Floating high

There has been so many occasions where parents have been teaching children to swim recently but a common core seems to be emerging; do it my way as I tell you and keep those floats on your arms because I am scared you might go under and if you do you might not like it and I know you wont because I didn’t when I was young… the list goes on but one thing became very apparent, we make the assumption we know best, we presume the child will be able to do it exactly as we expect.
Mm, but do they?
One Sunday the pool was heaving with such situations and I watched as one proud dad taught his daughter to swim; the only problem was the arm bands physically prevented her moving her arms in the way she needed to gain forward propulsion and the float suit kept her legs down so she didn’t get the feel of kicking with her legs. In fact she didn’t use her legs at all. The dad was getting progressively more frustrated as she failed to do as he was saying but what was the gain for her, she was already floating, was within two inches of her dad and was as safe as houses.
I turned away only to be greeted by a three year old splashing its way from the edge to its dad, dad close enough to pluck her out of the water but far enough away to give her that independent feel. Goggles and grins, splutters and whoops she doggy-paddled with gusto landing in his arms with a happy cry. Bounces and laughter as she slipped under the water only to surface again and splash her dad for letting her get her hair wet again. The difference was amazing and as a direct result of the way the child had been presented with learning new things; one protective and away from anything which could be new and frightening and the other towards the newness with excitement it is new, and the pleasure of working it al out.
Who, I wonder would be the one in the classroom who would have ago at something just to find out if they could do it and who would be the one who would sit there and get the teaching assistant to do it for them?