They had two different groups for the swim lessons-the Pikes and the Eels (I don't remember which one is which). They would take them all together on the first day of lessons, assess them all, and divide them up in to groups according to ability. Since Benny had taken probably three different sessions of preschool lessons already with the YMCA in his lifetime, I was hoping that he would be in the higher group and really learn to swim independently before summer.
On the first day of lessons there were a TON of kids there and a bunch of teachers assessing them. However, as I was watching them assess, I saw that they only had Benny in the water twice for a brief period of time the whole time we were there, and they didn't learn very much about his swimming. Sure enough, when I came back the next day, he had been put back in one of the lower groups. I think lots of the time they just assume he's younger than he really is and place him according to that.
Well, I don't normally like being the squeaky wheel, but in this case I thought it was warranted. I explained to the lesson supervisor Stanley that I thought Benny could handle being in the higher group based on what he could do. So, he just switched him. Then, I was nervous about whether he could really handle it. Turns out, it was a success, and the teacher pushed him more than he had been in the past and had him trying to swim by himself a little. He really liked it and I feel like he was learning.
Then, we got to the last class. The teacher he had had for the previous classes was gone, so Stanley was substituting. About halfway through the lesson I look over to the pool and do a double take. I ask the mom sitting next to me, "Is my son swimming without a float?" Sure enough, Stanley had him swimming all by himself for quite a distance, something that he was yet to accomplish in any of this other lessons. He got done swimming across most of the short distance across the pool and I was so proud of him. He immediately started crying. It stressed him out, but it showed him that he could do it. Then, at the end of the lesson, he took everyone in Benny's group to the deeper competition pool and wanted them to jump off the swim team blocks and swim to the wall. Ben wanted nothing to do with it and started crying again. Finally, we convinced him to jump off the blocks with Stanley holding his hand. He wanted Evan to come watch him and then he was willing to. Sure enough, even though he was scared, he did it!
In the end, he learned a little during the two weeks of lessons, and then he learned more in the one day with Coach Stanley than he had in lots of days of swim lessons before that. I am so glad that I pushed him into that group. After those lessons, something clicked, and you should see my little fishy swim across the pool now with ease!
(Ben practicing his kickboard skills early in the lesson sequence)
(Look how far Ben has progressed after one lesson with Coach Stanley!)
(My big brave boy jumps in with Stanley.)
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