I work closely with families to provide holistic learning support. I specialise in children and young people whose parents homeschool for philosophical reasons, and those who aren’t thriving with traditional tutoring. If your child is not confident in themselves and thriving at school and you feel there is a missing piece or that they are not being ‘seen’ by the system, I would love to support them.
I am currently forming a small group of homeschooled children from 6-9 years old, Wednesday from 9am- 12pm. This is not a co-op, rather a closely guided community of learners for creative inquiry, exploration and project-based work.
I provide comprehensive 1-hour coaching to parents, exploring options for pedagogy, philosophy and experiences to individualise their home education to best suit their family values, children’s needs, and their educational vision. This is not curriculum consultation, although curriculum is an element of our process.
In addition, building a community of philosophically aligned homeschooling families in Sydney, and continuing my own learning journey which I document on my blog and podcast.
Click on the above links or scroll down to learn more.
Homeschooling Village
Bespoke homeschooling based on and committed to the contributions of John Dewey, Maria Montessori and other inspiring humans.
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Wednesday, 9am - 12pm, in a beautiful prepared environment in Kurraba Point with access to a safe outdoors space, and across the road from a local park and playground.
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6 - 9 year old children in a small group of maximum 8 children, where the children work together in a joyful and industrious way, within an atmosphere of care and authentic connection.
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I take as my ethical responsibility the growth of the children in knowledge, social intelligence, creativity, awareness and independence through purposeful, collaborative and creative activity in service to each other, the wider community and themselves.
The foundation of our learning community is a sound philosophy based on principles which have been thought through and will continue to be over time, and in accordance with a curriculum which is rich and deep.
I believe in the importance of academics, just as much that of the arts, social and emotional skills, collaboration, a love of nature and problem solving.
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$35 per hour per child.
This price includes my experience, close guidance, planning and support, and all stationery, art, cooking and science supplies.
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The children will be guided by me, with safe access to their wider community, natural world, and other inspiring humans.
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This work is part of my belief in the power of global localisation, grounding ourselves and our children within small, trusting communities and taking the responsibility for such huge things as education into our own hands, rather than outsourcing them to systems we know very little about.
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” ― John Dewey
Learning is not separable from life itself, and learning is not the transmission of static bodies of knowledge to the passive and receptive child. There is a beautiful element of mystery in what the child will grow to become. This process is continually influenced by the child’s environment, the adults around them and the kind of activity they are engaged in. Real education should place the child in a safe and stable atmosphere of strong values, with curious and interesting adults, freedom and limits, and space to explore. It should allow them to act with ever increasing levels of independence, trust and complexity, in widening groups until the child is confidently able to take their place within society itself, possessing awareness of his/her gifts and a readiness to contribute them in service to humanity and the world.
Children need to be taken seriously, and guided with kindness, curiosity, and clarity.
I personally don’t believe that the physical institution of the ‘school’ needs to exist the way it does. But education is inextricable from maturing in our local and global society. And we are responsible for guiding this process for our children.
Here are what I believe some of the purposes of real education for a child:
To develop foundational skills of reading, self expression through writing, mathematics and geometry which form the bedrock of the child’s ability to access the knowledge of their own culture, present and past.
To have their mind ‘furnished with beauty’ through being immersed in quality literature, poetry, storytelling, music, the arts, and bodies of knowledge in ways that are not didactic but experiential, such that their souls become intimate with the beauty of humanity and the legacy of the present culture.
To form and develop the deepest core of one’s personality: the will, the moral compass, emotional awareness and regulation, and the worldview.
To develop a spiritual or values framework which is bigger than the individual human and serves as a north star in journeying through life.
To practice ‘learning capabilities’ otherwise known as ‘soft skills’ which carry all of us through life. These skills are increasingly being called ‘hard skills’ as they are applicable in every domain in life and are far more enduring than any curriculum knowledge we could obtain. They are also much more difficult to develop later in life. These skills, no matter when we acquire them, are built up over time through repeated experience and through conscious work or guidance.
To incarnate skills of social intelligence through being part of a community and social group which functions as a healthy society should. It is made of individuals who are aware of their place in the group and look out for one another and are aware of what would be required to make the group function better.
To learn how to learn: the foundation for this is curiosity and an absolute and unwavering love of the world. The school must be conscious of the myriad ways it can encroach upon and kill curiosity. Curiosity is a delicate state of being, especially in a child. Upon this foundation is built knowledge of oneself which is developed through piquing of curiosity and the provision of both time and (just) sufficient support in sating that curiosity, and also through, embodied in the way lessons are given, the discovery of knowledge through one’s own actions and discoveries, rather than being given them by a teacher.
Learning Support and Tutoring
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15 years experience across mainstream, Montessori, and home-based education settings. I hold a postgraduate teaching degree, AMI Montessori Diploma and extensive experience with a range of children and learning needs.
ANU - Law (2009- 2012)
University of Sydney - B Science, B Arts (psychology, art history), University Exchange Scholarship
UNSW - Masters in Education & Teaching (specialising in creative arts and english)
Centro Internazionale Studi Montessoriani - Montessori Diploma 6-12 years, highest exam mark in the course.
