By Foss Swim School
With the new school year underway and a new quarter begun at Foss Swim School, our students probably already have one (or more!) favorite teachers, hopefully including their FOSS instructors – although we realize our teachers have the unfair edge of being able to hold fun lessons in a pool. As educators, we also appreciate the many different ways teachers can excel.
Eight-time Olympic medalist swimmer, world record holder and former FOSS student Regan Smith knows that her coaches, teachers and guides at all levels – in swimming, school and life – have played a role in her success. She also recognizes that each of them brought their own talents as an educator.
“It’s not one size fits all,” Regan said. “The best coaches and teachers are able to be flexible in how they teach and how they conduct a lesson. My current coach, Bob Bowman, was a psychology major. He understands the different needs of different swimmers. He understands that I am sensitive and knows if he yells it won’t help me. But maybe the swimmer in the lane next to me needs that.”
Regan says that her learning style is based on encouragement but not handholding. She likes getting a thorough overview of the day’s activities before starting something new, and then getting to work practicing, with just enough input to keep herself going. In the pool, she said she might expect five to eight comments from her coaches during a two-hour session. “I like knowing they are watching and trying to help me.”
Back to school and the pool – just like at FOSS
Like many FOSS students, Regan just started both a new school year (she is pursuing a degree in sports psychology at Arizona State University) and a new training season in the pool. “It’s a hard transition to be sure, but I’m embracing being busy,” she said. “I hate having an empty calendar.”
That additional work expected from her reminds Regan that students also have a role to play and an obligation. “I owe it to my coaches and teachers, if they are going to put their time and energy into teaching me, to put nothing less than my best foot forward,” she said. “I think it’s a total two-way street.”
Learning to do something new and better is always supposed to be a challenge. The best teachers know how to make that challenge feel worth it and fulfilling – whether by making the experience of learning enjoyable, or by helping students achieve something that might have seemed out of reach.
Great teachers make a big difference
For Regan, some of her favorite teachers were not those directly involved in her swimming career, but high school teachers who made a meaningful connection and delivered important support to help Regan succeed in the classroom.
“Two of may favorite teachers were both math teachers,” Regan said. “To be clear, I did not excel at math. I had one placement test in fifth grade that placed me in the most advanced class, but I had no business being there. I was just scraping by.”
Regan’s natural tenacity, however, meant that she would not back down. Her eighth-grade teacher, Miss Gibbs, was willing to help. “She saw the effort I was putting in, and she returned it,” Regan recalls. “She was the epitome of everything I like in a teacher – sweet, calm and encouraging. She was so patient and engaging and willing to break everything down for me.”
Later, Regan would have a pre-calculus and calculus teacher who also helped Regan achieve greater success than she imagined. “At this point, I was very into my swimming career,” Regan said. “I was missing some classes to attend national and international meets. She said, come in early and I’ll give you a private lesson. I took the class seriously, and she understood that and took the time to help me. She treated me like an adult.”
Each had their own style – a gentle and patient touch in one case, a willingness to push for extra effort while respecting Regan’s life outside of school in the other – but both made a lasting impression on Regan, even if those math skills she learned aren’t front and center in Regan’s life today.
When you find a teacher who fits your personality, it can be life changing, Regan said. “And you realize, there are so many personalities in the world, and some teachers are great at reaching them all,” she said. “It’s really amazing.”
