MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

I would like to thank you for contacting ISR Northshore, and thank you for your interest in ISR Lessons!  My name is Jennifer Laurent.  I am 38 years old and reside in Covington, Louisiana.   I am married to my wonderful husband, Sam Laurent.  We have a four-year old son named Chandler and a two-year old daughter named Juliana.   

As a parent, our sole purpose in life is to protect and provide for our children. This is what led me to ISR.  Although incredibly beautiful and peaceful, the pond and fountain in our yard also frightened us when Chandler became part of our family.  With all of the preventative measures taken around pools, ponds, etc., drowning accidents continue to happen entirely too often.  In my eyes, I felt that the only true way to protect our son was to prepare him for the worse-case scenario.

When our son was an infant, I started searching for swimming lessons.  At the time, most swimming instructors were already finished with their last session of the year and would not start their next session until Spring 2018.  I contacted every swimming program from Mandeville, Baton Rouge, and even Houma.  I was willing to drive two hours a day one way at this time to make sure Chandler was safe in and around water, but I realized that four hours in the car every day would not do well with an infant.   Without having an option like ISR in our area, we decided to enroll our son into "Mommy and Me" swimming Lessons.  It was an absolute joy to be with him in the water to have fun and sing along with him, but it seemed that these classes were designed to make the children adapt to the water, not respect the water. I felt that if he were involved in a water incident that he would not possess the necessary skills to rescue himself and survive.

In 2018, we knew of two families in our community that had lost their children due to drowning. That’s when I realized that there was a need for ISR in my area. I felt God truly put this in my path, in my heart, and led me to this wonderful opportunity to be the FIRST ISR Instructor all across the Northshore and Southshore in 2018.  

What I soon discovered in the ISR Program was a child-centered program, focused on empowering children and educating parents. I became a Certified Instructor set out to combine my passions and education into a fulfilling career. Watching a child transform each day in lessons is a thrilling experience.  Seeing a child roll over to float and knowing that child has a chance still gives me chills.  Hearing families, time after time, have a peace of mind because of ISR is very rewarding.  Hearing a student use their self-rescue skills in an otherwise traumatic or deadly event; that is absolutely humbling.  

I wish that no student ever use these skills in an accident, but drowning, as the No. 1 Accidental Death of children under 4, we know accidents happen. Watching children isn't enough and impossible 24/7.  We know layers of protection are critical but can fail or be broken down by quick and quiet children. The simplest of a misstep can put a child in the water unexpectedly. The difference in a traumatic moment, and getting right back to playing is a trained child. It is my aim within the ISR program to empower children with the only layer of protection they are in charge of: The ISR self-rescue technique. 
This technique, along with the parent education and progression of the swim-float-swim method, allows for a foundation of life-long skills; both in and out of the water. 

I want to continue to strive to fulfill my mission "Not one more child drowns" and make ISR well-known in my areas.   I truly believe that every child that steps into my pool has a chance at life.  I have had the honor and pleasure of teaching hundreds of children throughout the Northshore and Southshore in areas, such as New Orleans, Slidell, Hammond, Covington, Madisonville, Ponchatoula in public and residential pools.  My goal is to make a difference in our community and be responsible for teaching children a foundation of survival skills that can save their life. 

I hope you would consider giving your child the skills to survive.  Please contact me for any questions that you may have about the ISR Program.  I look forward to hearing from you!  

Thank you for contacting ISR Northshore!

Sincerely, 

Jennifer Laurent