Miller Swim School blog

Thursday, April 06, 2023 by sarah

7 Things I have learned as a Swim Instructor

For most of my job I am in the water and teaching children ages 4months-14 years old to swim and be comfortable in the water. This job and these kids have taught me so much about myself and about life.

  1. If I don’t put my face in, I can’t sink! – A 4-year-old student

Simple enough right? Comments like this always make me laugh a little because I mean, you’re not wrong!  To me, though this means so much more, it means that in life you need balance. For example, you can put your face in and not sink if you are floating and balancing yourself. However, if you lift up your head it throws off your balance and as a result, you will sink! Life without balance is chaos, and without that balance, you can drown in your own life.

  1. A small achievement is still an achievement.

I remember when I first started working here and being so excited when one of my 3-year old swimmers finally went underwater without crying. As adults, most of us are like “big deal, they went underwater, I basically do that every time I shower”. But for me and that little girl, THAT WAS THE BEST THING TO HAPPEN ALL DAY. I was so proud of her and she was so proud of herself. No matter what the win, a win is a win, and those small achievements keep encouraging us to strive for the next win.

  1. We can(‘t) swim in the blackness

This life lesson was taught to me when a little boy came up to me at the beginning of his 7pm lesson and said he couldn’t swim in the blackness outside. He was so upset it was night time and he told me he just didn’t want to be here. I had to remind him how much fun swimming can be and that even though it’s dark outside doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. Sometimes we find ourselves is a dark space and we need to find some sunshine to keep going, we can swim through the blackness.

  1. There are monsters in the deep end

Little kids can sometimes be really worried about going to the deep end. To them it can be scary when they can’t touch, neither can their instructor, oh and the monsters. The unknown can be very scary, but you can’t let that keep you from fully living.

  1. You just gotta get your hair wet sometimes, ya know?

This was a little girls response to me one day when I was trying really hard to not get my hair wet. There are days when your hair is just somehow perfect (moms I know you know what I mean) and you just cannot stand the idea of getting it wet. In life things never exactly according to plan, and you end up having to do things that you didn’t initially want to do. But let me tell you a secret, that is usually when the best experiences, memories and results happen.

  1. When I wear my mermaid, swimsuit I can swim the bestest!

Well of course if you’re dressed like a mermaid you’re going to be the best!! What I took from this was that when you look good, you feel good, and when you feel like you look good you’re going to do even better. Remember, to do things for yourself. You and your mental health are important, so don’t forget to take care of yourself.

  1. Kids see the world differently than adults

The view that most kids have of the world is such a breath of fresh air. Your kids are what make coming to work everyday so fun. There’s no talk about politics or global warming. For that time, I’m at work I get to be a kid too, and I get to talk about mermaids, Paw Patrol, and if there really are sharks in the deep end. As we get older, we tend to lose that carefree view on the world, but I challenge you to find your inner kid. Forget about the world and its problems for just little bit and just be a kid with your kids. It may surprise you how relaxing and rejuvenating it can be to let your inner kid shine!

- Ms Skye