Puddle Ducks Nottinghamshire and North Leicestershire Star Teacher – Winter 2019 is...... Emma Richardson!!!
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 chose the winning nomination, from Hui and Catherine. Shirley wrote that yet again, it has been really difficult to make a final decision as all the nominations were fantastic. She also said that all our teachers should feel immensely proud of what they do and a huge congratulations for every nomination that was sent in.
A huge congratulations to Emma and thank you to Hui and Catherine - your words mean so much:
"We believe that Emma is extraordinary in understanding the children’s need and has tailored the activities to each individual kid’s level.
She is also willing to spend extra time whenever possible to speak to the children. Our daughter who is 2 years & 8 months loves her and mentions her name throughout the week although we only see Emma once every weekend for 30 minutes!
Emma is able to leave an impression on the little one’s mind with her care and great skills at teaching them to swim.”
Emma will now be a contender for the national Puddle Ducks Star Teacher award – Good luck Emma and many congratulations as this is very well deserved!!
Emma teaches our Baby and Pre School lessons at The Key Health Club and at West Gate School. She also teaches Swim Academy at Roundhill Academy in Leicester.
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 every nomination received, all of which are detailed below as they speak volumes about our teachers and the work that they do with both the parents and children who swim with us.
Nominations:
Emma Richardson
“I would like to nominate Emma, Matilda's Teacher at The Key Health Club on Mondays.
She has been nothing but patient and kind towards Matilda who has had an epic wobble over the last few months and has not been particularly enjoying or a willing participant in her lessons. Emma has kept being her gently encouraging and kind self, always helping Matilda and supporting me through the experience.
Now Matilda has suddenly realised that she can swim and very much likes it and is now extremely keen to show Emma with a "look what I can do" each time she puts her face in or swims on her own! Thanks Emma, you are a star!”
Nominated by Helen and Matilda
Jayne Ascott
“Our nomination is for Jayne at Kirby MuxIoe. I am not a good swimmer and she always makes me feel confident in myself with my daughter. This has let me enjoy swimming with her who in turn now loves swimming aswell and has grown in confidence with Jayne.”
Nominated by Melissa and Savannah
“We would like to nominate Jayne. Both my daughters started swimming with Jayne as Floaties and they both loved her from the beginning. Jayne makes parents feel at ease and helped us to feel comfortable handling our babies in the water. She keeps up a good rapport with the babies and children which makes swimming in her classes both fun and exciting.
My youngest is in Little Dippers and is super confident in the water, loving jumping in and diving for rings. My eldest has recently joined Swim Academy and is so excited to be swimming with Jayne again. We’ve now been swimming with Jayne since 2015. We get so many comments on how great in the water the girls are, which is all down to her. Thank you."
Nominated by Lorraine, Georgia and Hazel
“I would like to nominate Jayne. Harrison and I swim on a Wednesday in Splashers at Kirby Muxloe. Jayne is very enthusiastic, takes pride in what she does and always has a smile on her face. She looks at every child individually and takes time with each one. A lovely lovely teacher.
Thanks Jayne and we look forward to you being back with us again xx"
Nominated by Lisa and Harrison
Heather Mooney
“We'd like to nominate Heather from Every Sensation for Star Teacher. We went through a tough time with our Little Dipper when our previous teacher left in the summer. She didn't want to go swimming and wouldn't join in at all during lessons. Heather has made a concerted effort to build a relationship with our child - they've bonded over spurting water at each other! It has really worked.
Our child loves swimming again and is making noticeable progress. She desperately wants to interact with Heather and is keen to share her successes with her. Thank you Heather - you've made a massive difference!”
Nominated by Ruth and Sophie
“I'd like to nominate Heather. My daughter has reflux and colic and is a very fussy baby and yet I know with confidence that during Heather's class she will not cry. She loves every second of it.
Heather splits each activity into two; babies with head support and without, and always shows clearly how to do the activity for both groups. This has helped me be more confident with my daughter in the water, especially as she has grown more independent and wanted to move from her back to her front in the water.
She has been patient when I have felt nervous and is so friendly and happy to talk to any of the parents if they have questions or concerns. You can see that Heather enjoys teaching and in turn the babies enjoy being taught.
Nominated by Katie and Sophie
“We would like to nominate Heather for Star Teacher. She teaches my son at Every Sensation on Sundays. Below is our summary as to why she should achieve this award:
The progression that Joshua has made under Heather has been remarkable. Our son Joshua’s confidence under her tutelage has sky-rocketed, as shown by achieving his 5 meter badge. Having done that she continues to push him to even greater achievements. Big Thank You Heather!”
Nominated by Julie and Joshua
Rebecca Edwardson
"Our teacher is Rebecca from the Nottingham Hilton Hotel. She always goes above and beyond, but even more so during my pregnancy with my second child and during my C-section recovery. My little girl absolutely LOVES her!"
Nominated by Tessa and Penny
Alex Shelton Knight
“I would like to nominate Alex, our teacher from The Key Health Club. She has a lovely nature with both the babies and parents, makes it fun and tailors the lesson to the group. It’s the highlight of our week!”
Nominated by Claire and Charlie
“Please can we nominate Alex. She is brilliant and my twin daughters love swimming because of her amazing classes!!”
Nominated by Clare, Matilda and Florence
Nikola Nascimento
“I would like to nominate Nikola who teaches at the Nottingham Sherwood Hotel. She is so kind, encouraging and supportive and an absolute credit to the Puddle Ducks team.”
Nominated by Clare and Toby