To start, I am a parent who is a former swim instructor, and collegiate swimmer/waterpolo player,…read moreFor the most part we've had relatively decent experiences and fun here, however, this year my twin daughters were placed with a terrible instructor, EVEREST, who repeatedly left one of my daughters floundering and struggling to swim without instruction each day due to constant socialization and egomaniacal behavior, he absolutely loves to talk about himself or just hear himself talk in general to the point he ignores the class about 65% of the lesson! He does make momentary attention for the boys in class but if you have a daughter, DO NOT allow Everest to be your instructor! He lacks any type of compassion, empathy and the ability to work with students in various and dexterous ways to help THEM learn. He speaks to both students and parents with a passive aggressive and condescending tones and tried to take students who barely can swim and force them into a 50M swim without life jackets. He did not comprehend that he was instilling a lack of confidence and a trauma response as a result, which is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what this swim program is supposed to be teaching. All other teachers have been relatively kind and supportive to my children learning to swim, but Everest is rude and disrespectful towards parents and even children in his class. When we asked to level down, he also refused and wouldn't allow my child to level down, forcing her to stay in a class she was struggling in. Passive aggressive commentary is STILL AGGRESSIVE and VIOLENT!
***EDIT, Session 2: female teacher (Andrea) has to constantly remind male teachers to stop socializing with other teachers and lifeguards on duty and to participate in teaching class. She seemed (in the midst of instruction) to mention aloud to the male teachers that some online page discussed the instructors over-socializing during instruction hours and that they should be helping her instead of talking. The aquatic facility doesn't use a specific or Red Cross approved swim curriculum or doesn't seem to supply certificates that indicate that information. Teachers and aquatic program aren't specifying what skills students are learning in lessons nor what they are in the progress of learning. I find it very concerning that so many male teachers are constantly socializing or taking away from the ability of other teachers to instruct classes appropriately. Seems like the local swim program is rather archaic or lacks what major swim and aquatic programs around the nation regularly offer! Most swim programs we have frequented or been apart of, especially in places like Southern California, where swimming lessons and aquatic programs are highly valued and are rather prevalent athletic programs, typically most require the pool and aquatic programs to work alongside basic Red Cross swim lesson standards and supply a curriculum and proper certification for them to work with in terms of juvenile swim lessons.
It's HIGHLY important that our LOCAL aquatic program here in The Dalles is properly educating our local children especially with regular access to
the mighty Columbia River so close by! It would be nice to see our local swimming pool uphold these standards that make our children safe under the supervision of teachers and lifeguards that are actually responsible and fully competent when paying attention and teaching survival swimming skills! There is far too much socializing taking place amongst swim teachers and lifeguards(especially male teachers and lifeguards) at this pool!
Strange also seeing 3-4 teachers per class when there's only 5-6 students to begin with! As a former instructor of large swim programs in the San Luis Obispo, California region, both a former leader of communal and collegiate programs, I would suggest that if you were to reduce teacher size to student ratio, swim teachers would become more focused on children rather than socializing! One teacher to 5 students (1:5) is typically an appropriate class to teacher instruction ratio! You don't need 3 teachers for 5 students, as that obviously results in too many instructors with nothing to do, or not enough teachers being appropriately involved in teaching the class...if 3 teachers are always in the class, then students should be excelling at much quicker paces then they presently are! It's distracting and disappointing as a parent to see one teacher teaching and two others standing off to the side talking and semi-engaging in the class when it's convenient for them...maybe more classes need to be offered to employ the instructors that are stragglers or maybe less instructors need to be employed and therefore allocating and preserving those extra financial resources that would potentially improve the facility with newer features and water slides instead...?
