- Sep 5, 2000
- 13,897
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Ok, this may seem strange but this is coming from a 17 year old. My summer job as a swim instructor isn't the best job but I do it because I like it but I just want you guys to realize a few things.
Be nice to the teenagers taking care of your kids, instructing your kids and things like that. You live with children, you know how even the best kids can get sometimes. Take that, throw them in a situation that's horribly uncomfortable to them (5 year old who is afraid of the water in a swim lesson or a kid afraid of being left without mom and dad going to day camp) and multiply it by however many kids are in the class or group. As you can see, these kids put up with alot.
I've been teaching these lessons for about 4 years now, I'm one of the more senior instructors and I know what can make or break the instructor's day. Just having the parent say thanks at the end of the lesson has more power than you think. Some parents realize we're trying to teach their children using experience they don't have and may be working 8 hour days lifting kids in and out of the water (you don't think those kids are heavy until you hit the 6th or 7th hour, then your arms are about to fall off) and are trying to do it with a smile while having about 20 parents staring down at you the whole time.
That actually freaks me out, you don't know what the parents are thinking if they are standing there grim faced looking at you when you're trying to show their kid something, you can feel them watching you. Please sit down or smile so we know you aren't sitting up there thinking to yourself how bad a job we're doing, we're self conscious like that.
Anyways, back to the thank you, us teenagers work hard and get beat on a bit by the kids. In swim lessons kids kick, alot. I've been nailed in the groin more times than I liked to remember, you know how hard it is to keep from grimacing, yelling at the kid or swearing? It's not the best part of the job but I'll tell you what is.
I taught this brother and sister for about 2 weeks, I didn't think it was anything special but the last day they came back after drying off with two boxes. Their mother had taken them to the mall and suggested they each pick out something for me. It made my day, it was small but it showed what I had done was appreciated.
I'm not saying you have to go get gifts or bake us food (even though swim instructors REALLY like food) but just saying thanks at the end of a lesson, asking if you should have the kids try something while your on vacation swimming, it just shows you care.
Thanks for listening to me, wish you a good summer.
Be nice to the teenagers taking care of your kids, instructing your kids and things like that. You live with children, you know how even the best kids can get sometimes. Take that, throw them in a situation that's horribly uncomfortable to them (5 year old who is afraid of the water in a swim lesson or a kid afraid of being left without mom and dad going to day camp) and multiply it by however many kids are in the class or group. As you can see, these kids put up with alot.
I've been teaching these lessons for about 4 years now, I'm one of the more senior instructors and I know what can make or break the instructor's day. Just having the parent say thanks at the end of the lesson has more power than you think. Some parents realize we're trying to teach their children using experience they don't have and may be working 8 hour days lifting kids in and out of the water (you don't think those kids are heavy until you hit the 6th or 7th hour, then your arms are about to fall off) and are trying to do it with a smile while having about 20 parents staring down at you the whole time.
That actually freaks me out, you don't know what the parents are thinking if they are standing there grim faced looking at you when you're trying to show their kid something, you can feel them watching you. Please sit down or smile so we know you aren't sitting up there thinking to yourself how bad a job we're doing, we're self conscious like that.
Anyways, back to the thank you, us teenagers work hard and get beat on a bit by the kids. In swim lessons kids kick, alot. I've been nailed in the groin more times than I liked to remember, you know how hard it is to keep from grimacing, yelling at the kid or swearing? It's not the best part of the job but I'll tell you what is.
I taught this brother and sister for about 2 weeks, I didn't think it was anything special but the last day they came back after drying off with two boxes. Their mother had taken them to the mall and suggested they each pick out something for me. It made my day, it was small but it showed what I had done was appreciated.
I'm not saying you have to go get gifts or bake us food (even though swim instructors REALLY like food) but just saying thanks at the end of a lesson, asking if you should have the kids try something while your on vacation swimming, it just shows you care.
Thanks for listening to me, wish you a good summer.
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