The moment I clapped eyes on my friend’s daughter in her underwater photo, I knew I wanted my son to be a Water Baby. At the end of his first lesson, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. That was 7 years ago.
Having always been involved in the swimming world and living on the beautiful Dorset coast, I knew I wanted my son to be confident and safe in the water. For me, a Water Babies lesson encompassed everything I was looking for in a baby class. Sensory, singing, movement, physical activity, and add to that a lifelong, lifesaving skill. It was a no brainer. When they advertised for a teacher I was on it right away. No doubt in my mind this is what I was meant to do. I had the most amazing people around me who supported and inspired me.
The training was intense, as it should be. It was a wonderful experience I will never forget. I slept a fair bit when I got home! I instantly felt like I had gained an extended family. They tell us we are the best trained teachers in the world, and I can well believe it. It gave me a complete toolbox to go and teach my first classes with confidence. Those children are now in years 2 and 3 at school!! And that's the thing I love the most. From dipping their tiny toes in the water at just a few weeks or months old, to waving them off with (lots) of happy tears at the end of their last lesson, confident, safe swimmers.
A pre covid last lesson with one of my wonderful swimmers who graduated after more than 4 years with me.
I am a proud mummy to 5 of my own, 2 girls and 3 boys, ranging from 21 all the way down to 2 years old, with my 3 smallest either past or current Water Babies, and 2021 will afford me the new challenge of teaching two of my own babies to swim whilst teaching maternity cover. Let's hope they listen to mummy in the pool more than they do at home!
Harry and Charlotte eager to get to their first lesson back after lockdown 1.0
During lockdown, I missed my swimmers terribly. In amongst juggling teenagers, toddlers and home schooling, I threw myself into making videos for our little Dorset and Salisbury babies. I was either recruiting two of my Water Babies, Harry and Charlotte as demonstrators in the bath tub, or getting
together with colleagues to do some fun videos to show our families how much we were missing them, with some questionable dance moves at times!
With all my own Water Babies, teaching pre covid and creating video content during lockdown.
I love to focus on fun and throw everything I have into my lessons, as I fully endorse that our little ones learn when they are enjoying themselves. I love to watch parents bonding with their little ones in the water, and the proud expressions on their faces watching them achieve their milestones in and out of the pool.
And that thing that gave me the Water Babies bug in the first place? That photo; I now get to dip these beautiful babies for their own photos at our wonderful underwater photo shoots, helping to provide lasting memories for our families.
Water Babies has given me a career, a passion and lifelong friends in colleagues and the families I teach.
I love my job. In fact it doesn't really feel like a job, because who feels like its work when you love what you do from the inside out?