Swimming
Lara Miller
I am at a Y pool and just got out of the water with my kids where I
heard a mom tell her son not so nicely "I brought you here to swim not
to play now get to work!" He was maybe 6 and obviously trying to
master swimming. My bet is that he would if she would let him play. :(
Blessings,
Lara Miller
Currently near Boulder, CO!
http://mytripjournal.com/millerfamily
heard a mom tell her son not so nicely "I brought you here to swim not
to play now get to work!" He was maybe 6 and obviously trying to
master swimming. My bet is that he would if she would let him play. :(
Blessings,
Lara Miller
Currently near Boulder, CO!
http://mytripjournal.com/millerfamily
Laureen
One of my proudest moments in mothering is when Rowan got kicked out of swim
class, at age 4, because he kept dropping off the wall and swimming circles
around the teacher's legs. She got angry that he was swimming instead of
listening to instructions, so she threw him out of the class. I love being
able to say that he got thrown out of swim class for swimming too much. =)
And even at that stage, Rowan got how completely ridiculous the whole
situation was. What's funny is that Jason and I were totally proud of him
for the swimming he was doing, and the parents on the bleachers around us
were seriously encouraging us to reprimand him and "make him go back into
class." Um... if the point is to teach him to swim, and he's swimming, then
what's the point? Oh yeah. Compliance. Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
That was also the absolutely definitive moment when I realized that there
was no way school and/or schoolish environments were going to work for us.
class, at age 4, because he kept dropping off the wall and swimming circles
around the teacher's legs. She got angry that he was swimming instead of
listening to instructions, so she threw him out of the class. I love being
able to say that he got thrown out of swim class for swimming too much. =)
And even at that stage, Rowan got how completely ridiculous the whole
situation was. What's funny is that Jason and I were totally proud of him
for the swimming he was doing, and the parents on the bleachers around us
were seriously encouraging us to reprimand him and "make him go back into
class." Um... if the point is to teach him to swim, and he's swimming, then
what's the point? Oh yeah. Compliance. Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
That was also the absolutely definitive moment when I realized that there
was no way school and/or schoolish environments were going to work for us.
On Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 12:46 PM, Lara Miller <birthmamma@...> wrote:
> I am at a Y pool and just got out of the water with my kids where I
> heard a mom tell her son not so nicely "I brought you here to swim not
> to play now get to work!" He was maybe 6 and obviously trying to
> master swimming. My bet is that he would if she would let him play. :(
--
~~L!
~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~
Writing here:
http://www.theexcellentadventure.com/
http://lifewithoutschool.typepad.com/
Publishing here:
http://huntpress.com/
~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Lara Miller
This whole scene here is getting really wierd. I will have to write
more on it later. Truly bizare!
Blessings,
Lara Miller
Currently near Boulder, CO!
http://mytripjournal.com/millerfamily
more on it later. Truly bizare!
Blessings,
Lara Miller
Currently near Boulder, CO!
http://mytripjournal.com/millerfamily
On Mar 31, 2008, at 2:03 PM, Laureen <splashing@...> wrote:
> One of my proudest moments in mothering is when Rowan got kicked out
> of swim
> class, at age 4, because he kept dropping off the wall and swimming
> circles
> around the teacher's legs. She got angry that he was swimming
> instead of
> listening to instructions, so she threw him out of the class. I love
> being
> able to say that he got thrown out of swim class for swimming too
> much. =)
> And even at that stage, Rowan got how completely ridiculous the whole
> situation was. What's funny is that Jason and I were totally proud
> of him
> for the swimming he was doing, and the parents on the bleachers
> around us
> were seriously encouraging us to reprimand him and "make him go back
> into
> class." Um... if the point is to teach him to swim, and he's
> swimming, then
> what's the point? Oh yeah. Compliance. Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
>
> That was also the absolutely definitive moment when I realized that
> there
> was no way school and/or schoolish environments were going to work
> for us.
>
> On Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 12:46 PM, Lara Miller <birthmamma@...>
> wrote:
>
> > I am at a Y pool and just got out of the water with my kids where I
> > heard a mom tell her son not so nicely "I brought you here to swim
> not
> > to play now get to work!" He was maybe 6 and obviously trying to
> > master swimming. My bet is that he would if she would let him
> play. :(
>
> --
> ~~L!
