Tabitha Johnson is a swimming instructor at the Bob McQuarrie recreation complex. She played soccer for eight years growing up. She also participated for a couple years in karate. Johnson has always loved children, so she knew she wanted a job that allowed her to work with them. Johnson says it was a long process to become a swimming instructor because of all the mandatory courses she had to take.
Johnson says her favourite thing about teaching is “the relationships I get to build with all the kids. I love making the kids smile, laugh and have fun. I also find it very rewarding when kids say they love my class or think I'm the best teacher ever and it just feels good to know you're making a difference for these kids. That you're helping them stay active, that you're helping them learn a skill that will be useful for the rest of their life and that you're allowing them to have fun."
Johnson says her favourite thing about teaching is “the relationships I get to build with all the kids. I love making the kids smile, laugh and have fun. I also find it very rewarding when kids say they love my class or think I'm the best teacher ever and it just feels good to know you're making a difference for these kids. That you're helping them stay active, that you're helping them learn a skill that will be useful for the rest of their life and that you're allowing them to have fun."
Johnson says her most rewarding experience as an instructor was working with a special needs child in private lessons. “His mom had warned me from the beginning that it would be hard for him to listen and he probably wouldn't get much accomplished. Although it was a lot of work, as I got to know him and what would make him concentrate or listen to me he slowly became comfortable with me. By the end of the session, he could do every skill necessary to pass that level. It was so rewarding when the mom thanked me at the end of the session not being able to believe how much progress I had made with her son and that is the whole reason I do my job.” Johnson explains.
Johnson says that the biggest challenge that comes with instructing is “just adjusting to the job. I had never worked a job like this before and had to, fairly independently, figure out the best way to make it work. The first two weeks of the job were very stressful. I had to learn how to make proper lesson plans, how to remember up to 100 kids names a session, how to handle rambunctious children and even just how to keep all my classes running on the right schedule. It was hard but through organization, determination and some practice it became much easier and more enjoyable. Making lesson plans a head of time, learning some tactics for handling difficult kids and some memory games got me through okay.”
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