Brooke has her first swim lesson today. She did GREAT!! Even caught her smiling a few times through her nervousness. There were only three kids in her class so she got plenty of attention and waited her turn very nicely. The teacher was very nice to her and didn't force her to do anything....but...
There is a but....the teacher was not as nice to the other two kids which has had me on edge the whole day. She seemed so nice when I went in to meet her and so nice to Brooke today....but she knew it was her first lesson. She was somewhat forceful in her instruction to the other two kids and even a little too stern in the way she talked to the other two kids. It had me uncomfortable for the other kids. Had she been that way to Brooke I would have been out there letting her know how I felt. It was weird because the other moms didn't even seem bothered by it at all. Maybe I am just sensitive, but I know my own kid....She is sweet, sensitive, and does things at her own pace....and that kind of "teaching" is not right for everyone....and definitely not right for my child.
I am sure the teacher has been doing this forever and thinks she knows what she is doing because she has been doing it for so long, but her job is to teach my child and make her comfortable in the water not scare her.
Again, I am this fired up because of how I saw her interact with the other kids. She was a saint to Brooke. I really hope the niceness wasn't just because it was her first lesson, but I don't have a good feeling about it.
The other little girl in the class actually came out of the pool saying "I don't like her Mommy" The teacher was telling her to blow bubble in the pool while she was supporting her under her belly. The little girl wasn't putting her face in the water to the teacher actually let go under her belly so her whole face dipped into the water. In my head I was seriously thinking what the hell was that.....she is freaking 3 years old....give her a break. I don't know...they say they cater to kids but this woman was more like a drill instructor with these other two kids than a caring, concerned, child swim teacher.
It just bugs me because I asked all of these questions about forcing kids to do things before I signed up and the owner assured me they NEVER do that. I'm just really annoyed because she was so nice when I talked to her and saw her teaching a little boy with special needs and she was completely different today. Whatever.
I wanted to call them today, tell them all of this and my concerns, but again, none of this happened to my own child so why be a bitch when nothing happened to Brooke. I just really hope that is stays that way, because boy....I'm ready for it. I will stand up for my child when she doesn't even know she needs standing up for and I will be a psycho when I have too. I'm done getting fired up about this.
