If I only had a nickel for every time I have been told “you are so good with the children.” Psst…..Wanna know a secret? Don’t tell a soul. I am good with all of my swim students, young and old alike. There, I said it! Why?-Because I teach everyone with love and cookies. Swimming is my passion. I am never going to stop teaching swimming, as it is part of my DNA. I know this to be true. It is my gift. I think about swimming all of the time. Why isn’t Camille kicking? Why does Joey keep telling me that he won’t go off of the diving board? He is four years old. You have to wonder. Why do parents tell me that they have to go shopping during the swim lesson? Do they not have thirty minutes to watch their child learn to swim?
Teaching swimming is not about blowing bubbles, paddling arms, kicking legs and rolling over.
When my swim students, young and old alike, walk out of the locker room, hug me and tell me that they have missed me, imagine how I feel. My students trust me. My students show me love. Would you go underwater with anyone you did not love? Think about it. If you were 50 years old and were just learning how to swim, would you be ready to learn to swim in a 50 meter pool if you did not feel the love from your swim teacher? No.
What about the cookies? After lessons, I give all of my young swim students a small treat-a bag of cookies. I can never forget. The kids remind me. It’s funny. Children need a small reward. This is my personal choice. And yes, the kids get a small treat after every lesson.
It’s never too late to learn how to swim and dive.
What about my adult students? I buy them small gifts. I give them a swim cap or a pair of goggles. Why? I love my students. I want them to know that there are wonderful tools that will improve their swimming experiences. Trust me there is nothing worse than a leaky pair of goggles or hair in your face when you are swimming. But if my adult students want the cookies, they can have their pick.
You are such a wonderful person and an excellent swimming instructor!
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Thank you! Love you and your family, Barbie
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Barbie, you sound like an ideal instructor!!! Cookies for all…. how fun is that! For me, I’ll take a double dose of love! BIG hugs to you.
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Rewarding a Child/Adult for hard work, Who Knew this would work? Even Teachers in Schools do this, Jobs have done it for years with bonus, and even God dose it for our salvation, We get to go to Heaven if we Follow his Guidelines in life.
The best part is Barbie has it right,
Eat & Drink after Practice
As soon as possible after your swim, eat a snack. During your workout, your body burned through a lot of fuel, which it stores in a variety of forms. After your workout, there is a small window of time– as few as 15 minutes or up to an hour, depending on the study – during which your body will very efficiently replenish your carbohydrate stores. Once that window closes, your body suddenly becomes very inefficient at replenishing those energy stores.
Those little gifts/snacks helps the child so let them eat it right then and there, Not when they get home. As a Grandmother I would let my grandchild eat the Tasty Treats for I new she needed it after a hours lesson.
Parents Its ok! Let your child enjoy the little gifts.
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