Meghan Simonie
Instructor Spotlight
My oldest has always loved swim class but has been pretty particular about her instructors. She doesn't like change and therefore never did well when she moved up a level and ended up with a new teacher.
However, her most recent change, as nervous as she was to make it, was the best one for her. I had seen quite a few of the other kids get very excited to see Mr. Donovan whenever he was around. So, I was looking forward to seeing what was so special about this specific instructor. Within minutes of the class, I could see her laughing and getting comfortable. This allowed her to focus on strengthening her swimming with less anxiety in the pool.

I decided to ask her what was so special about Mr. Donovan, and these were her answers.
Q: What are your favorite things about Mr. Donovan?
A: I like that he's super funny. He always jokes with me that my name is my brother's, and my brother's name is mine.
Q: What does he teach you about swimming?
A: He helps me do my rollovers and makes sure I know how not to sink!
Q: What do you think his favorite thing about swim school is?
A: I think it's probably that he really likes swimming.
Q: Who do you think his favorite superhero is?
A: Batman?
Q: Why do you like swimming so much?
A: Because Mr. Donovan is my teacher and he makes it really fun.
Q: What's your favorite kind of swimming stroke or favorite thing to do with him in class?
A: I like to dive for rings.
Q: If you could tell Mr. Donovan one thing, what would you tell him?
A: I love him!
If you can't tell from her responses, it's pretty clear that he is a large part of her love for swimming class.
So, I wanted to see for myself why this instructor is so amazing too. I reached out to him and asked him some questions as well. These are his answers:
Q: Why are you a swim instructor?
A: I am a swim instructor because it has always been a passion of mine to work with kids! I started babysitting when I was 13 and then was hired at goldfish at age 15 and have now been there the past 7 years.
Q: How old were you when you learned to swim?
A: I learned to swim at a young age around 4 or 5 years old, but learned the more traditional way of just sort of being dropped in a pool.
Q: What is your favorite thing about teaching at Goldfish?
A: My favorite thing about teaching at goldfish is easily the kids and the relationships i've built with not only them but their families. I still baby sit and stay in contact with a lot of my past students coming all the way from when I first started. My other favorite thing about teaching at goldfish is Maddie of course! :)
Q: Who inspires you (real or fictional character)?
A: My biggest inspiration is without a doubt my mom. She's been my role model my whole life and definitely made me the person I am today.
Q: Can you think of the funniest thing a child has said or done during class?
A: Oh boy I could come up with a lot for this but, one of my favorites was a little girl (Olivia) who I believe was 4 or 5 at the time saw me take a drink of coffee and asked "what are you drinking?" I said "coffee... do you drink coffee?" and she responded "no I drink Bud Light."
Q: Where is your favorite place to be (other than swim class, of course)?
A: My favorite place to be would have to be Disney World! I've been 6x and would probably go way more often if I was made of money lol.
Clearly, Mr. Donovan is pretty amazing and Goldfish Swim School is lucky to have him!