Level 8 Swimming

Here is my kid… swimming in the ocean.  Ever since she was a blob, she loved swimming.  To support her with her passion, she is enrolled in junior lifeguard, swim club, and swimming lessons.  It’s pretty amazing what she has achieved considering I am not a swimmer.  I can float and drift, but that’s it. I’m pretty proud of her.

I want to share a story with you about my daughter and swimming lessons.  It is not a story to judge others or seek justice, but it’s something to LEARN from.  One year ago, my daughter was enrolled in swimming lessons that met once a week.  I believe that she had attended all of the classes and she enjoyed the swimming nonetheless.  At the end of the 8 or 10-week session, she got her “report card.”  She failed Level 8.  To be truthful, I support that kids should pass all competencies before moving onto the next level.  On her report card, she had everything checked off except backstroke.  No biggie.  Next time.

When the swim students were given their report cards, the swim teacher huddled with the students to give them feedback on their performance and report cards.  My daughter returned to the change room a little annoyed and angry.  I tried to reassure her that there is always next time.  Don’t worry about it.  She replied, “I did not know that I was doing bad with my backstroke until my report card.”  What?  Really?  I can see why she would be annoyed and angry with the situation.  How can you get better at something if you were not told that you needed to improve on it?  I ask this question disregarding those who may have been told and refused to listen.  It’s situations like this where the individual genuinely did not know what was going wrong and was not given an opportunity to make it better.  By the time my daughter got her report card, it was too late.  She’s repeating Level 8 Swimming.

What is the moral of the story?  This is about justice, honesty, and courage… Alasdair MacIntyre’s (1984) three virtues.  Without one, two, or three of these virtues, the system is in dysfunction.  There would be no trust, no respect, and no potential for change.  Formative feedback matters.  A final evaluation is the worst time to find out you could have done better.  There should be no surprises.