I just completed my swimming career in February and have recently started my adult job upon graduation. The transition into the real world is a scary one! I thought I would lose the swimming part of me altogether because I was no longer a competitive swimmer. What do I do without that piece? I swam competitively for 15 years! While I reflected on how I will transition from a college student athlete to a preschool teacher, I realized that I have learned so many lessons from my swimming career that will carry into my teaching career. My college coach always said to us, “My first job is obviously to help you all improve in swimming over the course of the season. My second, and what I believe to be the most important, job is to teach you all lessons that you can take with you outside of the pool." It wasn't until I actually left the pool for good that I would understand the lessons he was referring to.
1. Find a balance between being detail-oriented and seeing the big picture.
When you are a swimmer, you tend to specialize in a specific stroke. Maybe two strokes, but most of the time it is only one. You will spend countless practices working on perfecting your specialty stroke. My specialty stroke was breaststroke. Every time we had a stroke set, I was doing lap after lap of breaststroke drills, kicking and swimming in order to fine-tune all of these aspects so I could perform at the top in the breaststroke events. However, I was also an I.M. swimmer in which I have to swim every stroke in one race. I knew where my strength lied (the breaststroke), but I also knew I needed to look at the rest of the I.M. in order to have the best whole I.M. This translated into my work as a teacher because while I may be focusing on one subject area or one specific topic at a time, I also need to be able to see how this will help reinforce a past understanding or prepare a future one for my students. Being detail-oriented in planning that specific lesson and ensuring it's effectivity also includes looking at how it fits into the whole scope of the year.
Recommended for you
2. Being prompt.
There is no greater threat than a 500 butterfly first thing at 6 a.m. practice if one person is late. I will never forget the fear I had walking into practice, praying that everyone would make it on time. Everyone knows that the punishment Coach gives us if someone is late is way worse than that early alarm. It is what would get me out of bed a lot of times. Translate this to the working world; when I am expected to start teaching at 9 a.m., I will be in my classroom and ready to go by that time. The threat of punishment and the resulting fear remains. Now, it just comes from the administration office.
3. How to take criticism.
A swim coach's job is to help every one of his/her swimmers improve. It is rare that you leave a practice doing everything perfectly. Several times throughout practice and meets, my coach has critiqued me. Sometimes, little reminders are easy to hear. Other times, the criticism is more harsh and not as easy to hear. I am already a perfectionist, but my perfectionist tendencies are even higher when I am in the pool. It is the HIGHEST when I am in the classroom. Throughout my career, I will have countless observations by parents, students and administration. I will never be a perfect teacher so there will be critics. However, just like in swimming, all criticism is made simply because they want to help you be better!
4. Time management is key.
Most swimmers are never just swimmers. On top of being a dedicated swimmer, I was a full-time student, involved in several other clubs, held leadership positions and attempted to have a social life on the weekends. With morning and evening practice, managing time was the only way swimmers know how to live. We are the ones that have our days planned out by the hour and strictly follow it every day. This will serve me immensely in my career with lesson plans, meetings, conferences, nights out with friends and outlets for myself.
5. Being a team player.
"Swamily" is a term my college team coined. It is the conjunction of the words "swim" and "family." It describes our bond perfectly: a family of swimmers. When one of us is frustrated, we are all frustrated with them. When one of us does not show up for a relay or an event or does not give it their absolute best at practice or in a race, we might be angry at that teammate, but we never isolate them. Teammates support each other and build each other up. ALWAYS. My teaching career is not only about me. It is about my fellow teachers, my students, my administration, my family and so much more people. It is about the strength and collaboration of the whole team, a concept I am very familiar with from my swimming career.
6. How to handle success AND failure.
As a teacher, I am going to have lessons that will not be what I want them to be. There will always be room for improvement in my lessons just like there was always someone out there that is a better swimmer than me. I had plenty of races that I won, but I also had plenty of races that I did not. I am one of the most competitive swimmers there is. I HATED to lose, but I always shook the hands of my opponent and told them "good race." Teaching is similar. There will always be a teacher that can reach one of their students better than I can. It is just about different angles and different personalities. Instead of holding a grudge against that teacher, I think about how swimming has taught me to view this as a way of improving myself.
7. Balancing fun and serious.
A swimmer's motto is "work hard, play hard." We live by this religiously. Swimmers know how to goof off with their team and coach and have fun at the meets. In most cases, practices and meets have been the place where I have cried from laughing so hard. Practices were hard, but some of my greatest memories were made during the toughest practices. However, the second I stepped up to the block, it was go time! Chatting with my students and fellow teachers is fun, but teaching and learning must be top priority. Balancing the fun parts and the serious parts will be a key component of a successful teaching career.
8. Incredible dedication.
I got up early for practice. I stayed late at practice. I gave up countless weekends for meets. I gave up countless social outings with my friends to get sleep. I pushed myself to my absolute limit and then continued to push myself. I will carry this with me as I enter the classroom. I will never quit on my students or myself. Each year, the lessons will be better! Each year, I will be better. Because of my swimming career, I will be able to bring my A game to the classroom every day!
9. How to work with all different types of people.
A swim team is the ultimate melting pot. I have met all different kinds of people with different backgrounds and personalities. I would have never met these people if I had not joined the swimming world. I was not only friends with my teammates, but people on other teams. We may be different, but we all shared the bond of being a swimmer. This tolerance and open mindedness to all types of people is amazing practice for the professional teaching world. The same will occur in teaching: all kinds of teachers with all kinds of personalities and teaching styles.
10. The importance of practice.
I practiced almost every day. It was grueling to be in the pool for twp hours day after day. However, it is this daily practice schedule that allowed me to have the swimming successes that I did in my career. In the later years of my career, all of that practice benefited me because I was familiar with what it took to be at the top of my game. All of that practice is what prepares you for big meet. I stepped up to the block at my final championship meet with confidence, knowing that I practiced daily for that exact moment. My first year of teaching will be like my first day of practice. I will find a groove to get into and each day will serve as a day of practice for my teaching. Eventually, I will be able to step into the classroom every day, feeling confident because of my daily practice.
11. The importance of positive reinforcement.
Swimming is all about improvement. I was on a swim team, but I was also on my own team. In a meet, there is a team score that combines all of the points individuals score in their races. The other part is the individual side where the improvement is in the time. For swimmers, it is the personal best times that show the greater improvement. Many swimmers experience plateaus, where they can’t seem to get a best time no matter how hard they try. It is easy to let a plateau defeat you; however, positive reinforcement from your team, your coach and yourself is what will help get you out. I will never forget how badly I wanted to quit during my plateau. I never did because my teammates, coach and I made sure that when we had success, it was pointed out. Teaching will not always be a walk in the park. I am going to hit plateaus in every school year, possibly multiple school years at a time. This is the time that I will go back and highlight the positives of my teaching and go from there. I will also go to my team of teachers to find some positive reinforcement as well. Your team is your best support system and they will never let you quit on something you love and are good at.
