CLERMONT, Fla. — While summer time is a fun time for kids out on break, a Lake County A+ Teacher says sports can really be the motivating factor during the school year to help students who are struggling to make the grade.
- Kristin O'Hara shares why sports can motivate students to get better grades
- She recalls how sports helped her as she struggled through school
- Discover more inspiring stories in A+ Teacher
Coach Kristin O'Hara, physical education teacher at Pine Ridge Elementary, says it is a lesson she knows all too well.
In O'Hara's class, many will see big smiles, sweet celebrations and a whole lot of concentration as children try to hone their coordination skills.
O'Hara is being recognized as an A+ Teacher for making fitness and exercise come full circle. While students say her classes are fun, she hopes it will help them in the classroom.
"I was never an academic scholar. I really struggled through school, and sports and coaches wanting me to play on their teams kind of pushed me to do well academically," she recalled.
For O'Hara, it is deeply personal. She gets emotional when she explains what really keeps her going.
"They're my inspiration. They're the reason why I keep going," she said of her students.
O'Hara says what keeps her going is that she gets to be the light for her students for 45 minutes a day where they do not have to focus on tests or sitting quietly.
Born in Pine Hills, O'Hara played little league ball as a child. Now she coaches her three young girls' softball teams.
She is even married to a coach and she says sports saved her.
O'Hara says, "In fact, a lot of what I do I feel like I learned in elementary school and I just want to give that to our kids here in Clermont."
Her students tell Spectrum News 13 that they are seeing results.
Students like Ravi Jr. Sanchoo who proudly pointed to his arms and said, "I got muscles!"