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Hello,
My name is Swimmerman. Here's a little bit about me:
When I went to visit my grandma, she enrolled me in swim lessons with Ms. Melina. My grandma didn't know I was afraid to swim, take showers or have anything to do with water. I was scared to go, I just wanted to cry. I didn't want Grandma to know because she believed I can do anything. So rather than let her know I was afraid, I went to take the lessons. Grandmas should never be hurt intentionally!
Off to swim class I went. There were several kids who were nervous just like me. We hoped the teacher would forget why we were there and just let us go home. Ms. Melina made us laugh right way and promised not to let go of us, push, dunk, or splash us. She said she and the other teachers were there to help us learn lots of tricks. And our job was to try new things and have fun. We watched the kids in another class laughing and swimming together. It made me feel like it was possible to learn, just for Grandma.
The teacher placed a big black box of toys in front of us and started talking about frogs. I really like frogs so I listened real close.
She handed each of us a frog and showed us how frogs stretch out, then dips and dives below the water. We pretended to be hopping frogs and then I heard a sound, a frog in the box started talking to me. (He said his name was H2O, and he would help me if I wanted him to. I said "yes please.")
Ms. Melina took the box of frogs and placed it on an island a few feet from the step we were sitting. She said we can trade our frogs in for another when we swam to the box on the island with her. I wanted to go because H2O was in the box and I did not want the other kids to get to him first. So I asked if I could go first. Ms. Melina held me under my arm pits and told me to stretch out like a 'Swimmerman'. She asked me to close my lips, point my nose in the water and "fly" to the Island. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I had to get there first, I had to get to H2O before the others found him.
I did it! Though I forgot to keep my mouth closed, and I pulled my head up, I wasn't as frightened as I thought I would be. I 'm not sure how I got the guts to do it, but I did it. So, I dug through the box and found H2O waiting for me. He said to me, " Hey, Swimmerman!" I laughed and told him that was not my name, that is what Ms. Melina called me." He said but you are 'Swimmerman', whatever your other name is!. We laughed while the other kids made their way across the pool to the island, I held H2O carefully in my hand.
It was soon my turn to do the Swimmerman back to the step, with H2O. He whispered to me "Swimmerman, the next time you get ready to do that lip thing, do like we frogs do, just close your mouth like you just caught a bug. We don't inhale it or swallow it, at first. So just close your lips in a 'frog bite'. It works, I promise. So I tried it, and it worked! We made several trips to the box on the island and everyone traded their frog in for a new one, I chose to keep the one I had. H2O was my new friend.
Before I knew it Ms. Melina said we were all finished for the day and we needed to return all the frogs to the box. I got sad, I did not want to leave H2O behind, but Ms. Melina winked at me and said she knew I liked her frog H2O and he would see me tomorrow because he loves to help her. (Could she have known about H2O the whole time?) She gave all of us a hug, a sweetie (what she calls candy), told us she loved us and was very proud of us.
As I climbed out of the water, I heard her and H2O say "See ya tomorrow, Swimmerman!". . . And they did.
"I am Swimmerman!"
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