Background

I have extensive experience with teaching and special education; Wellington College of Education Diploma of Teaching, Reading Recovery, Bachelor of Education in Special and Inclusive Education, Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching with Distinction in Learning and Behaviour.

Ever since I began my teaching career in the 1980’s as a scale A teacher I have been deeply committed to making a difference for all students and have continued to hold that belief close to my heart.

Over the years I have had the opportunity and privilege to work in several primary schools throughout the Wellington area holding a variety of positions including Associate Principal in two of these schools.  I have also trained and taught Reading Recovery in one of the schools. I worked at Te Kura (The Correspondence School) as a Scale A Teacher in Learning Support for two years. I then held the positions of Team Leader, Central South, and then Curriculum Leader for Special Education, Central South before we moved to Taranaki.

During the first few years in Taranaki, I was a Supplementary Learning Support Teacher, working with students, teachers, and their families in several different schools in south Taranaki. I then became a Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching with Distinction in Learning and Behaviour. It was during my time in Taranaki that I first heard about and became interested in TOMATIS. Through my work as an RTLB I was always looking for alternative and non-invasive ways to support students with their learning and behavioural difficulties.

Why I work with Tomatis®

As an RTLB visiting different schools I began to hear and see evidence of the positive effects of TOMATIS programme on several of the students. I wanted to know more as this seemed to be what I was looking for, a non-invasive gentle but effective programme using music that would complement what I was already doing.