To Avoid Repetitive Lessons, You’ve Got To Make A Splash
I’m a sports coach for teenagers who want to swim but don’t want to do competitions. They just want to swim, swim hard, swim a lot, and swim even more. The group I teach has an average age of seventeen years old, and I’ve taught most of my students for over five years.
Teaching them can be challenging, as they get bored easily, so I try to make each lesson different from the other one. And if we all have an off day, we just take it easy.
This time, I decide to see if the kids are up for some childish fun. I make assignments like “If the letter E is in your name, you do [this], and if there isn’t, you do [that],” or, “If there’s black in your swimming gear, do [this], and if not, do [that].” I manage to find combinations where most of the time, half does [this] and the other half does [that]. The kids surprisingly like it a lot.
As a final assignment, I decide to be cheeky. For the sake of the story, let’s say my name is Amy.
Me: “All right, last assignment. Just imagine the most beautiful name you know, one you would love to be called yourself. Don’t say it out loud; keep it to yourself! Now… if this name contains an A, an M, or a Y, you do [this]; otherwise, you do [that].”
Most kids don’t hesitate and just do either assignment. One, however, stays behind.
Me: “Something the matter?
Student: “Aren’t we a bit arrogant today? *Big grin*
Me: “I was hoping the others would have noticed, as well, but it seems you are the only one! So, as a reward, you may do whatever you want.”
Student: “Nah, I’ll just do [this assignment].”
I love teaching these kids.