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Swimming in Gym Class
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 420092" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>I also want to explain, Andy, that Aussie school swimming classes are actually not taught by the teachers. The teachers take the kids there and help supervise, but once the kids get to the swimming pool complex, they are assessed for swimming ability level and broken up into appropriate groups. Some of the groups can be large, but the biggest I recall would have been about 15 or so. Those who can swim unaided get into the deep end of the pool, carefully supervised, and work towards the fun tuff of lifesaving, jumping in fully clothed, retrieving bricks from the bottom of the pool and so on. Those who are able to swim a little but are unsteady and only can manage a few strokes, are started with the beginners - in the baby pool, about knee deep. They learn to walk on their hands and feel the water lifting them. They graduate form there to waist deep water (waist deep on them, not the teacher) where they get kickboard practice and learn to put their faces in the water and blow bubbles. They are taught Australian crawl" which I always felt was not as effective - I learned to swim only after I taught myself breast stroke. I did the same with my boys, they did not cope well with the crawl.</p><p></p><p>The teachers are fully trained in teaching swimming to children and each of the groups I describe has a separate teacher. There are up to five groups, each one staging a little bit more. The kids go every day for two weeks, each day's lesson being about half a day. They get certificates for progressing from one group to the next. The groups might be called tadpoles, pelicans, cormorants and so on through to sea eagles. It's been a while, I'm a bit rusty on it. But every year towards the end of the school year, I drive past the local school kids being escorted to the ferry to catch the boat to 'the mainland' where the local saltwater swimming pool is.</p><p></p><p>Andy, what you have described is not only barbaric, it is dangerous, especially since this teacher is clearly saying one thing to you and another to your son. I would check with him to make sure she is not victimising him for the sins of the mother. It seems to be something about sports teachers - some are wonderful, but when the teacher is a bully, most often it is a sports teacher. If you can, ask a 'spy' in the class (another kid) for their description of events. And never, ever reveal your sources to school staff.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 420092, member: 1991"] I also want to explain, Andy, that Aussie school swimming classes are actually not taught by the teachers. The teachers take the kids there and help supervise, but once the kids get to the swimming pool complex, they are assessed for swimming ability level and broken up into appropriate groups. Some of the groups can be large, but the biggest I recall would have been about 15 or so. Those who can swim unaided get into the deep end of the pool, carefully supervised, and work towards the fun tuff of lifesaving, jumping in fully clothed, retrieving bricks from the bottom of the pool and so on. Those who are able to swim a little but are unsteady and only can manage a few strokes, are started with the beginners - in the baby pool, about knee deep. They learn to walk on their hands and feel the water lifting them. They graduate form there to waist deep water (waist deep on them, not the teacher) where they get kickboard practice and learn to put their faces in the water and blow bubbles. They are taught Australian crawl" which I always felt was not as effective - I learned to swim only after I taught myself breast stroke. I did the same with my boys, they did not cope well with the crawl. The teachers are fully trained in teaching swimming to children and each of the groups I describe has a separate teacher. There are up to five groups, each one staging a little bit more. The kids go every day for two weeks, each day's lesson being about half a day. They get certificates for progressing from one group to the next. The groups might be called tadpoles, pelicans, cormorants and so on through to sea eagles. It's been a while, I'm a bit rusty on it. But every year towards the end of the school year, I drive past the local school kids being escorted to the ferry to catch the boat to 'the mainland' where the local saltwater swimming pool is. Andy, what you have described is not only barbaric, it is dangerous, especially since this teacher is clearly saying one thing to you and another to your son. I would check with him to make sure she is not victimising him for the sins of the mother. It seems to be something about sports teachers - some are wonderful, but when the teacher is a bully, most often it is a sports teacher. If you can, ask a 'spy' in the class (another kid) for their description of events. And never, ever reveal your sources to school staff. Marg [/QUOTE]
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