All of the students sat on the edge, as the teachers began their "speckled frogs" song, which they use to coax everyone into the water to initially get them wet. Grant wasn't up for that today at all. He immediately began to cry (he'd been fine in previous lessons that week). I knew he was tired and thought that the teacher would be patient with him, since he was little. Well... she proceeded to ask him to stick his face in the water and let him down into it. He can barely touch in the shallow end... and she let him down quickly enough that he gulped a bit of water. This made him cry more. Then... she proceeded to say, "Grant, stop crying. Stop crying or I will dunk you. I'm going to stick you under the water if you don't stop!" He started wailing after that one, and I took him out of the pool. So far, Mom is doing a good job at staying calm...
Ivan, still in the class, was doing fine... for a while. Halfway through, they went to the deep end. He had a floaty belt around his waist and they were having him swim back and forth between them. He did fine for a while and then began to panic. The teacher was encouraging him for a bit, that was good... she didn't give in right away. Then... he started going under, panicking more, and I could see fear setting in. She didn't budge... and Ivan lost it. He was done...
The last five minutes of class, they allow the children to pick a toy and play in the shallow end. Ivan wanted to join the class for this part... The teacher said, "You can join, if you try to swim once more... or go down the slide." He was still recovering and didn't want to. So far, fine... I agreed with the teacher - no trying, no playing! ... then... she picked him up and dropped him into the water. He flipped out... and Mom had had enough by then. ...still keeping my cool though...
I had a friend take them inside to change out of their wet clothes, and went back to the pool to talk with the instructor. She is a teenager, and I think just didn't really know how far was too far... especially with the younger kids. She pretty much didn't understand... or didn't care... not sure. She said that she does that with all the kids and it's fine... they usually come around. I said that all kids are not the same, and being that Ivan and Grant are the youngest in the class... they may never swim with her again.
Maybe next year...
Mary was a good little spectator and brother-supporter through it all!
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