When I became an American Red Cross WSI (Water Safety Instructor), I thought I had been given all the tools I needed to help people learn to swim. And even though the American Red Cross provides a great swim program, it barely addresses swimmers with fears or phobias.
So when I first started teaching, I would focus only on the mechanics of swimming. Then wondered why it didn't work the same for everyone.
After more than ten years of coaching children, loads of research and trial and error, I developed a series of techniques and exercises to help children (4 years+) overcome their fear of water and become confident swimmers.
I grew up in Vancouver, Canada. My summers from childhood to young adulthood were filled with trips to the beach or the pool with friends and or family. It seemed like every day; I was in the water participating in some sort of aquatic activity. Everything from swimming to water skiing, sailing, river rafting, snorkeling and scuba diving to name a few.
During those formative years, I never crossed paths with anyone that didn't enjoy the water as much as I did. I was completely unaware of the fact that there were people out there of all ages that feared the water. Continue...
“Tessa is truly a miracle worker! In a matter of only 4 lessons my sons are now not only comfortable in the water, but love to swim and look forward to going to their lessons with Tessa. We've struggled for years with other programs & teachers to get my 7 y/o swimming and have had no success; now he's thriving under Tessa's instruction. And my 4 y/o is quite busy, and has an incredibly difficult time focusing, but Tessa knew from the moment she started class exactly how to get through to him and he's made far more progress than I could've ever hoped. We're amazed by her teaching abilities and so grateful for Tessa!"
Andrea M.
”Tessa is the most patient, kind, flexible, thorough, and knowledgeable swim instructor you can ask for. I enrolled my son in private lessons when he was 14 months old and he has excelled in the 3 months he has been a student. Tessa was extremely patient during times when my son wasn't quite cooperating (translation: screaming his head off) and was very quick to find another way to teach her lessons in an engaging and relaxing and fun manner. She is very adaptable to my child's interests during class and doesn't force certain things that he may not be interested in at the moment. She has plenty of teaching tools and my son loves her songs.”
E.D.
“Tessa is an amazing teacher. She is very patient and really good at motivating her students. We couldn't be happier. We brought our 2 and 4 year old in January. Our 2 year old is now swimming at preschool level and our now 5 year old is swimming level 3. We couldn't be happier.”
Angelina P.
“After only 7 lessons, my daughter has learned how to dive down for objects, float for a short time on her back, "monkey crawl" on the edge of the pool, water safety, and is working on swimming! Tessa is one of the most calming, caring swim instructors I have seen. She's very patient with my 2-year-old. My daughter asks to go to swim school almost every day. I'm impressed that she not only works on swim instruction through fun water games etc., but Tessa also covers all the basics of water safety at a level my daughter can understand.”
Anna M.
“Tessa is super patient with my stubborn 5 year old. He has made so much progress here. Would recommend highly.”
Tim S.
Chances are you found my blog because you are a parent of a child who is not comfortable in the water, or you are a swim instructor who is looking for a way to help your students who can't even put their faces in the water. If you would like to jump right in, start with
I live in the Palm Springs area, in California with my husband. Our son headed off to college in August 2017 :( I run a swim school from our home. We are lucky enough to have a large indoor pool, which enables me to teach swimming year round. When I'm not teaching swimming, I love to stay in shape by, you guessed it, swimming. I also enjoy yoga, strength training, hiking and spending time with my family (pictured left - in case you hadn't already figured that out). That's my son in the baseball cap. His name is Ethan, and he is responsible for much of the videography and photography placed around the site.
Copyright 2018, Tessa Rhodes