Jewells of Thought

What’s something you believe everyone should know.

For a couple of weeks Indiana schools have been debating about swim safety in school curriculum during the year. Obviously, this has been a much longer debate, but the news is showing through Channel 2 WTWO how much of an issue Terre Haute is having with this controversial idea.

Honestly though death from drowning for young kids is ranked 3rd here in Indiana. That is scary. I live in rural Indiana where many ponds are in my vicinity at least 3 including my grandparents and my neighbors. Plus the Mine is nearby with the stripper pits where I have walked along as an adult though. This is a very real problem that needs attention.

I remember just a few short years ago although my cousins are now older and one is in college and the other is a senior. Hearing that as young as they were where they lived they had an aquatic center and were taking lessons before the age of 5 if I remember correctly.

Yet on my Mom’s side we lived in my grandparents pond all 8 of us grandkids enjoyed our personal pool party all through the summer through our childhood years. My two younger brothers and I took swimming lessons at the Sullivan pool I barely remember that time in my life. I do know that it happened though cause I can swim. It is something that has scared me about my niece she likes the idea of swimming, but no one has taken her to get lessons. She likes it, but is still afraid of being anything that is not shallow.

When Terre Haute put in a new aquatic center I didn’t realize that it was specifically to combat this statistic even a few years ago. They have now implemented a citywide mandated school schedule for everyone to have lessons in swimming that allows it to all get done with a specific grade I believe in one year’s time.

Avoiding this issue won’t make it better and Channel 2 had a questionnaire and if my memory is correct again the yes they liked this idea were 72%. Now if our Assembly could make this more widespread than just this area maybe more kids could be prepared for water and saved from death.