I saw something interesting this week at Scarlett’s swim class. One of the teachers climbed out of the pool in the middle of a lesson and said to another employee, “I just feel myself getting frustrated.” She wrapped a towel around her waist and walked out of the pool area. A self-imposed time out.

I had a few thoughts as I watched this. The first was to be impressed that she had lasted so long. These lessons go on all day, every half hour, and although I’m sure the teachers get a break, it must be very frustrating to deal with young children in a pool for hours at a time. I personally had a difficult time, on a recent evening, dealing with one child, who was crying because the contents of dinner had been placed onto her dish in the wrong order. THE HORROR.

I was also impressed by the teacher’s self-awareness, and by the apparent arrangement at the pool that would allow for someone to walk out and leave a bunch of flailing four-year-olds behind. That’s foresight. I mean, I assume another teacher got in and took her place, and that the children were not left to fend for themselves. But if anyone had drowned, I’m sure I would have heard about it, and gotten some money back or something. Read More>