>
> ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~
> Writing here:
> http://www.theexcellentadventure.com/
> http://lifewithoutschool.typepad.com/
>
> Publishing here:
> http://huntpress.com/
> ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-m... if the point is to teach him to swim, and he's swimming, then
what's the point? Oh yeah. Compliance. Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
That was also the absolutely definitive moment when I realized that
there
was no way school and/or schoolish environments were going to work
for us.-=-
Laureen, I put your story about the swim class here:
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/gettingit
The best swimmer of my three kids is Holly, who didn't take lessons.
She played with friends who had a pool at their apartments, and
played with Marty on family outings, and with her dad. The boys took
lessons. Kirby doesn't enjoy it, and Marty learned more by being
naturally athletic and by playing with Holly, I think.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
what's the point? Oh yeah. Compliance. Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
That was also the absolutely definitive moment when I realized that
there
was no way school and/or schoolish environments were going to work
for us.-=-
Laureen, I put your story about the swim class here:
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/gettingit
The best swimmer of my three kids is Holly, who didn't take lessons.
She played with friends who had a pool at their apartments, and
played with Marty on family outings, and with her dad. The boys took
lessons. Kirby doesn't enjoy it, and Marty learned more by being
naturally athletic and by playing with Holly, I think.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Nancy Wooton
On Mar 31, 2008, at 1:20 PM, Sandra Dodd wrote:
swimming class in someone's home pool, and there were also classes
available at the park and recreation centers. I offered them to the
kids a couple of times, but they said "Mom, can't we unschool
swimming?" :-) They learned by swimming in my mom's pool, and at the
beach. Laura did take a swimming class for credit her first semester
at college, because she felt a bit weak in the ocean and wanted to
improve; that was her first swim school, as well as her first school
experience. ;-)
Nancy
> -=-m... if the point is to teach him to swim, and he's swimming, thenWhen my kids were little, the local homeschool group organized a
> what's the point? Oh yeah. Compliance. Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
>
> That was also the absolutely definitive moment when I realized that
> there
> was no way school and/or schoolish environments were going to work
> for us.-=-
>
>
>
> Laureen, I put your story about the swim class here:
>
> http://sandradodd.com/unschool/gettingit
>
> The best swimmer of my three kids is Holly, who didn't take lessons.
> She played with friends who had a pool at their apartments, and
> played with Marty on family outings, and with her dad. The boys took
> lessons. Kirby doesn't enjoy it, and Marty learned more by being
> naturally athletic and by playing with Holly, I think.
>
> Sandra
swimming class in someone's home pool, and there were also classes
available at the park and recreation centers. I offered them to the
kids a couple of times, but they said "Mom, can't we unschool
swimming?" :-) They learned by swimming in my mom's pool, and at the
beach. Laura did take a swimming class for credit her first semester
at college, because she felt a bit weak in the ocean and wanted to
improve; that was her first swim school, as well as her first school
experience. ;-)
Nancy
Bob Collier
--- In [email protected], Laureen <splashing@...> wrote:
That's a classic.
Reminds me of when my son was nine and playing baseball at that time.
He joined a midweek "after school" kids baseball clinic. When we
arrived at the first session, it turned out they were going to play
T-ball. So Pat refused to play and walked off the field. The coach
came after him and talk about pressure to comply - we're all here to
have fun together and the rest. So Pat said, "I'm not playing T-ball."
