Soon it all starts up again. I am looking forward to long school days, because I feel like I get more breaks within them. I have enjoyed my busy social calendar, but it has taken its toll in some ways as well. I have enjoyed seeing my husband throughout the day which ends when the school year begins. I not looking forward dressing up everyday, but I am definitely looking forward to being dry and not being splashed in the face (have you noticed a theme for the summer?).
We have 2 more days of swim lessons, then I have 2 weeks off (which I will spend about 15 hours a day preparing for the upcoming school year ... I think I need medication). This was the first summer since we have moved back that we have not taken a vacation. I miss vacation...
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
The agonies of swim lesson instructors
The idea of teaching 6 hours a day as a summer job may seem appealing, but lets talk about the reality of being in the water that long and the wear and tear on your body.
At this point of the summer I have no hair on my arms, the chlorine has gotten rid of it for me. Unfortunately this does not work on your legs. Though the areas around my knees are hair free from the extensive time I spend crawling after kids in a foot-and-a-half of water. This part of the job also wears down my toenails, from the center out. After a couple of weeks, it hurts to wear shoes because they are so worn down. This year my toenail got caught in the non-slide mat on the ramp, and the the toenail fail off.
Don't get me wrong, I love teaching swim lessons, but I get splashed, scratched, hit, jumped on & pinched. And this summer, I have gotten my boobs grabbed and pinched more than any other summer I can remember (the other instructors have had this same problem as well).
Kids jump off of us and on us. I had one kid this summer that I couldn't let jump off the diving board anymore because I was afraid she would have bruises from my hands catching her right in the ribs to keep her from colliding with my face. But even worse is when they pinch your thighs with their toes when they are trying to jump off of you towards the wall. About the time that happened to me yesterday, I heard the female instructor next to me say "she got me right in the nuts," as her kid jumped off of her. I laughed so hard I almost peed in the pool.
Chlorine is not nice to your skin, hair, or your suit. My skin, especially on my face is raw, the rest always feels really tight. My hair is ridiculous. In the past I have tried every shampoo and conditioner known to man. I have tried putting watered-down conditioner in my hair before I get in the pool. I have tried keeping my hair dry (yeah right). My solution for the last few summers has worked, I cut my hair at the end of the summer.
I have to wear a polyester practice suit which is not attractive or comfortable. Why would I wear such a suit? Let's divide the answer to address the 2 main problems with the suit.
First let's address style: Because the kids can't pull it off of me, they are constantly pulling on the straps and the neckline of the suit, and I have had to fish a couple of kids hands and/or arms out of the front of my suit this summer.
The other problem is polyester. When you are in highly chlorinated water for 6 hours a day 5 days a week, it takes it's toll on spandex, they stretch out, and the elastic within the spandex breaks from wear and from being pulled on constantly.
Polyester does not stretch, add to that the possiblity that I may be allergic to it - as I am currently breaking out in a rash around the outline of the suit ... Let just say I am happy that we have one more week left. Hopefully my cheap-o, ugly, polyester suit I settled for half-way thru this summer will make it through the week!
At least now i teach indoors, and do not have the issues with the sun that I used to ... Be nice to swim lesson teachers
At this point of the summer I have no hair on my arms, the chlorine has gotten rid of it for me. Unfortunately this does not work on your legs. Though the areas around my knees are hair free from the extensive time I spend crawling after kids in a foot-and-a-half of water. This part of the job also wears down my toenails, from the center out. After a couple of weeks, it hurts to wear shoes because they are so worn down. This year my toenail got caught in the non-slide mat on the ramp, and the the toenail fail off.
Don't get me wrong, I love teaching swim lessons, but I get splashed, scratched, hit, jumped on & pinched. And this summer, I have gotten my boobs grabbed and pinched more than any other summer I can remember (the other instructors have had this same problem as well).
Kids jump off of us and on us. I had one kid this summer that I couldn't let jump off the diving board anymore because I was afraid she would have bruises from my hands catching her right in the ribs to keep her from colliding with my face. But even worse is when they pinch your thighs with their toes when they are trying to jump off of you towards the wall. About the time that happened to me yesterday, I heard the female instructor next to me say "she got me right in the nuts," as her kid jumped off of her. I laughed so hard I almost peed in the pool.
Chlorine is not nice to your skin, hair, or your suit. My skin, especially on my face is raw, the rest always feels really tight. My hair is ridiculous. In the past I have tried every shampoo and conditioner known to man. I have tried putting watered-down conditioner in my hair before I get in the pool. I have tried keeping my hair dry (yeah right). My solution for the last few summers has worked, I cut my hair at the end of the summer.
I have to wear a polyester practice suit which is not attractive or comfortable. Why would I wear such a suit? Let's divide the answer to address the 2 main problems with the suit.
First let's address style: Because the kids can't pull it off of me, they are constantly pulling on the straps and the neckline of the suit, and I have had to fish a couple of kids hands and/or arms out of the front of my suit this summer.
The other problem is polyester. When you are in highly chlorinated water for 6 hours a day 5 days a week, it takes it's toll on spandex, they stretch out, and the elastic within the spandex breaks from wear and from being pulled on constantly.
Polyester does not stretch, add to that the possiblity that I may be allergic to it - as I am currently breaking out in a rash around the outline of the suit ... Let just say I am happy that we have one more week left. Hopefully my cheap-o, ugly, polyester suit I settled for half-way thru this summer will make it through the week!
At least now i teach indoors, and do not have the issues with the sun that I used to ... Be nice to swim lesson teachers
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