Miss-Delectable
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Lehi resident creates adaptive swim lessons for children
After eight years of teaching swimming to children, Elizabeth Martin began to specialize in giving adaptive swim lessons for deaf children or children of deaf parents.
Her adaptive swim lessons are a recent program she introduced at the Lehi Legacy Center.
"Over the years, I have been teaching hearing children, but quickly learned how not a lot of deaf children swim because there are not teachers who can understand sign language," she said. "So I decided to set up this program to help those children to swim and see some of their dreams fulfilled."
Martin will stand in the shallow area of the Lehi aquatic facility south pool and sign to the children as she talks. This way, if the parents are deaf, they know what is being taught.
"I can watch Elizabeth sign to my kids so I understand what she says to them, then I can teach the kids at the pool," wrote Melinda Almond, who is deaf. "She does a wonderful job with the kids, and also my kids need to experience swimming with a deaf swimmer so they can communicate with deaf people."
Almond's two daughters, Emma, age 7, and Makayla, 9, and their cousin, Kiley Almond, 5, take lessons from Martin.
As a teacher, Martin engages the children in the learning process, asking the children questions, giving them activities to do and always giving them praise. Often, she will have the children learning a swim skill through a game, without them realizing that they are learning.
"I think she's a really good teacher because she does really good things that we could never do but can do now," said 9-year-old Makayla Almond. "She makes it fun because signing is cool."
During class with the Almond children, Martin told them to float on their front. After they were done floating, their teacher gasped then asked Emma, "Were you holding your nose?" both in sign and verbally.
Emma giggled. "Do we plug our nose while we float?" Martin asked.
"No," said the children and laughed.
"What do we do?" asks Martin. And so the lesson continues.
Martin learned how to swim as a child and at a very young age began helping the neighbors teach swim lessons in their pool.
She said her reward is that she gets to see the children learning and understanding what is being taught, and she gets to see the parents understand what is going on during class.
During her off time from lessons, Martin works as a lifeguard at the Legacy Center and is attending UVU to earn her teaching certification.
"I have always loved working with children, whether it's through swimming lessons or through other means," she said. "The challenges that I have had is finding people and getting the word out that there is a program for deaf people. My goal is to change it from private swim lessons to actual group swim lessons where there are more students in one class all communicating together."
After eight years of teaching swimming to children, Elizabeth Martin began to specialize in giving adaptive swim lessons for deaf children or children of deaf parents.
Her adaptive swim lessons are a recent program she introduced at the Lehi Legacy Center.
"Over the years, I have been teaching hearing children, but quickly learned how not a lot of deaf children swim because there are not teachers who can understand sign language," she said. "So I decided to set up this program to help those children to swim and see some of their dreams fulfilled."
Martin will stand in the shallow area of the Lehi aquatic facility south pool and sign to the children as she talks. This way, if the parents are deaf, they know what is being taught.
"I can watch Elizabeth sign to my kids so I understand what she says to them, then I can teach the kids at the pool," wrote Melinda Almond, who is deaf. "She does a wonderful job with the kids, and also my kids need to experience swimming with a deaf swimmer so they can communicate with deaf people."
Almond's two daughters, Emma, age 7, and Makayla, 9, and their cousin, Kiley Almond, 5, take lessons from Martin.
As a teacher, Martin engages the children in the learning process, asking the children questions, giving them activities to do and always giving them praise. Often, she will have the children learning a swim skill through a game, without them realizing that they are learning.
"I think she's a really good teacher because she does really good things that we could never do but can do now," said 9-year-old Makayla Almond. "She makes it fun because signing is cool."
During class with the Almond children, Martin told them to float on their front. After they were done floating, their teacher gasped then asked Emma, "Were you holding your nose?" both in sign and verbally.
Emma giggled. "Do we plug our nose while we float?" Martin asked.
"No," said the children and laughed.
"What do we do?" asks Martin. And so the lesson continues.
Martin learned how to swim as a child and at a very young age began helping the neighbors teach swim lessons in their pool.
She said her reward is that she gets to see the children learning and understanding what is being taught, and she gets to see the parents understand what is going on during class.
During her off time from lessons, Martin works as a lifeguard at the Legacy Center and is attending UVU to earn her teaching certification.
"I have always loved working with children, whether it's through swimming lessons or through other means," she said. "The challenges that I have had is finding people and getting the word out that there is a program for deaf people. My goal is to change it from private swim lessons to actual group swim lessons where there are more students in one class all communicating together."