ISR Instructor: How and Why to Become One

Interested in possibly becoming an ISR instructor? They are in high demand because so many areas do not offer this program, even though there are so many families who are desperate for their children to go through it. If you are interested in becoming your own boss and diving into this career, please read on!

You may have seen that our story about Hadley’s accident went viral in the last couple weeks. The TODAY Show Parenting Team shared it on their Facebook page, followed by the TODAY Show, and then Kathie Lee and Hoda, and from there it went a little bit bananas.

To say we were thrilled would be a gross understatement. Jamie and I laid in bed one morning reading through the comments on a few of the Facebook pages that it was shared on, and we were blown away. So many talked about how they’d never considered how having more adults around can actually be a bigger distraction, and they also commonly shared about how they never realized that drowning can be completely silent. Finally, so many stated that they felt a renewed interest in learning or relearning CPR.

Knowing that people are now more aware of how this can happen makes us feel like our experience wasn’t in vain; People are learning from it and taking action steps  with their families and friends so that they never experience what we did. So (so so so so) awesome!

I feel physically ill when I hear about drownings now because I know what site those parents saw and knowing what outcome they had crushes me. I don’t want any other parents and family members to go through that. I can’t explain how passionate I am about this issue now (but you guys already know that!)

One specific comment stands out from someone who said something along the lines of how she had never seen something go so viral and reap nothing but positive comments. Usually when things go viral, all (!) the trolls unfortunately come out. We were honestly holding our breaths and expecting a slew of hurtful comments (understanding fully that this was a risk of sharing our story so publicly), but for the most part everyone was so understanding and kind. So great. Humanity is inherently good!

Anyway! The day the article was shared I had an email pop up from the Executive Director of ISR (Infant Swimming Resource). She wanted to talk with me because she saw that we wanted to put our girls in ISR but that it’s not available anywhere near our city. She was devastated that someone who so desperately wanted to utilize their services (me!) didn’t have the option.

So we hopped on the phone and talked for nearly an hour. Her dad founded ISR years ago and, while the company has grown to more than 500 instructors around the world, it is still family-led and completely focused on their mission: Not One More Child Drowns. We cried together and talked about what happened, and it was honestly so healing for me for some reason. I felt like she understood what transpired that day.

Become an ISR Instructor

The main objective of our conversation was that she wants to get ISR not only in our area, but all over the United States, and she said she would love my help spreading the word to anyone who may be interested. I was all about it!

It’s crazy that even though my girls haven’t been through the program due to our location, I’m still really passionate about. I have three friends whose children went through it, and seeing their videos is just incredible. To see a baby less than a year old placed in the water fully clothed and figure out how to immediately get themselves to the surface and onto his/her back is heart-pounding and convincing.

As an ISR instructor, you go through the initial training and from there essentially make your own schedule and run your own business (while still falling under ISR guidelines and practices of course). It’s a wonderful option and one that I have considered myself at times.

The comprehensive training future instructors go through equips them with the skills to safely and effectively teach ISR as they start their own business in under two months. The training is challenging (in the good way) because you’re learning the theory behind the technique as well as how to adjust the technique for each child, each lesson, each day based on what the child is showing you.

If you want to learn more about becoming an ISR instructor, click here. I’d highly encourage you to take a couple minutes and watch the intro video. It’s really moving!

PS: If you’re local to the Manhattan, Kansas area and are interested in possibly moving forward immediately with becoming an ISR instructor, please email me at WHIMSICALSEPTEMBER (at) yahoo.com.

Let’s chat!

Do you know anyone whose children have been through the ISR program? What was their experience like?

Have you looked into enrolling your child in ISR? If so, what holds you back? Would you ever consider becoming an ISR instructor?