Empowering others has been a central theme in my journey as the owner of In The Deep. Over the past twenty years, I've faced many challenges in empowering both my team of teachers, and their swim school students. It could be a young child learning to swim. Or, it could be a new teacher finding their footing. The process needs patience, talking, and support. Through trial and error, I've found key strategies. They've helped me work through these challenges. They help to create an empowering culture. Here are ten lessons I've learned on how to empower others effectively.
July 2, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
Empowering Others: Ten Lessons
December 14, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.
From fearful to bright-eyed: How to help kids overcome their fears of the water.
Our core philosophy at In The Deep is creating a beautifully relaxed relationship with the water, free from fear. We're often asked, how to help kids overcome their fears of the water? The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Every child is different, so when they're fearful, we search for their unique 'magic switch' – finding the thing we can do to switch their struggle to success! Read more
October 19, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.
How we create an empowering learning environment for our kids swim lessons.
In the world of kids swim lessons, the phrase "slow and steady wins the race" couldn't be more accurate. Slowing down our swimming lessons and breaking them into carefully structured progressions is the key to creating an empowering learning environment for kids.
June 28, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.
4 reasons why HOW you learn to swim is as important as why you learn in the first place.
I think we all agree that everybody needs to learn to swim.
At In The Deep though, HOW we learn to swim is as important as learning in the first place.
It's not about staying on top of the water, rushing to the nearest wall or person to catch our breath and avoid sinking. It's also not about focusing solely on the safety and strokes aspect that reinforces the – outdated idea – that freestyle = swimming. Dog paddling and adding overarms, like so many outdated learn to swim programs, for us that's a big no!
Here in Sydney, a city surrounded by and obsessed with water, we exist to help kids form a far deeper connection to the water. One of joy, creativity, discovery and ease that can be found – beneath the surface.
April 1, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.
Making a Splash: The Surprising Ways Swimming Lessons Benefit Kids Beyond the Pool
Learning to swim in Australia is often thought of as a safety and survival skill, but we're very much of the philosophy that it's so much more than that. Here at In The Deep, swimming is thought of as a lifelong pursuit that has a positive impact on a child, physically, psychologically, emotionally, and behaviourally – a holistic opportunity for health and wellbeing that extends beyond the pool. Let's explore some of the ways in which swimming lessons can benefit kids.
December 19, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.
Want your child to feel comfortable in water? Here’s how.
A common question at our swim school is "When will I see her doing strokes?" If you pause to think about your child learning to swim, what is it you visualise? Most likely, they're swimming freestyle, independently, with confidence through the water. But for this to happen, and for your child to feel comfortable in water, there's quite a bit of behind-the-scenes work to get them there.
July 29, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.
Five MORE lessons about leadership I’ve learnt from teaching kids to swim.
Learning leadership skills can start in the most unexpected of places; of teaching a child to swim.
In last month’s article I explored how teaching kids to swim holds a lot of key lessons in leading my team. Here, I share another five lessons on leadership I've learnt in my two decades of teaching kids to swim.
June 30, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.
Five lessons about leadership I’ve learnt from teaching kids to swim.
Teaching kids to swim has taken me to surprising places in my life, and none more rewarding than learning the art of leadership. It’ll help you develop the soft skills companies and organisations are crying out for. Teaching kids the complex skill of swimming requires good communication, adaptability, creativity, problem-solving, and behavioural management.
Communication and confidence are skills that kids push you to develop because they’re a tough audience – they’re hard to win over, and will be distracted. You’re compelled to engage with them on their level and help them overcome their fears. If you can master a classroom in the water, those well-honed (and increasingly rare) soft skills will help you land your dream–gig! Although you may fall in love with the water, and want to stay, #lovemyjob!
June 1, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.
Going under this thing called water.
How we teach kids to overcome the fear of going under the water.
Swimming without going under the water is a big mistake. Until you fully immerse yourself in water, there's a barrier holding you back from experiencing it's wonders.
We see this with kids who've yet to put their face under the water. Kids know it's supposed to be fun, but there's also apprehension and fear. It's evident even if they've been relying on floatation devices to keep them propped above it. This isn't swimming. Until you go under the water, you're missing out on the joy of being free. Of learning to trust it, keeping a barrier between you and the water in place.
February 25, 2021 — Comments are off for this post.
From streamlined fins to growing wings!
In recent years, I had noticed our newer teachers trying to get through what felt to them as an overwhelming amount to teach in thirty minutes. With their confidence lost, I knew I needed to make it easier for them. We're always adapting and re-modelling here at In The Deep Swim School; soaking in feedback from parents, concerns from teachers and constantly asking ourselves what small changes can we make that'll have the biggest impact on the school. An overarching, repeating theme began to appear while we were making ongoing, smaller adjustments; taking the time is key.
