By Foss Swim School
When you walk into a Foss Swim School, you might notice something different: The pool deck area is more than just a walking path and is lined with benches often filled with parents and adults. We design our pool areas to encourage parents to take a seat near their students for one simple reason: Because we believe parents are a part of the learning team, just like the instructors and the students themselves. Parents also have the option to take a break in our climate controlled viewing rooms.
That means that you, the parent or caregiver, also have a job and a role to play both during and after lessons. Don’t worry, we don’t expect you to be an expert at swimming technique or education – or well-trained, professional instructors will handle that! But for parents who aren’t tending other small children or managing the many competing needs of modern life, we hope you can spend some of your time just watching and being present for the lesson.
Here are our tips for how to watch a swim lesson:
- Note the day’s focus areas: We only get to work with your swimmer once a week for most levels. We often start lessons going over recent skills as a refresher and then move on to new skills. The instructor is watching every student, of course, but you can focus on your swimmer: Are they keeping pace? Are some skills more challenging? At the end of class, you can ask the instructor. If you both see something, there may be home exercises to try to make the next lesson even better.
- Watch your swimmer’s mood and step in if requested: Getting into the groove at the start of class can take a little time. Especially if you have a young or nervous swimmer, the start of class may be when this comes out. Teachers may look to you for suggestions on calming and reassuring a swimmer. Or if you see a sign that your swimmer needs something – maybe is squirming in a way that lets you know they need to use the bathroom, for example – please let the instructor know.
- Show interest and attention: Kids love having their parents’ attention, especially when they learn new skills. When you are on the deck, make eye contact and show approval if your swimmer looks to you, and especially if they are doing something new.
- Engage with the instructor if they talk to you: Our teachers often talk to parents and caregivers during the lesson if they are nearby. While they need to remain focused on the students first, during exercises you may have a chance to hear what skill is being worked on, what the teacher is looking for, and how it will fit with future skills to build a stroke or part of a stroke.
- Keep a mental note of progress: Watching your swimmer week by week, you should be able to see how they are progressing – and where they have challenges. Near the end of each quarter, we have evaluations and recommendations for the level to enroll in the next quarter. We find that parents who have watched their swimmers over time generally have a better understanding of where the swimmer is at, and so the level recommendations – advancing or sometimes repeating a level – are clear.
- Engage with the teacher at the end of class: Our instructors can give ongoing updates, answer questions, assign homework, and explain how the day’s lesson fits into the swimming journey. We encourage you to take a minute to hear what they have to say when you can.
We realize that parents and caregivers are busy and may not always be able to give a lesson their full attention every week – it’s why we have separate sitting rooms that overlook the pool as an option. You may need to watch another child or have a call you need to take, and that’s OK.
Where and when you can, being present and attentive on the pool deck can be a major boost to your swimmer’s learning. Just as engaged parents promote positive outcomes in elementary school, so they do at the pool as well – plus it can be a day-brightener to be around kids having fun! Stop by your local Foss Swim School to see what a class is like from a parent’s perspective, and we look forward to seeing you at the pool!
