But when the school’s athletic director begged for someone to step forward and be the coach of the girls’ tennis team, Dones volunteered.
Games were starting in a couple weeks, and although the girls’ tennis team had strong motivation to play, they lacked a coach. The team was practicing after school by themselves, which would all go to waste if they didn’t have a coach for the season. “I felt really bad, so I was like, alright, I played tennis in high school, so I think I can try coaching. I never coached before, but you know, I’ll try this one.” The application process to become the girls’ tennis coach was lengthy, but sure enough, Ms. Dones also became Coach Dones. It is a lot of work to be both a teacher and coach, but Dones clearly enjoys it. When asked about what motivates her to go to work everyday, she responded, “Definitely the students and the players. [...] It’s not about the money, honestly, both teaching and coaching. It’s not like you get a lot.” She explained that being a teacher and coach was very time consuming, but it was the students and players that made it all worth it. Dones is now in her second year of being a math teacher and coach of both the girls’ and boys’ tennis teams.
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