I was so, so proud of him. I would never have done that when I was his
age. I would have complied immediately! And my parents would have
backed up the coach as well. So I said to the coach, "He doesn't want
to play T-ball" and took Pat home. So many times my children have
brought out qualities in me I didn't know I had until they came along. :)
>of swim
> One of my proudest moments in mothering is when Rowan got kicked out
> class, at age 4, because he kept dropping off the wall and swimmingcircles
> around the teacher's legs. She got angry that he was swimming instead ofbeing
> listening to instructions, so she threw him out of the class. I love
> able to say that he got thrown out of swim class for swimming toomuch. =)
> And even at that stage, Rowan got how completely ridiculous the wholeof him
> situation was. What's funny is that Jason and I were totally proud
> for the swimming he was doing, and the parents on the bleachersaround us
> were seriously encouraging us to reprimand him and "make him go backinto
> class." Um... if the point is to teach him to swim, and he'sswimming, then
> what's the point? Oh yeah. Compliance. Riiiiiiiiiiiight.there
>
> That was also the absolutely definitive moment when I realized that
> was no way school and/or schoolish environments were going to workfor us.
>LOL
>
That's a classic.
Reminds me of when my son was nine and playing baseball at that time.
He joined a midweek "after school" kids baseball clinic. When we
arrived at the first session, it turned out they were going to play
T-ball. So Pat refused to play and walked off the field. The coach
came after him and talk about pressure to comply - we're all here to
have fun together and the rest. So Pat said, "I'm not playing T-ball."
I was so, so proud of him. I would never have done that when I was his
age. I would have complied immediately! And my parents would have
backed up the coach as well. So I said to the coach, "He doesn't want
to play T-ball" and took Pat home. So many times my children have
brought out qualities in me I didn't know I had until they came along. :)
melissa_hice
--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote:
turned out to be a disaster. At the end of the third day, the
instructor took each child from their mom and dunked them under water.
When it was my daughter's turn, she was screaming and hanging on to
me. He yanked her from me and dunked her under water. then he
informed the parents that they children would be dunked again on the
last (fifth) day. On the fourth day, my daughter would not even go
into the pool. Everytime the instructor even looked at her, she began
screaming. I informed him that we would not be coming on the last day,
but he wanted us to come and for me to get her back in the water on the
other side, away from the class. I did, but it was wasted time. It
would have been better if I had taken her to a completely different
pool.
My daughter became extremely afraid of water to the point that she had
bad dreams and would not go into the bathtub. She gradually lost her
fear of bathtubs and small wading pools, but was still scared of big
swimming pools. Last summer, we spent a lot of time at my sister-in-
laws house (she has a pool). My daughter learned to swim with a little
help from her 5 year old cousin. She got brave enough to put her whole
head under water, and by the end of summer, was swimming under water.
Melissa
>lessons.
> The best swimmer of my three kids is Holly, who didn't take
> She played with friends who had a pool at their apartments, andtook
> played with Marty on family outings, and with her dad. The boys
> lessons. Kirby doesn't enjoy it, and Marty learned more by beingI took my daughter (8) to Mommy and Me swim classes when she was 2. It
> naturally athletic and by playing with Holly, I think.
>
>
turned out to be a disaster. At the end of the third day, the
instructor took each child from their mom and dunked them under water.
When it was my daughter's turn, she was screaming and hanging on to
me. He yanked her from me and dunked her under water. then he
informed the parents that they children would be dunked again on the
last (fifth) day. On the fourth day, my daughter would not even go
into the pool. Everytime the instructor even looked at her, she began
screaming. I informed him that we would not be coming on the last day,
but he wanted us to come and for me to get her back in the water on the
other side, away from the class. I did, but it was wasted time. It
would have been better if I had taken her to a completely different
pool.
My daughter became extremely afraid of water to the point that she had
bad dreams and would not go into the bathtub. She gradually lost her
fear of bathtubs and small wading pools, but was still scared of big
swimming pools. Last summer, we spent a lot of time at my sister-in-
laws house (she has a pool). My daughter learned to swim with a little
help from her 5 year old cousin. She got brave enough to put her whole
head under water, and by the end of summer, was swimming under water.
Melissa
Joanna Murphy
This isn't quite the same thing, but some children in our neighborhood are told to "go
outside and play." This means that when they come to our door, to see if my dd wants to
play, they can't step foot inside--the have to play outside. When this new rule went into
effect, they pulled up our porch chairs and huddled by the open window to watch my son
play WOW. I'm not sure, but I think their mom got wise and put an end to that. Maybe now
there is a rule that they must keep moving!
