Fiona opened her first school in Johannesburg in April 1995, catering for children from birth – Grade R. The school is still owned by her and is still running strong with her trusted formula and happy staff that many of whom have been with her for 20 years. She moved to Durban in 2001, to give her children a better quality of life.
At the age of 9 her oldest daughter was diagnosed with potential learning problems. Fiona tried to help her daughter and been in denial for many years thinking that the problem would go away and teachers are just being ridiculous. She eventually realized further intervention was needed. The journey began with every available test being done and many extra lessons after school to help her daughter, only to find the gap did not close and that the money spent exorbitant and a waste. Her academic problems were exacerbated by her low self-esteem and anxiety, which had developed over the years, added to her academic problems.
Eventually she was labelled as a “remedial child” and boxed accordingly. Ritalin was suggested, but for Fiona this was not an option. Fiona's daughter was enrolled at Livingstone, a school for remedial children. After two very beneficial years at Livingstone, she was ready to go back into mainstream. She was accepted at St Anne's College after passing the entrance exam but Fiona was still apprehensive as to how she would cope at this highly academic school. As she progressed through the grades, further in her study path. A personal tutor was arranged to give her extra support through hard times. The specific tools needed for her unique profile (summarizing, mind mapping, spider graphs etc.) were applied diligently daily after school and she gained greatly in self-belief. She was no longer anxious when tests were sprung on her as she had applied efficient study methods throughout the term. Further to her needs, Fiona applied for spelling concession, time concession and a Reader which helped her daughter through her final Matric exams. Her Matric Exemption pass gave her the opportunity to study for a B. Com degree, majoring in Marketing. She qualified with amazing results three years later and now has the perfect job in a happy environment. She understood her personal Brain Profile so well, and had such confidence in her own abilities that she was able to discern which jobs suited her personal strengths and she is flourishing as a result.
Now history repeats itself with her son being in the same position at school as his sister, but this time Fiona knows how best to help him succeed so he won’t have the same trying journey.