Kia ora Koutou,

 

My name is Bex Hall and I am the lead teacher and director of Believe Education. I am a registered NZ teacher and Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment Instructor. I have taught within Primary and Intermediate schools for the last 20 years. My passion has been in Maori education for many years - specifically in Maori Medium education. More recently, however, I have taught in mainstream settings, this has developed into a greater passion for children with learning difficulties and the challenges they face within the classroom. Having discovered the power of the Feuerstein method, I am passionate about the long-term changes and solutions it can bring to these children and their learning.

 

I am Married with 3 children of my own. My husband and children all have Dyslexia and processing issues, one of my children also has a genetic syndrome and another has Dyspraxia. I homeschooled my children also for 3 years when I realised my oldest was making little if any academic progress at school. I discovered very quickly that he was Dyslexic while I worked closely with him on a day to day basis. Our children are all back in school now but the school battle has been a real struggle at times! I know that my kids have huge potential and talent but struggle to agree that the school standardised assessment measures and reports are an accurate indication of this!

 

So my journey in the area of Specific Learning needs began. I have always felt passionate about helping people and have studied much over the years on different learning challenges, programmes, and strategies to assist such learners. I have completed courses, written blogs, attended support groups, and been there to listen to and empathise with other parents who are either beginning their journey or just having a bad day. I do live the journey and know the stress that comes when you live in a household where people have communicative difficulties. It is tough, but I want to make a difference and BELIEVE we can have success!

 

In 2014 I attended my first Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment course and it gave me more hope than anything else had to date! It offered me hope as a wife and mother and teacher of individuals with learning difficulties. I have since done 3 other Feuerstein training courses, Including Standard, Basic and Tactile. I returned to my school, Murrays Bay Primary, very excited to share. My principal heard all about my new found excitement and he very quickly became excited too! He was innovative enough to allow me and another teacher at school to teach the Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment programme every day, 5 days a week last year (2015) in our classrooms. We witnessed case after case of both academic and character building growth. In 2015 I also presented throughout New Zealand at the Brain Changer conference. As a Feuerstein Community of practice, led by Professor Mandia Mentis at Massey university we travelled to Wellington to speak to the Ministry of Education on the Feuerstein Pedagogy, I presented there on the Implementation of the Feuerstein Pedagogy in my classroom/school context. I also worked alongside Kaumātua to bridge this Pedagogy into a Māori world view and connect it to The Key Competencies of the NZ Curriculum.

I believe we can help your child to grow academically, socially and emotionally as they develop Optimistic Alternatives to life and learning via our exciting curriculum.