Another Session in the Books

I have successfully made it through yet another session of swimming lessons. Confession: I love teaching swimming lessons 90% of the time. I am always a little sad when the end of a session comes, it seems like I have just begun to earn the trust of the parents and kids. The kids are finally willing to try something new and different and probably even scary.  This session was a little weird because our aquatics center had to close last week for major improvements and re-tiling and re-painting and all that good jazz. However that means that every class had to be taught in the lap pool, read "really deep and scary pool" to three, four, and five year olds.

I have been prepping the kids for the lap pool day for weeks, and we did it. We survived, there was some weeping and even some gnashing of teeth by the parents, but the kids all made it through and dare I say even had some fun while we were at it. The unfortunate part is that then the kids didn't get to play under the mushroom on the last day like usual. I don't like the end of a session because it means I get all new kids in two weeks when we start again. I don't like the end of a session because it means learning a whole new set of kids and parents, some have graduated past my level of classes (I enjoy the super little kids - I teach a couple classes with older kids but mostly I have the super little kids). I like the end of a session because it does mean I get all new kids when we start again in two weeks. I like the end of a session because it means I get to meet a whole new set of parents and kids. It is a catch 22, I want to hold on to some kids and I want to let others progress. It is always the challenge of teaching, much like normal teaching.

It has been a great session of bubble blowing, jumping in, getting our whole faces wet, and kicking our legs, and much talk of believing in one another. It happens every session and I love watching the transformation of the kids from week one to week eight. Thanks parents for the joy and honor of being able to play a role in teaching your children how to swim. Thanks parents for trusting me with your most prized possession, your child, it is an honor and in light of recent events, I know everyone is holding their kids a little tighter. Thanks for the chance to work with you and your kids. I look forward to another session in January.