Teacher Candidate: Hannah Smithers

Student: Abbie Willer

Lab: Monday, 7-8pm
Spring 2019

April 24, 2019

To the Parents of Abbie Willer,

Over the course of the semester in the swim lessons that Abbie has been participating in,
she has been excited and happy throughout most of every lesson. Abbie was very comfortable in
the pool, so I didn’t have to do much of any adapting for her to perform an activity- we were able
to get right in to learning. Abbie has come a long way in the pool this semester, and I could not
be more proud of her. Some of the things Abbie has accomplished this semester include being
able to float on her back by herself, learning the elementary backstroke, swimming multiple
lengths of the pool, jumping into deep water, and swimming underwater for a short distances.
She is also starting to get her arms out of the water for the front crawl and she has begun diving
progressions. I would say that we have accomplished a decent amount of skills in the pool this
semester.

I made an IEP for Abbie in the pool this semester and I would like to talk about the goals
I have created and what she has done in the psychomotor, cognitive, and affective domains. For
her short term psychomotor goal I stated that I wanted Abbie to learn and perform at least two
strokes and learn how to dive. Abbie has learned and is continuously performing 2 strokes- the
elementary backstroke and the freestyle stroke. We have just started to incorporate diving into
the lesson, and I am confident that we will make some progress with the diving even if that is a
sitting dive from the edge of the pool. Abbie has really been active in the pool and has been
working hard throughout the semester. I hope she continues to learn more strokes and eventually
is able to perform a full dive.

For Abbie short term cognitive goal I stated that I wanted her to be able to comprehend
and be able to recite the cues given in any activity we perform in the pool. Some days are better
than others with her remembering the cues of the skill we are working on, but most of the time
after reminders Abbie is able to tell me the cues for what we are working on. To me that is a huge
step. It is telling me that she is paying attention to what I am saying.
 For Abbie affective short term goal I stated that I wanted Abbie to be less distracted by
others around, and to be aware of personal space. Overall I am pleased with how we have
worked on personal space throughout the semester. I know that is something you wanted me to
work with her on, and I think we have made great progress. She no longer goes in for hugs, she
reminds herself that she needs to fist bump, high five, or do her handshake with others. She is
still having trouble focusing on the task we are working on, she gets distracted by people on the
pool deck and others in the water. She also has a tough time focusing on me when I am trying to
teach her. A simple “eyes on me” usually gets her back on track. Small steps at a time!

If it is possible over the summer to get Abbie to a pool, I would suggest that you work
with her on getting more strokes under her belt and maybe continue the diving process as well.
Overall, I am so thrilled that I was given the opportunity to work with Abbie this semester. I
think I learned more from her than she did from me. She taught me patience, how to adapt a
lesson, but most importantly she taught me to always be positive and have a smile on my face. I
am so proud of what we have accomplished over the semester and I am going to miss seeing
Abbie’s bright smile every Monday evening. I know Abbie is only going to progress in her
aquatic skills, and in life. She is going to have a positive impact on so many lives throughout her
journey. I wish Abbie nothing but the best of luck in her sports, school, and life!

Best,
Hannah Smithers