This is what you look for as an instructor. A bloom. You are a gardener, not a mechanic. You cannot make a flower bloom, but with some care and the right nourishment it will.

I’ve learned so much in the last year or so about coaching and I see it paying off. A change in the way the students are learning. The number of smiles, the laughter, trust, and wiliness to get right in there and try stuff. It seems to me these days it’s all about creating an environment of safety and discovery. A place where you guide the learning but don’t actually spend much time teaching it. Sure you do “teach” all the stuff students need to know; forward strokes, reverse strokes, sweeps, draws, rudders, rescues. . blah, blah. . But I’m leaning to leave the school marm and just hint and guide students in their own learning. In the end, the more they learn from their own discovery, the more they remember and the more fun they have.

To the guys in my class over the weekend, Thank you. What a great time we had!