When the Going Gets Tough...

Will has been taking swimming lessons since he was 9 months old.  I had wanted to take a Mommy & Me class when he was a baby and we continued each season afterwards.  Last session, he was a 'Blue Fish' and the class focused on practicing basic skills like kicking, paddling, going underwater, etc.  The kids dove for rings, kicked across half the pool and swam through hula hoops.  At the end of the last session, his instructor recommended that I move him up to the next level-- 'Sea Lion'.

Today was our first Sea Lion class.  We arrived at the pool and I accompanied Will to the steps to introduce him to his teacher.  Without smiling, she instructed him to get in the pool and told me that the parents were to stand behind the gate.  There were two other kids in his class-- both of them were about five years old-- and they seemed to tower over Will.  I watched as he swam (with flotation devices) the length of the pool, back and forth, over and over again.  She had them doing various exercises-- putting their heads in the water, swimming on their backs, paddling their arms, etc.  I was amazed at how well Will was doing, but I could tell he was struggling and half-way through, I could tell he was exhausted.  His teacher wasn't mean, but not exactly nice either.  She was down-to-business, working these kids like they were future olympians.  

During the second half of the class, she had the kids jumping into the water, surfacing and then swimming the width of the pool.  Will was following her instructions and keeping up okay, but he started looking more and more uncomfortable.  He swallowed water a few times, was coughing, and I thought he might give up and come over to me.  But ultimately, he made it through.

When the lesson was over, the teacher gave each student a high-five a sent them to find their parents.  Will came over and I greeted him with a big hug and a warm towel and I told him how proud I was of him.  He began bawling immediately.  I kept praising him and telling him how great he did.  Normally 'sailing though' swim class, he wasn't used to putting forth such an effort.  He also wasn't used to such a cranky-ass no-nonsense teacher.  All of his former teachers have been smiley, happy and encouraging and his previous lessons were more like playing and less like work.  

Driving home, I was reflecting on the lesson and my options.  I could leave Will in this class, return next week (after building him up and encouraging him for the next six days) and finish out the session OR I could transfer him into another class with a different instructor.  While I think he might have more fun in a different class, I honestly believe that his skills will improve so much more quickly in his current class.  I also think an experience like this could help 'toughen him up' a little.  But then again, we signed him up for swimming so that he could become competent in the water and have fun.  His competency would increase with any instructor, is it necessary to push him so hard?

I'm thinking it over.  What do you think?