Swim lessons - update

[lauralala]

I am home for the summer, so DS is home with me. He has been taking swim lessons at the Y for a month now - M-Th, 30 minutes a day. They are 2 week sessions, and he actually just started his 3rd session yesterday. I planned on having him go all summer, since it is a good activity, not expensive, and would allow him to keep practicing his skills.

But each 2 week session they do the exact same things. He and one other boy have been there all summer, but otherwise there are new kids each time, so they keep starting back at the beginning. He is 5, so he is in the preschool group. He was given a chart to track progress, and has mastered 3/4 of the things on the chart, but rest of the things have not been taught at all.

He cannot move to the next group up - they expect them to be able to swim across the pool without help. But how will he get there if this level does not teach him?  He really likes the lessons, and I feel bad if I pull him from something he is enjoying, but I got really frustrated watching him "learn" how to float for the 3rd time this summer today.

What is the norm for swim lessons? If you know anything about the Y, are they all arranged like this? I am wondering if I am expecting too much for inexpensive lessons.

[Deleted]

We do Red Cross lessons, which have 5 pre-school levels. So DS passed "sea otter" but he'll be stuck in "Salamander" until he can float and then be goes to "sunfish".

[hocus2]

I would ask the director why instruction can't be more differentiated. My kid is 5 and she also can't move up until she can swim a length on her own.

She swims with different kids but her instruction is always on her level. A good teacher can have kids working on different things at the same time or focusing on different elements of the same drill. For us the big issue is breathing -- my kid just can't figure out how to roll to her side so she pop up and breaks form and then can't get back into a swimming position. So when they're doing stroke work this her focus. Some of the kids are doing more basic work and others are just building up endurance to make it through a whole lap.

[origami]

I have never done Y lessons but at the place my kids are at (also preschoolers) it's a lot more individualized than what you describe. There are 4 kids/class and the instructor goes 1 by 1 asking the kid to do XYZ, and makes it more challenging based on what skills the kid has. Today, for example, they had to swim a "lap". But my kids can't swim so they had to use a floatie and learn to kick/paddle/put their faces in the water. Another kid in their group can swim so she worked on how to take a breath while swimming.

[cricketwife]

I would expect each session to restart from zero but I would also email the director to ask if all the skills will be included in the next session. We just had a very disappointing session with our last at the Y and I was very pleased with the response from the director to my feedback.

[6fsn]

Do you practice with him outside of lessons? My kids did a similar 2 wk session and we've just been working on those skills outside of class. One started with zero forward motion and can now manage 5' or so. She probably won't be across the pool by summer's end, but she's going to be getting closer.

[cjeanette]

That seems odd. Our city pool lessons have levels. So once a kid has mastered all the skills in one level they start teaching them new stuff.

[ilikedonuts]

Jul 7, 2015 15:26:23 GMT -5 origami said:

I have never done Y lessons but at the place my kids are at (also preschoolers) it's a lot more individualized than what you describe. There are 4 kids/class and the instructor goes 1 by 1 asking the kid to do XYZ, and makes it more challenging based on what skills the kid has. Today, for example, they had to swim a "lap". But my kids can't swim so they had to use a floatie and learn to kick/paddle/put their faces in the water. Another kid in their group can swim so she worked on how to take a breath while swimming.

This is how our swim school is. You could have a brand new kid in the lesson and a kid that is about to graduate that day, but the instructor goes through the entire list of what they need to know and just works on specifically what they need to work on for that skill and if they know it, they do the skill and immediately move on. They don't teach them to do something they already know how to do (outside of maybe a quick explanation for the whole class).

[lauralala]

Jul 7, 2015 15:29:05 GMT -5 6fsn said:

Do you practice with him outside of lessons? My kids did a similar 2 wk session and we've just been working on those skills outside of class. One started with zero forward motion and can now manage 5' or so. She probably won't be across the pool by summer's end, but she's going to be getting closer.

I've been working with him some, but I guess I will need to do more on my own.

I am going to talk to the person in charge tomorrow and ask if there is any way to differentiate instruction. If not, I will contact a couple of other Ys that are close by to see if they do it any differently. 

Thanks everyone for confirming that I am not way off base with what I want out of the lessons.

[curbsideprophet]

How many kids are in the class? I would start researching other options. Have you asked other parents where their kids take lessons?

[hermione]

Yes, 2 week sessions of the same class are going to be the same over and over. Our Y offers those or 6 week sessions which cover more things. They obviously cost more up front but are actually cheaper than three 2 week sessions. Is that an option?

[Deleted]

Our classes are like that. But I find the every day class is helping the kids master skills.
I plan on keeping her with these type of classes for summer and then paying more for better lessons. Otherwise she will have to do another year of not swimming yet.

[lauralala]

Jul 7, 2015 19:42:24 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

How many kids are in the class? I would start researching other options. Have you asked other parents where their kids take lessons?

The first session had 2 kids, the next had 6, this one has 4.  Enrollment is capped at 8 per class.

The only other parents I know with kids in swim lessons live too far away to go where they take their kids.  There are some classes through the parks department here that I may check into.

[lauralala]

Jul 7, 2015 20:15:20 GMT -5 hermione said:

Yes, 2 week sessions of the same class are going to be the same over and over. Our Y offers those or 6 week sessions which cover more things. They obviously cost more up front but are actually cheaper than three 2 week sessions. Is that an option?

I've checked all of the Ys that I would realistically go to (I'm in Houston, so there are quite a few), and they all just have 2 week sessions. I would absolutely enroll him in a longer session if that was an option.

[redheadk]

Jul 7, 2015 22:39:44 GMT -5 lauralala said:

Jul 7, 2015 20:15:20 GMT -5 hermione said:

Yes, 2 week sessions of the same class are going to be the same over and over. Our Y offers those or 6 week sessions which cover more things. They obviously cost more up front but are actually cheaper than three 2 week sessions. Is that an option?

I've checked all of the Ys that I would realistically go to (I'm in Houston, so there are quite a few), and they all just have 2 week sessions. I would absolutely enroll him in a longer session if that was an option.

Could you choose a new place? We are in the Houston area and there are a crazy number of swim lesson options where I am. Many are word of mouth, though, so you'll probably need to ask around. 

ETA: Where are you in Houston? Maybe some of the Houston MMMers could suggest something for you; there are tons of us and we're all spread out.

[curbsideprophet]

I am not from that area and know nothing about this program, but I would look for something like this

www.penguswimschool.com/index.html

ETA: this school seems to have its own facility, I would not expect that. Just something with various levels and longer sessions throughout the year.

[lauralala]

redheadk We are in Pasadena. There is a lot of stuff in the Clear Lake area or inside the loop, but I really don't want to drive 30 minutes each way for daily lessons. I don't know of anyone else in this part of town, but I'll happily take recommendations.

[redheadk]

You could try these:

walkerswimlessons.com

www.swimblast.org/SubTabGeneric.jsp?team=gubast&_stabid_=99720

www.theaquaticacademy.net

and there is an AquaTots in Pearland, not sure if that's feasible for you.

and I'd also look at any big fitness centers (like Lifetime or LA Fitness) and country clubs. Most country clubs around here offer swim lessons that are open to the public. The quality will vary but it might give you some options that work better for you.

[lauralala]

UPDATE: Maybe the staff at my Y reads GBCN, lol. When we went in today they had sorted kids by skill level and spent the entire session on new skills. I was really happy with how the lesson went, and DS did well with the new stuff - a win-win. Thanks for all the advice! I will probably finish out the summer where we are, and then decide if we want to go somewhere else the next time he takes lessons.