What a difference a week makes!

Meet Beverly. She is in charge of the swim program at our pool. Beverly was a pre-school teacher for 25 years. She has an amazing way with children. She doesn't flinch when a child is screaming at the top of it's lungs in her ear. She speaks calmly to them getting them to practice what swim skill they are working on.

I'm telling you about Beverly because Signe got to spend a week of daily lessons with her and it changed the way she swims. Signe's regular instructors were on vacation and Beverly took over the class. We are very familiar with Beverly because she also teaches the parent & child class we take with Anni. Signe tags along, but the class is mostly about infants.

On the first day, I saw a major change. Beverly got Signe to stick her head under water. Until then, if she went underwater, it was largely forced and she objected quite LOUDLY! That seems to be the turning point. Beverly asked her to hold the edge of the pool and bend her knees and put her head in the water. AND SHE DID! From then on, Signe seemed to acquire a new skill daily.

Then after about a week of cold weather, we went to the pool. On the way there she announced in the car, " I'm going to cannon ball into the pool." And when we got there she did. Then she began swimming underwater. Each time we went to the pool, she seemed to try something new and to swim better. BUT she still doesn't want to go off the diving board.