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Essay / Swimming for Autistic Kids
The crystal clear water was rippled after all the kids started jumping in it. The kids all came in through the back door and couldn't wait to get their turn to get into the pool. All nine lanes were filled with kids who, for some reason, couldn't wait to finish their swimming lessons. Those who teach these children the skills they will use throughout their lives sit patiently in their lines waiting for their children to arrive. Children from 18 months to 12 years old, boys and girls, roam the pool. I sit in lane 9, patiently waiting for my last child of the day to arrive. On any other Sunday I would have been home by now, but that Sunday I was asked to stay an extra two hours to teach swimming lessons. So far I have been teaching for about two months and I love my job. I participate in children's lives by teaching them useful skills. Like everyone else, we are all relatively new to teaching. Through the window, I can see my next student. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The clock said 1:35, so they were late. The student seemed unfamiliar and it was particularly strange that this class was a private one-on-one class. Teaching swim lessons had become second nature, but I wasn't prepared for what awaited me. The boy entered the pool holding his mother's hand. He looked nervous and his mother had a look of overwhelming stress on her face. By the time she reached me, her son had already jumped into the pool, which was discouraging. As I went to pick it up, she gave me a fake laugh. “Hi Mr. Jonathan, I’m sorry about that. His name is Javier, he is twelve years old and he is autistic. He has little to no swimming experience and it is very difficult to understand what people say to him. But I hear you're the best teacher when it comes to working one-on-one with boys. Let's see what you can do with it. I was careful not to panic. I was generally good in these kinds of high-pressure situations. Especially in this one, where it was important that I didn't overreact. If I didn't do my job well, the face of the company and all of the company's values would have almost no value. Little did I know, the child did not speak and would eventually have difficulty understanding what I was going to teach. him. “Okay buddy, jump in the pool. We'll just start with the basic kick. » Before I could finish, he grabbed the board, jumped in the water and started kicking. In any other situation, if this were to happen, the child would have to sit at the edge of the pool, but I knew this would be a different situation. Punishing the child for not knowing better was not the solution to this problem. This would end up upsetting the parents and the child would be saddened as well. I didn't want to give the impression that the child was in control of the class, but it's difficult when the child is only four years younger than you and has difficulty understanding instructions. “Okay buddy, from now on we're going to listen to everything Mr. Jonathan says. If you listen, you get a ribbon at the end, simple as that. Otherwise, no ribbon at the end! I promise we will have fun, but the first rule to having fun is to listen to instructions. I knew he couldn't talk to me but I hoped at least at this point he would listen. I remained calm throughout the lesson. It was essential