Whenever a child walks into a room, I feel like bowing, because I don't know what great person I might be in presence of.— Goethe

I share similar sentiments when I begin to teach a child how to swim. I feel deeply fortunate to be in the position of teaching something I love to others. It is from this place I approach each student.

Swimming can be a lifelong skill so it is important that one's early experience be positive and successful. I also place a high priority on instilling thru experience both a respect (for safety reasons) and a love of the water (for pure enjoyment).

I start with learning about a child's background to prepare myself for dealing with any obstacles (past problems with ear infections, blocked nasal passages, trauma, difficult birth, etc.)

I start off teaching balance, survival skills, and proper breathing techniques. I also teach ordinary skills such as entering and exiting a pool. I teach all four competitive strokes (freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke). Some children don't know instinctively how to play in the water so I will teach that as well.

I also work on building endurance and, eventually, speed. To support this, I help children develop their body awareness, to discover their physical strengths and to feel the power in their bodies.

Swimming lessons also offer the opportunity to learn life skills such as: learning to follow instructions; ability to focus; risk-taking; and discipline.

On the level of personal character, I also assess and support the development of specific qualities each individual might have the opportunity to develop during the course of learning to swim – for example: confidence; trust ( in oneself in others); independence; acceptance; letting go; and playfulness.