The not-so-secret life of a swimming instructor

I’m going to get you as swimming instructor," my coach told me around March last year. But it was only this summer that I seriously took his offer. Since I have long given up my store in Greenhills, I was free to do other things so I might as well give this swim-instructor thingy a go.

Before, I was on the other side of the lane, just swimming, following the workout my coach would give me. And between workouts, during a brief rest, I’d glance at the other side of the pool and watch the swimming instructors deal with kids of all shapes and sizes who were beginning to learn how swim. Some were crying, playing, being adorable, and others did not even want to touch the water. I did not pay attention back then but I was a bit glad I was not in their shoes. But not anymore.

With a sinister laugh, my coach Anthony Lozada of the Bert Lozada Swim School would jokingly say I’d finally get a taste of how it was to be on the other side of the pool. I’d know what it’s like to teach and coach – the profession that they have been doing for years. Before, it was us who were giving our coach or the instructor pain, especially if some of us were hardheaded. It’s the kids that I am afraid of, now that I’m at the receiving end. What freaks me out is seeing a kid getting hysterical because he is afraid of the water. It really does take a certain kind of skill and talent to handle kids, and I must say it is not that easy to master.

And we are not even talking about the parents of the kids you are teaching. The parents add to the pressure since they’re there watching like a hawk if you are teaching their kids right, especially in the area where I am assigned to. You know how some Alabang people can be, and they can be really finicky. They’re what you call super moms – meticulous, obsessed with parenting, vigilant.

For some people, especially guys who are not really patient, it is tempting to just throw the kid into the water and leave him to float. But of course, this is considered a big no-no today.

I could not help but feel jumpy days before we started teaching. I jokingly – but at the same time serious – begged my coach that I would rather do 1,000-meter butterfly stroke (and for us swimmers that is sheer torture already) rather than teach kids. Do not get me wrong. I love kids. It is just that I never thought I would be this hands-on with them – a pre-school teacher in water, so to speak.

Actually it is kinda hard to find guys around my age who are not really "allergic" to kids; for guys are interested in other stuff (let your imagination wonder on what these "stuff" are).

Despite the jitters, I decided to take the challenge since the profession is different. It would also be interesting to interact with kids and know what goes on in their minds. Also, the older swimmers have this huge advantage to become instructors since we know firsthand what these future swimmers are going through and know how to deal with them. In a way, it’s handing down some pool wisdom, passing some things that one might have failed to do back when they were young. At the same time, it feels nice to encourage kids to join sports at an early age.

And being an instructor can really be handy. The pay for swimmers-turned-instructors is also quite appeasing. While dealing with kids, one’s patience is tested and once you have mastered it, you feel a newly acquired sense of control when dealing with people your age whose line of thinking is no different from the kids you are teaching.

I have been doing this for a month now. While some got their summer tan by gallivanting on the beach, I got mine at work. Thankfully, I do not have any annoying brats as students, though some can be a bit obnoxious – but this befits any age. However, teaching can indeed be draining and definitely needs a whole lot of patience. Moreover, one has to be able to get to the level of the kids. Talk as simply as possible so they can understand and it is not as easy as it may seem. And one has to understand that they may not be able to quickly pick up the things one is teaching them.

Teaching kids, I suddenly had flashbacks of my own days as a child taking swimming lessons. Mine was different, I was five years old, scared out of my wits of the water, and all I did was cling to my teacher’s neck, crying for my yaya. I did not learn anything back then till I was nine. And now as I recall everything again, I cannot help but think what I was thinking back then – and I bet as these kids grow older and become swimmers as well, they would probably think the same thing.

But children today are way different from the bygone era of my childhood. Back then children were easily put in their place, easily scared and intimidated. They just follow what their instructors tell them without any questions. Kids today are more empowered. "Smart ass," I like to call it, one can hear the wittiest of lines from kids. They’re no longer scared if they have a point to blurt out before you, a grownup. Sometimes these kids talk like adults already, they mature quite fast. I even have a four-year-old student who was so talkative he was already talking straight telling me how he loved his Ninja Turtle toys. These four-year-olds are no longer scared of the water they would even tell you, "You don’t have to hold me, thank you," in straight English, and I would just watch them swim underwater.

One time, I was already having a conversation about weight loss with an eight-year-old student because he wanted to get rid of his baby fat. All I said with a laugh was, "Just lessen the soft drinks." Dealing with kids can be a most interesting profession, though I still feel a bit weird when they call me "Teacher Jay Jay." It can be insightful, and I would not mind doing this next summer, though the good thing about the Bert Lozada Swim School is that it is a year-round thing. Students do not just pop up during the summer and vanish when summer ends. But being an instructor is no easy job. One learns a bit of wisdom a lot of people your age might lack.

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E-mail the author at ketsupluis@gmail.com or ketsupluis@bedista.com. For inquiries regarding the Bert Lozada Swim School, conatact 563-5532 or 800-0753.