The Haines Pool has a new instructor. Patty Morgan has been teaching children to swim for decades. Her latest class started in the fall and teaches infants and toddlers to swim in a group class. Tot Time teaches life-saving water skills to non-swimmers and gives parents tools to teach their little ones how to be comfortable and safe in and around water.
Patty Morgan’s career in water safety began 37 years ago in Haines. She was a mother of five daughters, three of whom she had in the Haines Clinic, when she got a part-time job as a lifeguard at the Haines Pool. She says that she started so long ago that the job was yet to be called lifeguarding. It was called “Advanced Life Saving.” While still getting her feet wet, she was promoted.
Morgan said, “I became a lifeguard. And then three weeks later I became the pool manager. Back in 1987.”
After raising her children in Haines, Morgan bounced around. She lived in Washington, New Mexico, and Ireland. She’s spent the last 12 years in Juneau. But she never stopped learning about or teaching water safety.
Morgan’s teaching methods aren’t based on the American Red Cross, which recommends starting to teach infants to swim at 6 months, or the American Pediatric Academy, which says to start at one year. Morgan tells parents, “Don’t wait.” Her methodology comes from attending international conferences and studying under the Finnish Institute of Aquatics, which recommend getting babies in the water as soon as possible.
Morgan said, “When my little ones were little, I put them in at like a month old. And actually if I saw a mother, or a parent, with a new baby I caution them not to do it for more than 15 minutes. That also the baby has a hat on, because water or air..excuse me…heat comes out of the top of their heads the most. So you don’t want to let them get too cold.”
Morgan calls herself an “aquatic professional.” She says that while there are absolute foundations of teaching a child to swim, she said every kid is different. She doesn’t have a rigid formula. She likes to think of herself as a “con artist.”
Morgan said, “Do anything or say anything you can to pretty much get the child to learn to swim.”
One of her tricks is to have kids reach for quarters underwater, to practice getting their faces wet. She gives parents homework. She tells them to put goggles on their kids at bath time and sink quarters in the tub. Let the kids keep the money and buy something they enjoy. But Morgan understands that kids run a hard bargain. With inflation, she’s evolved her method.
Morgan said, “Right now I have–don’t everybody rush in at once–I have copper rounds that are worth about three dollars. And every first lesson I let a child dive for that copper round, and if they get it, they take it home. And if copper goes up, it goes up.”
Morgan understands that life is a constant dance of re-adjustment. In Juneau she had a thriving water safety business. Registering for a Patty Morgan toddler swim class was cut-throat. They would sell out in minutes. At one point her class had a 37 person wait list. But then change came unexpectedly.
In early of 2022, The Office of Children’s Services called Patty to see if she wanted to adopt Thomas, her great grandson. She didn’t know Thomas existed. She said of course.
Morgan started fostering Thomas when he was six months old. She thought she would have to stop teaching water safety, but the manager at the Juneau pool encouraged her to bring Thomas along.
Morgan said, “So he became my little example.”
But while Morgan was still able to teach, she wanted to leave Juneau. Her third story apartment was dangerous with an infant. She dreamed of raising Thomas in a smaller town. While in Juneau, by chance she ran into Father Michae Ko from Haines.
Morgan said, “And I said, you’re from Haines? I love Haines. Can I give you a hug? I said I want to move back there. I said, would you pray for me? And that was about the middle of June. And by the end of June, I knew that I was going to move back to Haines.”
Morgan moved with Thomas to Haines in September of last year. Immediately, she and Thomas started a Tot Time learn-to-swim class. The pool was still her haven, although things had changed while she was away. There was a sauna. Chlorine replaced salt water. And there was a new manager, Jae McDermaid. Decades earlier Morgan had taught her to swim. I asked McDemaid if she remembered Morgan.
McDermaid laughed, “Yeah I do. She was my swim instructor when I was little.”
McDermaid agrees with Morgan that babies should start swimming as soon as possible. She said that the American Pediatric Academy’s recommendation of starting lessons at one year’s old is built on a theory that an infant doesn’t have the neck strength required to hold its head above water. She explained that a baby’s fat is especially buoyant, which is useful in preventing drownings. She said that instead of teaching young babies to swim, Tot Time teaches them to be comfortable in water, and to roll over and get their head out of the water, should they fall into water accidentally.
The APA recommends that water temps for children under three be kept in the 87-94 degree range. McDermaid said the pool is kept at 82 degrees, but offers tips for keeping little ones warm.
McDermaid said, “We’re a small facility. So we try to cater to every demographic. We don’t want the lap swimmers overheating and the babies freezing. So I do recommend that parents, if you’re bringing your baby in, we do have some little baby wetsuits that are helpful. Or anything like that. But a fleece onesie is kind of the way to go. It makes them feel comfy and keeps them nice and warm.”
Tot time isn’t just for the kids. Morgan’s class is intended to show parents what to do so their children are comfortable and safe around water. She says she’s seen many children learn to swim without a class.
The first tip she gives parents is “the less flotation the better.” She recommends holding children, or putting a noodle under their arms, as opposed to using floaties. Hair should be tied back to reduce frustration. Practicing blowing bubbles will help children learn to put their face in the water. And most importantly, if they fall in, teach kids to first save themselves. Their first instinct should be to swim to the wall, not their parents.
Morgan teaches ages 0-5 to swim on Mondays at 9:30. Parents are required to be at the lesson. No registration is required and class is free with a pool pass.
