Mandatory swimming in middle school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you aware that, before the 1970s, many, many public school districts in the United States had mandatory swimming in phys ed, and it was required that you swim in the nude?

I was going to mention this. I was floored when I met a man at work who did this at a public school growing up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:By the way, in Jewish talmudic tradition, fathers have a responsibility to teach their boys how to earn a living, read the Torah, and to SWIM!

This is my favorite Jewish fun fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's really short sighted for AAs to opt out of swim class. Swimming is a life skill. AAs are far more likely to drown than their white peers. In the case of private school AAs, it's less due to historical and racist lack of access to pools than cultural norms. In the end, what is more important--having to wear a swim cap or preventing accidental drowning?

What happens to AA hair if it gets wet?

Doesn't it get wet in the shower?

Many AA women wear a shower cap and wash their hair once a week because it is much drier than Caucasian people’s hair.

[Anonymous]

When I had required swimming in 9th grade (public school in the late 90’s), our gym teacher was really cool about making sure we had plenty of time to dry our hair with the hand dryers in the locker room. It’s also totally possible to swim laps and tread water without getting your hair wet. These are not good reasons to stop teaching water safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anne Arundel County schools have a fifth grade “drownproofing” program that is a real model for what can be accomplished. Over two days, they teach the kids (already-swimmers and non-swimmers) techniques for water survival that go well beyond the presumed application of sport swimming skills to emergency situations. The program includes lessons on how to float for prolonged periods without becoming exhausted (hint: it’s not “treading water), how to turn clothing into an emergency floatation device, and much more. Yes, there are a couple trips to the locker room but the facilitators we had were extremely careful to make that as stress-free as possible.

This is what schools need, with refresher training.

I have a 5th grader in AACPS, and yes - I agree it's a great program. It definitely won't teach a kid to swim (it's just two days) but I firmly believe it has the potential to save lives.
Swimming - at least to the extent where you can keep yourself a float and get to the edge of a dock - is absolutely a fundamental life skill and more schools should teach it.
I can't believe those on here who are trying to suggest learning to NOT DIE if you fall into water is racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's really short sighted for AAs to opt out of swim class. Swimming is a life skill. AAs are far more likely to drown than their white peers. In the case of private school AAs, it's less due to historical and racist lack of access to pools than cultural norms. In the end, what is more important--having to wear a swim cap or preventing accidental drowning?

What happens to AA hair if it gets wet?

Doesn't it get wet in the shower?

This was just an extrapolation from op who assumed AA girls do not want to swim because of their hair. My daughter and 3 nieces have no problem getting in the pool. They just wear a good swim cap. Some hairstyles don’t stay neat very long when using the pool and chlorine is not great for curly hair. But it’s absolutely no reason to not give that opportunity to kids.

School is not the only place where a child can learn to swim. Students at DMV privates aren't choosing between learning to swim at school and drowning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's really short sighted for AAs to opt out of swim class. Swimming is a life skill. AAs are far more likely to drown than their white peers. In the case of private school AAs, it's less due to historical and racist lack of access to pools than cultural norms. In the end, what is more important--having to wear a swim cap or preventing accidental drowning?

What happens to AA hair if it gets wet?

Doesn't it get wet in the shower?

This was just an extrapolation from op who assumed AA girls do not want to swim because of their hair. My daughter and 3 nieces have no problem getting in the pool. They just wear a good swim cap. Some hairstyles don’t stay neat very long when using the pool and chlorine is not great for curly hair. But it’s absolutely no reason to not give that opportunity to kids.

School is not the only place where a child can learn to swim. Students at DMV privates aren't choosing between learning to swim at school and drowning.

You'd be surprised. There's not a strong culture of swimming among even well-off AAs. If the opportunity to learn how to swim presents itself, and the child does not know how to swim, I do not see a good argument against it. I suppose private schools could offer "opt-out" swim tests, which would be one way around it. But like a lot of other life skills and life knowledge, simply having money does not guarantee their acquisition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's really short sighted for AAs to opt out of swim class. Swimming is a life skill. AAs are far more likely to drown than their white peers. In the case of private school AAs, it's less due to historical and racist lack of access to pools than cultural norms. In the end, what is more important--having to wear a swim cap or preventing accidental drowning?

What happens to AA hair if it gets wet?

Doesn't it get wet in the shower?

This was just an extrapolation from op who assumed AA girls do not want to swim because of their hair. My daughter and 3 nieces have no problem getting in the pool. They just wear a good swim cap. Some hairstyles don’t stay neat very long when using the pool and chlorine is not great for curly hair. But it’s absolutely no reason to not give that opportunity to kids.

I taught HS girls PE in Baltimore in the early 2000s, the school was 85+% AA, swimming was a required unit at the school. It was 4-6w, we were able to lay out the schedule at the beginning of the year for class rotation. A lot of the girls would schedule a particular hair style for their scheduled time in the pool. Many of the girls were excited to have the opportunity to learn to swim, many had parents who do not swim and hadn't learned. I think knowing it was coming and it being a group experience worked in favor of most kids having a positive attitude. We also allowed almost any swim attire, tshirts, etc.

[Anonymous]

If they are in private school, you can enroll them in another school OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know of a school where swimming is mandatory. Is this Lowell? They are the only school I can think if with a pool. While I am sure it is miserable (especially at that age) it is really good for everyone to know how to swim just in case.

Holton Arms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know of a school where swimming is mandatory. Is this Lowell? They are the only school I can think if with a pool. While I am sure it is miserable (especially at that age) it is really good for everyone to know how to swim just in case.

Holton Arms.

OP said that the school does not have a pool.

Not to derail, but privates with pools include:
Holton Arms
Stone Ridge
Landon (Outdoor only)
St. Albans
Madeira
Georgetown Prep

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I went to ncs they required swimming in lower school. Even into high school whenever we had racial sensitivity days or town halls etc many of the African American girls would argue that they should have been allowed to skip swimming because of their hair. They said it was racist of the school to make them go swimming.

It is racist. And also racist to have a mandatory class that excludes them.

BS my black daughter swims on swim team. She wears a swim cap if her hair is done. If it’s natural she conditions in the shower right after swimming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know of a school where swimming is mandatory. Is this Lowell? They are the only school I can think if with a pool. While I am sure it is miserable (especially at that age) it is really good for everyone to know how to swim just in case.

Holton Arms.

OP said that the school does not have a pool.

Not to derail, but privates with pools include:
Holton Arms
Stone Ridge
Landon (Outdoor only)
St. Albans
Madeira
Georgetown Prep

Beauvoir

[Anonymous]

We had a mandatory swim class as part of PE in high school in MA. It was a drownproofing type class, not strokes. Some kids really had to work hard to pass that section. (My dad went to the same HS and swam naked on their swim team. We always chalked that situation up to the fact that it was the mid-late 1950s and figured that not everyone had bathing suits!!)

When I went to Emory, we had a swim test during orientation. Nobody got out of it -- I was a lifeguard and still had to swim it! Others took swimming for their PE requirement until they were proficient.

Really, everyone should learn to swim. Feeling awkward on the deck or in the locker room isn't a reason to learn a really valuable life skill! Plus, once you jump in the water, no one can really see your body. Get a good swim cap and have fun!

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of bathing suits that cover more of your body. Maybe it's time to normalize that kind of swimwear.