Meet Your Instructor

Hi, I’m Callie! I grew up surrounded by water on the Outer Banks and learned to swim at a young age. As a child, I swam competitively on the local swim team and spent my teenage years lifeguarding and teaching American Red Cross WSI swim lessons.

Swimming runs in the family—my mom, known locally on the OBX as “The Swim Lady,” was teaching WSI & ISR long before I followed in her footsteps. I always loved watching the little ones in her lessons and knew I wanted to be part of ISR too.

After graduating from Meredith College, I spent several years working in child-centered roles before becoming certified in ISR in 2018. Teaching infants and young children how to safely and confidently enjoy the water is truly my passion.

There’s nothing more rewarding than watching little swimmers progress from Day 1 to Day 30—gaining confidence, mastering new skills, and discovering their independence in the water. As a mom to two “water babies” myself, I understand how important these milestones are for both children and parents alike!

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FAQs
If more frequent but shorter lessons are better, then why don’t you teach 7 days/week?
Everyone needs a little break from learning to process the information and in this case to give muscles a chance to recover. In addition, you need to be able to spend time with your family, as does your instructor. Weekends are family time. Periodically, if weather or other issues have cause lessons to be canceled for numerous days, your instructor may choose to offer make-up lessons on a weekend. This is strictly up to the instructor and based on the availability of parents.
Can’t babies swim naturally?
Unfortunately, babies cannot naturally swim. If this were the case, there wouldn’t be so many drownings every year. According to the Center for Disease Control and Accident Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-4 in the United States.
How can you teach babies and young children to swim?
ISR instructors teach infants to swim by honoring each child's individual strengths and experiences. They understand the fundamentals of the behavioral sciences, child development and of sensori-motor learning as it relates to the acquisition of aquatic survival skills; they use this education to guide each child through the sequence of learning to swim and float.
Is it the baby fat that makes them float?
Actually, the primary factor in a baby’s ability to float is the ability to take air into the lungs. To maintain this access to air, the child must adjust his/her posture. The difference in positioning for an adult can be inches. For a baby, this adjustment is reduced to centimeters. If a child’s body posture is just a few centimeters off, it can make the difference between the face being submerged or the child having access to air.

Check my Availability!

(if you don't see any openings send me an email, I don't schedule too far in advance)

Callie's Calendar