WSA Core Curriculum

What should you do when a student has to go to the bathroom and it's about to be their turn to swim?

• Wait for them while they use the restroom

• Move onto swimming with the next student while they use the restroom

• Tell them they need to wait until aftter their turn to use the restroom

Answer explanation

It's best to keep class moving, allow your student to go to the restroom and pick up with the next student, once the first student is back from the bathroom it can be their turn next

What can you do if your private lesson consistently swims deep underwater and it's interrupting skills practice?

• Continue working on pizza arms/LTF/TTF and correcting them to stay up top

• Move on from the current skills and try something else

• Give time for deep swimming outside of skill practice using "if" and "then" statements

• Pull them from class and talk to the parent

Answer explanation

It's best to give your private lesson time to let these behaviors out so that it doesn't interrupt lessons, and your student is still able to do the behaviors/patterns that comfort them

You have a student that can float on their back independently but is struggling to stay independent with their backglide, what are they most likely struggling with?

• They are most likely struggling keeping their head back in correct position

• They are most likely struggling with the form of their kicks on their back

• They are most likely struggling keeping their hips up in correct position

Answer explanation

If a student is able to float independently but is struggling with moving while on their back, the form of their kick is most likely the culprit as that's the motion responsible for moving them through the water

You're having your student swim off the step to you, when they jump off before you have prompted them, how do you react?

• You take them back to the step, correct them, then practice the skill again

• You let them continue to swim to you and do not comment

• You make a quick comment to the student, and keep swimming

Answer explanation

It's important after giving corrections for skills to then giving students the opportunity to succeed and learn from their mistakes. And in times that students are being unsafe it's very important to correct and not reward them.

Your student has Spinal Bifida, so she doesn't have complete motor control over her legs, she is able to flutter kick but cannot do her elementary breaststroke kick

• Teach her Backglide, Backstroke, and Safety swim but don't teach CAS

• Teach her Backglide and Backstroke only

• Teach her Backglide, Backstroke, Safety swim, and CAS arms w/ flutter kick

Answer explanation

Since the student cannot do her breaststroke kick/elementary breaststroke kick it's important to make modifications to CAS so she can still learn part of the safety stroke. Because she is unable to learn breaststroke with the kick it's also important to teach safety swim so she knows a stroke with a recovery period.

You just got a new Clownfish student and are unsure of where they're at. What do you do first after bobs?

• Start swimming pizza arms and assess where they are at

• Start swimming their kicks with a noodle and assess where they are at

• Start swimming LTF/TTF and assess where they are at

• Start swimming their reaching arms and assess where they are at

Answer explanation

A student can say they've done their pizza arms before just because they've seen other students do it, and it can hurt the students feelings when you start with pizza arms but have to take it back to kicks with a noodle because they don't have proper breath control or kicks. That is why it's best to start with kicks w/noodle and assess if they need to keep working on that skill or are ready for pizza/streamline arms

Your new student can swim kicks w/noodle indep and blow bubbles with face in 5 sec, but they've never learned pizza arms. What's the next step?

• Introduce streamline arms, lifting face out for breath w/flutter kick

• Introduce Pizza arms with flutter kick

• Introduce Breaststroke

• Continue working on kicks with a noodle

Answer explanation

The typical progression is introducing streamline arms where the student lifts their face out of the water for breath w/flutter kick and working towards strong streamline arms and only needing assistance with breath before fully introducing pizza arms.

A student that's ok going underwater is fearful when you say you're going to glide into the step, how do you handle this?

• Do not have them glide into the step

• Use a parent or toy and encouragements like "swim into moms stinky feet"

• Tell them forcefully that they must glide into the step

Answer explanation

Even if students are hesitant, we always want to try using encouragement and any of the other tools you have in the pool room with you before conceding and not having the student do the skill. Of course if the student is extremely fearful you don't want to overly push them, but continue to read your student and push them when you can

Your Jellyfish student is whining and clinging to their parent at the step when it's their turn. How do you handle this?

• Do not say anything to the parent and skip their childs turn

• Spend extra time (eating into another students turn) at the step with them trying to get the student to willingly go swim

• Ask the parent if they're ok with you taking their student out to swim

Answer explanation

It's best to still try and swim with the student instead of skipping over their turn. If the parent is right there and their child is clinging to them, as the parent if they're comfortable taking their child and ensure them that you're comfortable doing so. If they say no, then work with the child at the step for their turn, if the parent says yes then take the child and start with things like swishes or silly faces to calm them down and build trust.

One of your shark students is repeatedly being physical with you and being unsafe, they have received multiple warnings, and you are feeling uncomfortable with the situation. What do you do next?

• Have the student sit at the wall out of the water, ask the float to remove the student from class and explain to parents what happened

• End your class for all students early

• Pause your class to remove the student and speak with parents

• Let the student continue to swim without repercussions

Answer explanation

It's best to have the class interrupted for the shortest amount of time possible, call the float over and briefly explain the situation and have them remove the problematic student from class and explain to parents, that way you can continue teaching your other students