INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Ideally, a person should be instructed by a certified swim teacher, preferably a lifeguard or monitored by a lifeguard. But swimming can certainly be taught by ordinary people. The person teaching should be a strong, confident swimmer, have the skills to teach the various skills, and the patience needed in any teaching situation. If you have anxiety about swimming, you are also likely to pass on your fears to your student no matter how well-meaning you are. You may not remember how you learned to swim. Typically swimming is taught to young children, so you may not remember how exactly you were taught years ago. Or you may not remember certain parts. Some teaching strategies are counterproductive and should be avoided. "Sink or Swim"/ "Viking swim lesson", in other words, having a person forcibly put (such as tossed by an adult) into deep water. The driving idea behind this lesson is that the person will struggle and be afraid, but will overcome this fear and learn quickly that it is possible to get to the side. Typically, this just re-enforces a person's reluctance to get in the water, and builds distrust in you as an instructor; he or she will be unlikely to swim for pleasure and thus not become a good swimmer. At worst, the person can drown. Using the term "Drown-Proofing". Being able to swim does not mean a person cannot drown. Many water-related deaths were by people who could swim competently. This is an outdated and misleading term. Demand a perfect float or dive. Some swimming programs demanded students pass skills such as floating or diving. While both of these skills compliment swimming and teach good skills, one can be a great swimmer while not mastering them. If the goal is to teach swimming, keep the focus on swimming. A very skinny and/or muscular person may not be able to float well, but swim just fine. Many Olympic-level swimmers do not float well. Diving demands a certain form, and a few people have real trouble with elements such as keeping the legs together. But for everyday swimming, or in an emergency, this really is unlikely to matter. If a person cannot swim, it is natural that there will likely be a lot of anxiety over getting into the water, much less swim. The older the swimmer, likely the greater the reluctance. Gently introduce the learner to being in the water, starting in the shallow end of the pool. Do not rush the person into being more comfortable in the water. You will not be able to teach anything about propulsion, floating, breath control, or any other aspect of swimming unless the person feels confident enough to relax and explore. Take small steps. For someone very afraid of the water, just getting three steps into the pool may be a huge achievement. Do what he or she is comfortable with, then take it just one bit further at a time. You may want to hold your student's hand (as long as it is a small individual) to make them feel less anxious. Very young students wearing flotation devices are fine to have swim in deeper water as long as you are comfortable in this area. Since a toddler cannot touch the bottom in the shallow end, it is just as "dangerous" as the deep end. In fact, this approach avoids making "the deep end" a forbidden, hazardous place for a student--which can be an anxiety about swimming for novice students. Let your student hold onto you until he/she is ready. Instead of you deciding when to let go, let your student decide. This can help build trust in you. A relaxed, joyful approach helps ease anxiety and increase curiosity and risk-taking. It is also often a positive distraction. For example: Provide colorful floating toys for children to reach for in the water. This helps children learn to stretch out the arms (rather than contract defensively) and feel water is a fun environment for exploration and play. An adult may be anxious standing in the water away from the pool wall. However, tossing a beach ball back and forth acts as a focus--away from feeling anxiety at being away from the safety of the wall and building a feeling of relaxation, fun, and safety. Although flotation aids can be helpful in building skills and confidence, they can become a crutch. Do not use "arm floaties". These devices easily come off, and restrict arm movements. Swimming requires a lot of arm movement, so these inflatables are highly discouraged. They also give children a false understanding of the physics of being in water. Kickboards are very useful in teaching swimming. They allow for just enough flotation to the arms to isolate the kick. And although they float, students cannot use them entirely as a support. "Bubbles" are often useful. They help the student float a bit more, and encourages a horizontal position in the water. As the swimmer becomes more confident, the amount of flotation can be reduced until no longer needed. Your job as a swim instructor is to build on a novice's confidence. This means finding where he/she is, and gradually add skills. You may also need to know a student's limits. A student who is not confident in treading water for more than a few seconds should probably not go in the deep end for very long if at all. A student who can swim freestyle for 100 yards competently may be ready for recreational swim at the pool, but not ready to do a triathlon.

SUMMARY: Consider your qualifications. Be aware that some past practices should not be used. Get comfortable around water. Take a playful approach. Use buoyancy aids sparingly. Build confidence, but not recklessness.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Save the picture file to your hard drive to access the file on your computer. Use a heavy weight paper to print your mask to make it more durable. Configure your printer's settings for a heavy duty paper to ensure that the paper feeds through the printer correctly. Select the document for the mask template and open it using your computer's PDF reader or MS-Word. Cut around the edge of the mask template with scissors to cut out the mask. Poke scissors into the eye holes to cut out the eyes in the middle of the mask. Use a hole punch to create a hole on each side of the mask. Tie a string to each end of the mask. Tie one end of the string and hold the mask up to your face. Wrap the string around the back of your head to measure how long to make the string before tying it to the other side of the mask. Reinforce the holes and attached string with a piece of tape to avoid tearing the mask when you wear it.

SUMMARY:
Download the mask template. Load cardstock into your printer. Print the template file. Cut out the mask. Attach a string to the mask.