Dancing wildly, screaming angrily, laughing hysterically, being friendly, portraying emotions, listening intently, understanding others, knowing all. She cares immensely for others and always says what’s on her mind. Though she isn’t viewed as a teacher to most, she teaches me on a daily basis. She is my gymnastics coach: Tammy Donahue.
She’s been pushing me to strive to be the best I can be not only as a gymnast, but also as a human being. I have been competing for LaFleur’s Gymnastics and Tammy Donahue, since fourth grade; and she still continues to wow me— and my whole team for that matter, with her actions, personality, and way of life. She has showed me she cares by using different methods (such as compassion and humor) to help me be the best person I can. She pushes me mentally and physically to be successful. She knows how to change the way I look at competition and life for the better; after all, life is a competition.
Tammy volunteers her time to drive around the elderly a couple times a month as a way to give back. She also encourages my team (myself included) to be selfless and do selfless acts. With Tammy, we’ve done a walk for breast cancer, we’ve made bagged lunches for the less fortunate, and around Christmas time, we created boxes filled with presents and sent them to the needy. She speaks passionately about donating our time and money to others; her facial and hand expressions, as well as her tone of voice, are incredibly convincing and inspiring.
She believes “great teamwork leads to achieving goals and eventually success.” She helps our team stay united and strong. Tammy uses her humor to put a smile on my face with crazy dance moves or silly stories. She makes me fear failure and strive for success, not only in gymnastics, but in life also. Tammy has helped me through problems with school and gymnastics.
Have you ever been afraid of anything? Well I have been, and Tammy has helped me to push past my fears or helped me work around them. She’s like a psychiatrist and a motivational speaker in a gymnastics coach’s body.
Tammy is the rare type of teacher not everyone is lucky to have. She’s both serious and humorous; she’s both wild and calm. The best trait she has is she’s always understanding and willing to help. Although she’s not technically a teacher of education, she is most definitely a teacher of life lessons.