Puddle Ducks Nottinghamshire, North Leics and South Yorkshire Star Teacher – Spring 2019 is...... Nikola Nascimiento!!!
We often say we have the #bestjobintheworld and the nominations that our customers have sent in for #StarTeacherAward are absolute testament to that!
Shirley Towle, the owner of the Family Grapevine in Nottinghamshire, a local magazine for parents from pregnancy to teenagers selected the winning nomination, from Rebecca and Oliver. Shirley said that she chose the winning nomination because the teacher had gone above and beyond with both the child and their parent. She also wanted to offer her congratulations to all the teachers for their fabulous nominations as it gets more difficult each time to choose a winner!
Congratulations Nikola and thank you to Rebecca and Oliver - your words mean so much:
"I would like to nominate Nikola for the Star Teacher award for her lessons with my son Oliver at The Key Health Club.
When Oliver first moved up from Floaties to Splashers, he got upset during most lessons. However, Nikola was undeterred and made a massive effort to encourage Oliver and make him smile! Nearly a year on and he is now in Kickers and he is loving his swimming lessons!
I would also like to thank Nikola for her personal support to me. I am missing my right arm below my elbow and therefore some of the tasks at swimming are a little challenging. However, both discreetly and without any fuss Nikola has always adapted everything to ensure that both Oliver and I can join in. Nikola is an enthusiastic and supportive teacher, thank you!"
Nikola will now be a contender for the national Puddle Ducks Star Teacher award – Good luck Nikola and many congratulations as this is very well deserved!!
Nikola teaches our Baby and Pre School lessons at The Key Health Club and the Park Inn Hotel in Nottingham. She also teaches Swim Academy at The Key Health Club.
Thank you to everyone who nominated their teacher for the Star Teacher award as it really means a lot to the individual teachers and also us as a team. We hope that you enjoy reading our other nominations, all of which are detailed below as they speak volumes about our teachers and the work that they do with the parents and children who swim with us.
Nominations:
Emma Richardson
I would like to nominate Emma, who teaches my son Ben in his Dippers class for the Star Teacher award.
My son has been taking lessons with her for nearly 3 years and she has been so incredibly patient with him. He is a bit of a character and doesn’t always follow instructions well but she has built up such a rapport with him that he has progressed so well and is becoming so confident in the water, particularly with putting his head under the water. After all of her hard work and dedication something has clicked and he now submerges himself while playing some of the games. I absolutely couldn’t believe it. I am such a proud mummy.
I can’t wait until my daughter starts her lessons with Emma too - Thank you!!
Nominated by Reema and Ben
Rachel Clewes (and Brittany)
I'd like to nominate both Rachel and Brittany from the pool at Momentum Leisure in Sheffield as Star Teacher(s).
In December, our son started to become very resistant to getting into the water and taking part in the swimming class. Rachel and Britney really went out of their way to encourage him to get into the water in such a fun way and without pressuring him. Luckily he now seems to have got over this phase and has gone back to getting into the water at the start of the lesson and enjoying being in the pool again.
Nominated by Mark and Alex
Rebecca Hulme-Edwardson
I would like to nominate Rebecca Hulme Edwardson on behalf of my daughter, Evie. She was extremely nervous in the water when she joined Puddle Ducks. She would not put her face under the water and barely left the side.
She needed a lot of reassurance. Rebecca’s gentle encouragement has enabled her to gain the confidence she needed to not only swim under water but also to feel increasingly confident in deep water and positively look forward to her swimming lessons.
Rebecca is not only an excellent teacher who is passionate and enthusiastic but warm and extremely talented.
Nominated by Vicki and Evie
Our star teacher is Rebecca at the Hilton hotel Nottingham. My daughter Paige loves her. She has great attention to detail with her and always makes her lessons fun and enjoyable.
Nominated by Danielle and Paige
Heather Mooney
My son's swimming teacher Heather has completely changed Saturday mornings for us. Theon has gone from not wanting to attend lessons to asking for Heather and being excited to get in the car to go. Heather has gone above and beyond to help make swimming enjoyable for Theon, from always giving him encouragement , letting him have a toy and always praising him.
I can’t believe how far we have come since Theon's bond with Heather has grown - from crying a whole lesson to now helping give demonstrations to the class. My son is Mr Unpredictable as we say but Heather has worked with this and really got to know Theon.
Puddle Ducks is extremely lucky to have a teacher like Heather, you’ve hit the jackpot! Thank you Heather for the difference you have made to Theon's swimming experience xx
Nominated by Megan and Theon
Our teacher Heather is fab - She takes the time to get to know all the children and she has given me the confidence to go swimming with him myself. She is wonderful and caring to each and every child and takes their needs into account every lesson.
Nominated by Donna and Jacob
Jayne Ascott
We would like to nominate Jayne, for always adapting things to try to encourage the very best out of Imogen. Both Jayne and I have noticed a real improvement in Imogen over this last term because of the consistent support and encouragement she receives from Jayne.
Jayne makes all lessons fun, has a great rapport with all the children and parents and isn't afraid to laugh at herself either. We look forward to our Mondays so much!
Nominated by Alex and Imogen
Our Star Teacher nomination goes to the lovely Jayne. She has endless positivity and enthusiasm and encourages our children to be confident but safe in the water. Every child is different and Jayne takes the time to get to know the children in her classes and finds the best way to encourage them to swim.
With Will, our 4 year old reluctant bubble blower, she encouraged him to blow bubbles through a hoop to help his super powers. Cue a happy, willing and confident bubble blower! With Elliot, our 7 year old, she has coached him effectively with positive encouragement to develop a great technique in front crawl, breast stroke and back stroke. So much so that he is taking part in a swimming gala this weekend. Thank you Jayne for being our super star teacher!
Nominated by Kate, Liam, Elliot and Will
We would like to nominate our teacher Jayne who teaches us in Kirby Muxloe on Wednesdays.
We have had Jayne as our teacher since Floaties and we are now Kickers. She is always smiling and cheerful every lesson. Jayne spends time making sure we are doing everything right and is full of encouragement for both of us! My daughter's confidence and ability in the water is amazing to see and we would never have thought she could do the things she has managed to achieve at such a young age.
This is all down to Jayne's teaching and support. It really feels like she goes the extra mile for us during lessons and it makes them a special time in the week for us. Thank you Jayne.
Nominated by Sophie and Lyra
Rebecca Pridmore
Both myself and Macy would like to nominate Rebecca Pridmore. She is unbelievable at remembering each child's likes and dislikes, enabling her to really build a great relationship with her swimmers.
Macy has struggled with water confidence since she was a toddler and Rebecca has guided Macy through from a 2 year old who was scared of the bath to a 4 year old who now regularly puts her face in the water - A real break through! Rebecca really takes time when children are nervous and never forces. She recently left a card for Macy with words of encouragement for her to read outside the pool which she was thrilled with and has really boosted her belief in herself. We love Rebecca!!
Nominated by Alex and Macy