous, and it turns out that
goggles are not supposed to be allowed until Level 3.

You might look around for another swim class, or for someone who will
work one-on-one with your daughter. Have you considered teaching her
yourself? It sounds as if you have a lot of water experience.


Yes, I do, but that doesn't mean I can teach my own daughter. I tried a
bit last summer, and discovered that she will do things with or for a
teacher that she won't do with or for her mom. For example, at the
first class, before the teachers started telling all the kids to get
goggles, she walked right into the water with the other kids and the
teachers (there is a ramp), where with me she would just cling to the
side.

suz wrote:

They shouldn't be
making the kids think they need goggles, nose plugs and ear plugs! This
is the complete opposite of what the class should be doing.


It sounds like the 'instructors' are not well versed in teaching young kids
about water and swimming in general, and maybe you should try to find a
different program. We had our 3 year old daughter in swim lessons - the
teachers were primarily teenagers also, but had good skills and techniques
for getting the kids comfortable. (One of my favorite tricks that they
taught the little ones, and it totally works, is to hum a song and put your
face in while humming. The motion of humming actually prevents water from
going in your nose. A neat tool, fyi). She was nervous to put her face in
the water in the beginning of the sessions but by the end she was going
under with the humming trick. I asked about the use of goggles and they
said they discouraged anything 'artificial' that the child would rely on to
feel comfortable in the water like goggles/nose/earplugs which makes sense
to me. Now, almost a year later she can swim the width of the pool
completely on her own, and quite well at that, although she does use goggles
often and seems to feel more comfortable with them on - we got her a pair of
good quality Speedo ones. Just let her get used to the water at her own
pace, even if she's in so called lessons. The teachers should be trained
enough to allow each child to feel comfortable at their own levels. The
lessons our daughter took didnt' teach her to swim at all, but simply gave
her a few tools to practice at our local pool and once her own confidence
level was bridged, she was swimming proficiently by age 3.5 (we live in a
year round warm climate with a pool nearby, so that helps).

cara

cara wrote:

suz wrote:


They shouldn't be
making the kids think they need goggles, nose plugs and ear plugs! This
is the complete opposite of what the class should be doing.



It sounds like the 'instructors' are not well versed in teaching young kids
about water and swimming in general, and maybe you should try to find a
different program. We had our 3 year old daughter in swim lessons - the
teachers were primarily teenagers also, but had good skills and techniques
for getting the kids comfortable. (One of my favorite tricks that they
taught the little ones, and it totally works, is to hum a song and put your
face in while humming. The motion of humming actually prevents water from
going in your nose. A neat tool, fyi).

I love this. My sister and I used to do this as kids, and I tought my
daughter to do this in the bathtub for fun one day. She was doing that
happily until the swim classes started. That's why I was so upset with
the teachers. Before the classes started she didn't want to put her
head under, but was not freaked out about water getting on her face.
Before the classes started, she use to wet her hair in the bath by lying
down. After the 2nd class, when they suggested she needed earplugs, she
didn't want to even get her ears wet in the bath. It was a total
regression.

She was nervous to put her face in
the water in the beginning of the sessions but by the end she was going
under with the humming trick. I asked about the use of goggles and they
said they discouraged anything 'artificial' that the child would rely on to
feel comfortable in the water like goggles/nose/earplugs which makes sense
to me.

I so agree with this.

Now, almost a year later she can swim the width of the pool
completely on her own, and quite well at that, although she does use goggles
often and seems to feel more comfortable with them on - we got her a pair of
good quality Speedo ones. Just let her get used to the water at her own
pace, even if she's in so called lessons. The teachers should be trained
enough to allow each child to feel comfortable at their own levels. The
lessons our daughter took didnt' teach her to swim at all, but simply gave
her a few tools to practice at our local pool and once her own confidence
level was bridged, she was swimming proficiently by age 3.5 (we live in a
year round warm climate with a pool nearby, so that helps).

Thank you Cara.

In article , suz wrote:

I was hoping I could tap some of your collective experience regarding
kids and swimming lessons.

I think that you probably didn't have properly trained instructors, and hope
you didn't pay too much for them!

Las term, DS (3yo) was in a 1-to-1 class, 15 mins long, once a week. He was
always confident with the instructor and enjoyed the class a lot. I don't
know what training structure there is in your country, but I suggest you look
for a teacher who actually has a qualification, not a teenager earning some
holiday money.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Life is like a cigarette -- smoke it to the butt." -- Harvie Krumpet

Chookie wrote:
In article , suz wrote:


I was hoping I could tap some of your collective experience regarding
kids and swimming lessons.


I think that you probably didn't have properly trained instructors, and hope
you didn't pay too much for them!

Las term, DS (3yo) was in a 1-to-1 class, 15 mins long, once a week. He was
always confident with the instructor and enjoyed the class a lot. I don't
know what training structure there is in your country, but I suggest you look
for a teacher who actually has a qualification, not a teenager earning some
holiday money.


The had all the qualifications, but weren't very good.