Coach Caroline

“The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown”

Deep caring and true education often grow directly out of practical experiences. Children learn though being active. Through fun and meaningful activity Coach Caroline will guide a learning adventure, developing life skills and confidence in each child.

With over 20 years experience as a remedial and Montessori teacher Coach Caroline has developed an engaging approach that simulates development and learning outside of a formal education setting removing the stress and pressure. Caroline is trained in the Montessori method and can facilitate the curriculum outcomes required for primary school children. Caroline works best with children studying foundation phase schooling (6 to 10 years old) tailoring programs to their needs. Caroline has particular skills and success with children with Down’s Syndrome, and anxiety and learning delays.

Every child has the potential to learn and grow but the large classes of the formal education system and the pressure to develop in a specific way may frustrate this potential. As a coach Caroline will remove your child’s barriers to learning, awaken their natural curiosity and secure learning outcomes. Through cooking, gardening and outdoor activity Caroline will not only promote valuable life skills but also advance reading, mathematics and motor skills.

Caroline is based on the KZN South Coast and is happy to travel for face to face sessions.

carolinegray66@yahoo.co.uk

Work History

Montessori :  The Bryanston Montessori School

Qualification : The Montessori Academy Early Childhood Diploma

Dates : 2000 - 2014

Experience : Teacher of 3 to 6 year olds

 In my 14 years at the Bryanston Montessori School,  I gained experience in the teaching and supervision of preschool children and also worked with children with learning barriers which included Down’s syndrome, impaired vision and Asperger syndrome.

 Working in the Language, Maths and Cultural areas:

• I taught phonics, early reading and writing – encoding and decoding of phonetic words, puzzle words, sentences and early story books.

• I made use of concrete materials to teach the numbers from 1-90 and maths operations - addition, multiplication, subtraction and division

• I planned and presented theme work relating to zoology, botany, history, geography, science and music

 Remedial Teaching :  Omatas Learning Centre

 Qualification : Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment Mediator

Dates :  2015 – 2020

Experience : Special education foundation phase teacher

In my five years at Omatas, a cottage school for grades 1 – 7,  I  worked as a special education teacher, teaching children from grades R to 4 - with learning barriers, including Down’s syndrome, impaired vision, Asperger syndrome, ADD and ADHD, Dyslexia and anxiety. I focused on literacy, mathematics, the sciences and life and social skills .

•  I made use of reading programmes including Rave O , Thrass and Teach A Child To Read teach phonics, and to help the children with dyslexia and reading delays to develop reading and comprehension skills.

• I used the Montessori approach to mathematics, which involves concrete materials , to help   the children to understanding mathematical concepts , including the 4 operations , and to be able to achieve success working independently.

• I communicated with the parents through meetings and reports explaining their children’s progress and making suggestions about ways that they could support school learning.

 Online Tutoring : Coach Caroline Tutoring and Reading Coaching   

 Dates : 2020 - present

Experience: One on One Tutoring and Reading Coaching

 I worked one on one with children from grades 1 to 4 with learning barriers and special needs, providing teacher support through an online classroom .

• Using my remedial experience I made use of concrete materials and interactive learning experiences to help the children develop an understanding of phonics and to build English and maths skills.

• As a  reading coach I used mystery and detective stories  to help children  to improve their reading fluency, confidence and comprehension skills. The Hardy Boys and Geronimo Stilton’s adventures  provided interesting words and phrases to explore, and promoted their cognitive development.

 In – Person Tutoring : Tutor Doctor Sandton

 Dates : 2022 – 2023

Experience : One - on-one in person tutoring – grade 2 to grade 5

 I worked as a remedial tutor with children with ADD and ADHD.

• To help the children to achieve greater success with maths, phonics and literacy, as well as helping them with their homework I developed individualised  interactive learning experiences which helped them to retain and understand the information better.

• As the children struggled with anxiety I incorporated “fun” activities like memory games, card games and Scrabble into my sessions, and taught them strategies to help them to work out answers independently which improved their results and grew their self confidence. 

Teacher - Necia

You are a true teacher. You are kind, soft hearted, always ready for a child to walk into your arms. I look forward to teaching with you again.

Headmistress - Lauren

The kids have benefited greatly from your love and kindness and teaching.