Joanna
outside and play." This means that when they come to our door, to see if my dd wants to
play, they can't step foot inside--the have to play outside. When this new rule went into
effect, they pulled up our porch chairs and huddled by the open window to watch my son
play WOW. I'm not sure, but I think their mom got wise and put an end to that. Maybe now
there is a rule that they must keep moving!
Joanna
--- In [email protected], Lara Miller <birthmamma@...> wrote:
>
> I am at a Y pool and just got out of the water with my kids where I
> heard a mom tell her son not so nicely "I brought you here to swim not
> to play now get to work!" He was maybe 6 and obviously trying to
> master swimming. My bet is that he would if she would let him play. :(
>
> Blessings,
> Lara Miller
> Currently near Boulder, CO!
> http://mytripjournal.com/millerfamily
>
Robin Bentley
From babyhood, Michelle was unhappy in the water. She'd scream in the
bath, so I would give her sponge baths only. As she got older, she
gradually got more comfortable and would have baths (sometimes 3 or 4
a day <g>) and liked warm pools, but would not go under the water. She
didn't like the water in her eyes. But at about age 6, I offered
lessons and she thought she'd like to take them because her
homeschooling friends were going to be there.
One of the first things the instructor had the kids in the class do
was put their faces in the water. That was not going to fly with
Michelle and she balked, soon dissolving into defensiveness and tears.
I was right there and asked her if she wanted to stop. She said yes,
so I took her out to the other, non-lesson pool. The instructor came
over to me to say that Michelle *had* to put her face in the water to
continue in the lessons and "learn to swim". I told her Michelle
wanted to be happy in the water and if she was currently afraid to put
her face in the water, I was not going to make her do it. The
instructor shrugged and went back to the class.
We tried a couple more sessions, provided at private home pools, but
we bailed out of those, too. Instead, whenever we traveled, we'd find
a hotel with a pool. We'd spend lots of time in the water with her,
just playing, using floatie things. We bought her a swim mask (the
kind you use to go snorkeling) and she soon went happily underwater
with it. Since then, she's been like a little fish and can't wait to
get into a pool. She still uses her mask, still likes floatie things
at 13.
It took patience, opportunity and the enjoyment of wherever she was in
her swimming journey. Sort of like how she learned to read <g>.
Robin B.
bath, so I would give her sponge baths only. As she got older, she
gradually got more comfortable and would have baths (sometimes 3 or 4
a day <g>) and liked warm pools, but would not go under the water. She
didn't like the water in her eyes. But at about age 6, I offered
lessons and she thought she'd like to take them because her
homeschooling friends were going to be there.
One of the first things the instructor had the kids in the class do
was put their faces in the water. That was not going to fly with
Michelle and she balked, soon dissolving into defensiveness and tears.
I was right there and asked her if she wanted to stop. She said yes,
so I took her out to the other, non-lesson pool. The instructor came
over to me to say that Michelle *had* to put her face in the water to
continue in the lessons and "learn to swim". I told her Michelle
wanted to be happy in the water and if she was currently afraid to put
her face in the water, I was not going to make her do it. The
instructor shrugged and went back to the class.
We tried a couple more sessions, provided at private home pools, but
we bailed out of those, too. Instead, whenever we traveled, we'd find
a hotel with a pool. We'd spend lots of time in the water with her,
just playing, using floatie things. We bought her a swim mask (the
kind you use to go snorkeling) and she soon went happily underwater
with it. Since then, she's been like a little fish and can't wait to
get into a pool. She still uses her mask, still likes floatie things
at 13.
It took patience, opportunity and the enjoyment of wherever she was in
her swimming journey. Sort of like how she learned to read <g>.
Robin B.
>
> When my kids were little, the local homeschool group organized a
> swimming class in someone's home pool, and there were also classes
> available at the park and recreation centers. I offered them to the
> kids a couple of times, but they said "Mom, can't we unschool
> swimming?" :-) They learned by swimming in my mom's pool, and at the
> beach. Laura did take a swimming class for credit her first semester
> at college, because she felt a bit weak in the ocean and wanted to
> improve; that was her first swim school, as well as her first school
> experience. ;-)
>
> Nancy
>