Holiday Time Yay!

One of the things that I both love and hate about being a swimming teacher (at my pool at least) is that we follow school’s terms, so we get school holidays off. So, lots of holiday time yay!

NO!

Not Yay!

It always means so much time without money! The two weeks’ holidays during the year is normally okay, as often we run a holiday program so it technically only means one week without money, but it is the Christmas break that absolutely kills me every year. We get about five weeks off, from before Christmas to nearly the end of January.

This is the time of year where the most money is spent, on presents and then at the boxing day sales...this is the worst possible time to not be working. It is where I need to be working the most!

I need the break for my skin, hair and general wellbeing to recover from the high chlorine exposure and the troublesome children I need to teach.

It is, what, new year’s? So, I am only two weeks into my break, three more weeks to go, and I am already struggling with my budgeting. I worked extra, and planned for this, but really, what kind of teenager is actually capable of sticking to these plans especially when I am trying to maintain some kind of social life?

Every year I try and do the whole Christmas casual thing, but every year I fail again and again. No one wants to hire an old teenager (far too expensive) with no experience (on the slight chance they would pay, they don't want to be training that someone). And I’m far too loyal to my current workplace to consider working for another swimming school, a few weeks a year, just for the extra $$$$.

And so, the cycle goes around and around and I never actually solve anything...fun times, right?

Happy New Year!

Something to look forward to

Now, I really do not like my Sunday shift. I’ll just put that out there straight away. And ever since I decided to drop Sundays (mainly so I could get my weekends back) I have had zero motivation to teach those classes. There are exactly two children in my entire shift whom I enjoy teaching and might actually miss when the term ends.

They also happen to be the only two in their class.

So, these two little boys, preschoolers, are in my very last class, which is good because it’s something to look forward to during the horror which is the rest of my shift. But when I went to that class today, there were five children sitting on the edge.

Now, I know you can do the Maths. That’s only three extra children. But when it comes to swimming class size, it makes a huge difference. The first few minutes of that class was very stressful, trying to figure out where these children came from and where they were supposed to be! Because those three kids did not belong in that class.

Eventually all the children were sorted into their correct classes and such, but it was such a bummer. That is my favourite class of the shift and it being ruined just messes up the whole day, and I go home on a bad note rather than a positive one. L

My two favourites swam beautifully and were wonderfully cheeky but I could not enjoy it because my head was in a space of fluster and discontent.

The only thing I can think of to describe it is:

ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHUUUGHH

The Open Window

It was in the middle of a swimming lesson when it happened. Our pool area has a wall where there are windows that open low down on the wall. They have no fly screen so they literally open to air.

One day, this kid decided to sit on the open window because it was hot and they obviously wanted some cool breeze, so no one thought it was odd or anything. Totally a common occurrence.

I was teaching my class which just happened to be right near the window when, suddenly, the kid sitting on the window slips and falls and disappears out of the pool area.

I look around to see if anyone's noticed, surely the child’s parents are going to jump up and panic and save the day.

But no one moves.

No one evens blink’s an eye.

There is not one person who notices that a child has just fallen out of the window!

So, I do a quick survey to make sure my class is under control, and I get out and walk to towards the window.

I stick my head through the open gap and see the child, laying there stunned on the ground. Not thinking clearly – I’m stunned too – I reach down, pick him up by the shirt and drag him back up through the window.

Everyone’s eyes are on me, wondering why on earth I'm out of the pool. Now that he is back inside his parents finally notice the disturbance and come over. I am pretty sure I didn't even get a thank you.

I can see the people on deck coming over to see what happened.

How am I going to explain this one...