Teaching kids is one thing, but teaching them in pool while their parents watch is quite another.
1. Time management
I have thirty minutes to teach these kids new skills, help them improve those skills, and give their parents their money's worth. No biggie.
2. Responsibility
For a lot of the kids I teach, their lives are literally in my hands. If they aren't water-safe, it's my responsibility to make sure I get them out of the pools safe, sound, and hopefully not too traumatized by the experience.
3. A magical feature of chlorine
One misconception people have about my job is that my skin must get destroyed. In reality, being in a pool for eight hours a day, five days a week leaves my skin feeling like a baby's butt. Apparently chlorine is a great moisturizer. Or maybe it just completely disintegrates all the dead skin. Either way, I'm not complaining.
4. Punctuality
Being on time is always important. While some jobs you can get away with being a few minutes late, most of my kids are ready to get in the pool the moment their lesson starts. If I'm late, I'm wasting their thirty minutes and that's a big no-no.
5. Your coworkers can be like family
My boss calls us a family and we are. We even have a dog. Spending copious amounts of time trapped in a small pool together really brings people together. We bond over bratty kids, cute bathing suits, and the peanut butter pretzels that are in the break room.
6. How to lie
Sometimes (a lot of the time) lessons don't go smoothly. But I can't tell my parents that their kid spent the entire lesson scratching me and completely ignoring my instructions, so I have to lie through my smile and say that despite some bumps, they did fine. Then there's the kids -- will their parents immediately take them out of the pool the moment they stop crying? Is there really a baby in the office who will wake up if you scream? Are there really fishies in the pool and crabs that will pinch your feet if you don't kick? You decide.
7. Another magical feature of chlorine
Societal standards require me to keep my legs shaved, especially if I'm going to be walking around in a bathing suit. But chlorine has my back. Not only does it bleach my hair so you can't see it anyways, it literally just burns it off I think. My legs are smooth, no razor required.
8. How to hold your bladder and then pee without taking your suit off in less than 30 seconds
Time is money, but sometimes a kid lands a kick right in your bladder and suddenly you can't make it til the end of the shift anymore. Sure, I could just go in the pool like all the kids do…
9. Time warps are a thing
Thirty minutes is thirty minutes right? Then explain how the last five minutes of a shift can last longer than the whole other three hours and fifty-five minutes. Or how the thirty minute break you get if a kid doesn't show up lasts about five seconds.
10. Patience
Above all, this job has taught me patience. Patience with stubborn kids, uptight parents, and stepping on toys on the bottom of the pool.
I absolutely adore my job, with all its ups and downs. The work might be tough, and I usually come home absolutely exhausted, but I come into work each day with a genuine smile on my face.
