April 4, 2009 by Barbara.

Reid’s started her new level at swimming lessons today. Even though I said I wanted her to be the weak one in the class, I was worried that it would be too difficult. The first part of the class was just like the previous level but then the teacher - the first male that she’s had for quite a while -  asked if Reid would like to be the first to do the front crawl. Reid didn’t say a word but just launched herself out into the pool and half-crawled, half-flailed for a couple of metres. The teacher smiled at Reid, complimented her on her efforts and offered some tips for improvement. When it was time for the back crawl, the teacher had the kids practice the arm movements while standing up. Poor Reid couldn’t manage to get her arms to rotate in the proper direction at first. I often look for signs that Reid has Ken’s coordination rather than mine and this morning was definitely not a good sign. When it was time to put the arm-turning together with the kicking and floating on her back, Reid gave it a good try and was able to move through the water and breathe at the same time. Her arm movements were not particularly close to being circular, though, but Reid wasn’t concerned. I think that she is at just the right level. It’s always nice to watch Reid develop a new skill. She is a determined learner and proud of her efforts along the way and her accomplishments in the end.

Posted in Sports, Mama, Daddy | Print | No Comments »

April 4, 2009 by Barbara.

On the way to swimming lessons on Sunday, Reid said, “I’m the goodest, umm, [pause as she looked for the correction that I always provide] best in my class.” I told her that I didn’t know if she was the best but I did like how she paid attention to the teacher and tried to do whatever the teacher suggested. She is, incidentally, the best in her class but her behaviour is my biggest concern. Given that she is now bold enough to be a bit of a danger to herself, I worry more.

During the class, Reid did the floats, bobs and rockets that the teacher asked her to do. She even got the rings from the pool’s bottom with her hands rather than her feet. At the end of the class, the teacher helped the girls put on their life jackets and then led them to the deep end where the rope for swinging out over the water was out for play. I wondered if Reid would balk but, of course, she is now “fearless Reid” and she didn’t hesitate as the teacher helped her climb the rope. Like most of the kids, Reid swung out and then let go when the rope made it back to the midway point.

Reid’s teacher was handing out report cards by the time I made my way to the class. To my surprise, Reid’s evaluation had a sticker attached to it, indicating that she passed. Reid spent so long in Preschool B, that I didn’t expect that she’d pass Preschool C after only one session. In Preschool D, they’re going to teach her to do front and back crawl, for goodness sake. I’d signed her up for C for the next 2 sessions. Ken thought she’d need only 1 extra session at the same level and so I added a Preschool D, that I planned to cancel. All this to say, I rushed home to try and find a class at the right level with spots available for the next session. The third was the charm and I snapped up the last spot. I sure hope it works out. I think it will be good for Reid to be weaker than most so that she has to work a bit harder and listen to the teacher more. Does that make me a bad human being?

Posted in Sports, Mama | Print | 1 Comment »

April 4, 2009 by Barbara.

One day when I dropped Reid off at school a boy whose name I don’t know looked up and said, “Bonjour, ma belle.” In English that’s literally, “Hello, my beautiful one” but more like “Hello, sweetie.” It certainly is different from the short, “Hi,” that Reid usually offers. It’s a difference in the nature of the languages and the way we perceive them. Who is more emblematic of childhood romance than Pepe le Pew, after all? Having grownup hearing English almost exclusively, French still seems a bit exotic after 14 years (!) here in the nation’s capital. I remind myself that the francophone kids aren’t necessarily smarter because they can already speak French while I’m still working on it. I can definitely speak English better than them. Of course, it’s likely that Reid will soon speak French better than me - her accent is already better than mine - but that won’t bother me. I hope.

Posted in Language skills | Print | 1 Comment »