On duty!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Reflection
I think that this project has taught me a lot. Besides learning how to be a lifeguard, I have learned how to learn from my mistakes. I had a couple of rough patches over the course of this project; having to miss a class, failing a skills test, etc., But I learned how to deal with these challenges and that has made me a better person. I now have a life long skill that I can use to get a job in the future and I know how to work better with others. I also have a better understanding of the health and social AoI and the role of a lifeguard in their community. If I were to do this project again, I would register to take the class earlier and make sure that my schedule was free of any conflicts. I would also study harder for the tests and apply for a life guarding job much earlier. Overall, I think this was a good project for me and I'm proud of how it turned out.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Class 9
5/18/12
Today was the big day. The last day of lifeguard class. The day we'd find out if we really had what it takes to be a certified lifeguard. I didn't plan to be nervous at all today because I was supposed to finish all my tests yesterday and relax and watch other people take their tests today, but because I slipped up yesterday, I was first up on deck for today. And I won't lie, I was nervous. I was scared out of my mind. If I messed up this time then that was it. Two-hundred dollars down the drain. So when I walked into the pool, I was pretty much ready to get that class over with.
Much to my dismay, we didn't launch directly into the tests, but had a final lesson about pool chemicals. This gave me a little bit of time to relax and focus on something else, which was probably a good thing. We learned how to test the chlorine level of pool and we toured the filter room. Pretty basic things, but also pretty important things for the daily running of a pool. After that, we got suited up to finish the rest of the water tests.
Like I said before, I was first up to finish my deep water rescue, so I climbed up the huge chair and put my buoy on. I was a little bit worried because the chair was so tall that jumping seemed hazardous, but I figured once adrenaline kicked in that it wouldn't be a problem. We started the scenario and I immediately began to scan the water. I spotted the "victim", jumped in, and finished the rescue smoothly. I did it! I passed! It seemed like the key thing was to not think so hard, to just relax and let my instincts take over. Needless to say, the rest of class was a breeze after that. I spent the rest of the time hanging out with some of the other kids in the class that I probably wouldn't see after the class was over.
I was so happy to get home and tell my mom that I had passed and to go to school the next day and tell my teacher that Imani and I had finished the hardest parts of our personal projects.
Today was the big day. The last day of lifeguard class. The day we'd find out if we really had what it takes to be a certified lifeguard. I didn't plan to be nervous at all today because I was supposed to finish all my tests yesterday and relax and watch other people take their tests today, but because I slipped up yesterday, I was first up on deck for today. And I won't lie, I was nervous. I was scared out of my mind. If I messed up this time then that was it. Two-hundred dollars down the drain. So when I walked into the pool, I was pretty much ready to get that class over with.
Much to my dismay, we didn't launch directly into the tests, but had a final lesson about pool chemicals. This gave me a little bit of time to relax and focus on something else, which was probably a good thing. We learned how to test the chlorine level of pool and we toured the filter room. Pretty basic things, but also pretty important things for the daily running of a pool. After that, we got suited up to finish the rest of the water tests.
Like I said before, I was first up to finish my deep water rescue, so I climbed up the huge chair and put my buoy on. I was a little bit worried because the chair was so tall that jumping seemed hazardous, but I figured once adrenaline kicked in that it wouldn't be a problem. We started the scenario and I immediately began to scan the water. I spotted the "victim", jumped in, and finished the rescue smoothly. I did it! I passed! It seemed like the key thing was to not think so hard, to just relax and let my instincts take over. Needless to say, the rest of class was a breeze after that. I spent the rest of the time hanging out with some of the other kids in the class that I probably wouldn't see after the class was over.
I was so happy to get home and tell my mom that I had passed and to go to school the next day and tell my teacher that Imani and I had finished the hardest parts of our personal projects.
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