Lindamood-Bell - many years’ experience providing explicit literacy support for children with dyslexia and dysgraphia, or difficulties with spelling, reading or symbol imagery.
Sydney Rudolf Steiner College - Waldorf training in theory, form drawing and early years curriculum
Green Schools - foundational principles for sustainable and green schooling and education
Neufeld Institute - Attachment based neuroscience, courses on bullying, understanding children and home education.
4C Transformative learning - developing transferrable ‘soft’ skills in children and innovating teaching practice.
Lee Trew - Rapport-based relating
Bush school training & experience
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K- Y8 (all subjects + enrichment)
Y9-12 (english, writing)
General learning support: finding and extending aptitudes and talents, building confidence and self-concept while working on areas of difficulty in a holistic way incorporating child-led projects and creative work.
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Real life, always.
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Monday - Wednesday afternoons. The location is Kurraba Point, but I may also be able to come to you.
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The context for effective learning must always be connection. Once there is a sense of trust the child will approach challenges and be open to being extended.
I work across many philosophies and I draw on different approaches depending on the child. I love Montessori mathematics materials for supporting children with abstract concepts.
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$90/hour
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I utilise concrete materials and abstract methods, explicit teaching and self-directed. I am talented in finding a child’s edge and extending them beyond their comfort zone, helping them discover new confidence and skill.
Explicit teaching is necessary to some extent for most children, particularly those with a greater need for clarity and simplicity.
When fundamental skills have been developed, children require further challenge or practice applying this to new contexts. Self-directed learning may look like giving 2 children a challenging problem to solve, and guiding them gently at each roadblock they encounter. It may involve them deriving formulas alone using visual materials, such as the formula for the area of a rectangle, or Pythagoras’ theorem.
Concrete materials enable children to bridge between the concrete and the abstract. Mathematics requires children to have rich mental schemas which can only be developed through experience with the material world. Children show us when they are beginning to abstract concepts. These can then be applied to problem solving, novel contexts and more advanced mathematics.
Montessori uses concrete materials for everything, including binomial and trinomial cubing, square root, algebra and geometry.
I provide individualised, holistic and high-quality learning support for children learning outside the system, or who aren’t thriving with traditional tutoring or in the mainstream education context.
I support children with a wide range of learning needs and abilities and my teaching draws on multiple educational philosophies and methodologies, tailored to the individual child. I incorporate emotion coaching and adapt our work to the child’s nervous system and emotional capacity which is important for building safety, resilience and true confidence.
I am a highly experienced educator with experience in mainstream schools, Montessori environments, bush school, specialised settings and home-based education.
Many children become tightly wound at school, as they try to keep up or adapt in different ways. Time in nature, unstructured play and open and curious adults support this, as do low-pressure and safe experiences where children experience mastery and work just at or beyond their own limits. I am talented in finding this edge in children (and over time, extending it).
Effective learning is grounded in connection. When a child feels safe they are more willing to approach challenges and extend beyond their comfort zone.
Most sessions are offered one-to-one or in very small groups.
I make use of Montessori materials to support children in developing conceptual understanding. I also integrate opportunities for children to apply their skills in new contexts.
Support for Home Educators
Effective & sustainable homeschooling requires a strong vision and careful planning. Work with me to create and execute a vision for a homeschooling approach which avoids the limitations of mainstream schooling, and builds resilience, creativity, curiosity and independence.
We will explore and integrate different frameworks to tailor an educational approach which corresponds to your family’s values, educational philosophy and your child’s uniqueness. Curriculum support is also available.
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Pedagogies and approaches, homeschooling frameworks, resources, registration, curriculum support, scheduling and timetables, additional needs.
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Zoom calls of 1 hour each.
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$90/hour (initial consult)
$300 for a values statement, learning philosophy overview, general overview for all subject areas and tailored learning experiences aligned to all NESA and Montessori curriculum outcomes for your child’s age and stage.
Mentoring: purpose and calling for adolescents
When I finished high school I felt pressured to pursue Law because of my ATAR. A few years later I left to pursue psychology & art history degrees, and later postgrad studies in education, which was my passion all along. I spent a few years in different countries, found buddhism and other passions, read a lot of books, did a lot of soul searching, and nurtured my creativity in different ways.
I have come to learn from experience and from hearing the stories of countless adolescents and adults that schools so often make young people feel that they aren’t fully seen. Traditional career advice doesn’t give them a chance to get to know who they are and what they truly want to do.
We should always work hard and be persistent and disciplined in life. We should know our strengths and our weaknesses. But following a passion, interest or aptitude is a courageous path and one which yields immense rewards along the way. I believe this message is a very important one for young people.
I am passionate about helping young people think about who they are, their purpose and calling, and how they might want to contribute to our world. I wish I had this when I was younger.
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In person meeting to build a connection, followed by an option of real life or zoom sessions of 1 hour each.
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$80/hour
Please contact me to have a chat or ask any questions >