|
Ten Thousand Swimming Students And Still Going Strong
Deborah Griffith MacSwain
Thursday, February 03, 2005 — Commodore Wilbert E. Longfellow was famous for saying, “Entertain them hugely while educating them gently!” Credited for starting the Red Cross swim and lifesaving programs in the early 1900's, Longfellow helped drastically reduce the number of drownings in the country. He was an entertaining man dedicated to ensuring, “Every American a swimmer, every swimmer a lifesaver.” His impact on the Red Cross swimming program is still seen today as his teaching methods and philosophy continue to play a large part in the training of Red Cross water safety instructors.
One instructor is Jeanne Wilson-Valanta of San Lorenzo, California. “Keep the fun in the fundamentals, water unlocks inhibitions,” and, “If you want to get ashore, reach for it,” - all Commodore sayings - could easily describe the love Wilson-Valanta has for teaching and the way she goes about helping thousands learn to blow bubbles, float and move through the water.
 |
|
“I was born in the water,” says Wilson-Valanta. Well, not exactly, but she grew up around the water and remembers swimming at age five or six. That was after she went down a water slide that dumped her in deep water. Her parents had to pull her out. The experience did not dampen her enthusiasm, and a teaching swimming legend was born in Oakland, California.
Now, 81 years old, Wilson-Valanta has taught Red Cross swimming lessons for the past 64 years. She began her Red Cross water safety instructor career in 1941 when she took the training course. “When World War II came along, the Oakland Red Cross Chapter in California asked me to teach Army and Navy nurses going overseas. I was quite excited and taught three nights a week in 1942,” said Wilson-Valanta. For her efforts, she received a citation signed by President Harry S. Truman, dated 1946. The citation in part reads, “In recognition of meritorious personal service performed in behalf of the nation for armed forces and suffering humanity in (the) Second World War.”
In the 1950's she thought she would take time out from teaching swimming to raise her family. The chapter had other thoughts. After learning that she could not teach because she had young children and no babysitter, the chapter provided one for her. In her early teaching career she taught swimming and lifesaving mostly to young children and teenagers. “In those days I worked well with kids, not so much with adults. I did not have the patience (to work with adults).” Today it is a different story and she loves working with adults.
Wilson-Valanta conservatively estimates she has taught at least 10,000 students. Adults account for more than half that number and are often the most challenging to teach. It takes motivation, repetition and lots of patience. For the past 15 years, she has worked with adults only. Her oldest student is 89 and her youngest students are in their 40's.
One can't teach 10,000 students without having a few stories to tell. Trying to learn how to dive and swim underwater is difficult for some students. One woman just could not swim underwater. One day the woman called out, “Look at me, look at me swim underwater.” Wilson-Valanta replied, “Okay, just a minute, I'm working with someone else.” Her student was determined that Wilson-Valanta watch her, and sure enough, she went right down to the bottom of the pool. After she came up, she turned towards Wilson-Valanta and started pulling weights from her swimsuit! So much for swim aides. The class got a great laugh.
Once in a while students will leave something in the pool. Wilson-Valanta was teaching a woman how to dive. The student went off the board and came up….without her false teeth. Wilson-Valanta had no problem finding them. “They were sitting right there on the bottom of the pool, so I brought them up.”
Ask Wilson – Valanta what she likes best about teaching and she quickly says, “The people.” She found that adults who sometimes have had bad past experiences around the water are most appreciative of her and learning basic water skills. One woman who had been terrified of the water and took lessons from Wilson-Valanta years before came back to see her teacher and explain how she (Wilson-Valanta) had saved her life. According to Wilson-Valanta, the woman was vacationing in the mountains and took a walk late at night by the lake. The next thing she knew she had fallen into the lake. “All she heard was my voice telling her to float on your back and yell, which she did. People heard her and came to her aid,” said Wilson –Valanta. That is the ultimate reward for teaching swimming – knowing you have helped save a life.
Wilson – Valanta has trained more than 10,000 people with life saving skills. She is still teaching after 64 years, and has no plans to quit. She also ensured that her life long interest in swimming continues as a family affair. Her son, two daughters and a daughter-in-law have all been trained as Red Cross water safety instructors and two grand daughters are current water safety instructors.
Wilson-Valanta's last words are typical of a swim teacher. She said, “Swimming is something kids do and (should) keep up. It (swimming) is wonderful to do when you are older.” As Commodore Longfellow used to say, “A swim a day keeps old age away”! No kidding.
|
