Lianne has literally transformed D’s whole reading scenario! From struggling to decode even simple words, D is now able to tackle more challenging words and is now able to “hold his own” in homework, tests and assignments. His reading is finally fluent.
D had a real problem with reading and spelling, making learning very challenging and homework a daily uphill battle! Lianne has been working devotedly with D and instilling reading, spelling and general academic confidence in him. His reading is now fluent, his confidence is up, and he feels positive about school.
I recommend Lianne because she is highly professional, thorough, dedicated to her work and has a heart for children. We have seen measurable improvements in D’s reading, comprehension and spelling skills. I am so thankful to Lianne for all that she has done as it has been miraculous to see the growth and change in my son. We have so appreciated her consistent, dedicated approach and the encouragement she has offered. She has literally been a Godsend, an offer to a prayer! We will miss our Thursday sessions with her!
– Angela Morgan –
My children’s experience with Lianne was one of pure delight. We started seeing Lianne for my older daughter who had fallen behind quite badly with her reading and decided to take my youngest at the same time so the same wouldn’t happen to her. My oldest daughter had never enjoyed reading before and had never really picked up a book for the pleasure of reading.
In no time at all she was more confident and assured in her reading and now attacks words she doesn’t get straight away in a measured manner, rather than panic.
My youngest has just flourished and went from reading nothing to being a whizz with a book – school reading homework has never been easier.
Lianne helped us by building her confidence and helping her to slow down to avoid silly mistakes. The confidence building has made a huge difference. Also, the fact that the sessions are one-on-one means that both my daughters have thrived and grown with the focused attention.
I recommend Lianne because she is committed, passionate and good at what she does. Once my daughter had completed the reading programme she helped her work on skills like comprehension, presentation and writing. This made a huge difference and my daughter who is always in the 50-60% range got her first 90% off the back of these skills.
Thank you for helping both my girls enjoy reading and for giving them both the grounding they need to love reading as they get older.
– P. Miles –
My son was really struggling with a number of things in his English studies (reading fluency, spelling, comprehension, writing). His reading was slower than the average child. Lianne was able to build the trust that my son needed and created a safe space for him to learn through his mistakes. I saw his confidence levels improve as well as his ability to work independently. He now has a greater interest in reading.
Lianne is passionate about her work with children. She is patient but firm when required. She provides regular feedback to parents. I have seen consistent positive results with my son and I am certain it is directly related to these lessons.
Lianne goes above and beyond the immediate problems. She assess the child holistically and provides solutions that help the child become a better student in more areas than just reading. She has been such a joy to work with. She is flexible and makes it easy for parents to work with her.
Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for everything. May you continue to be a blessing to many more families.
– T. Oliphant –
- P. Miles –
We were referred to Lianne by an Educational Psychologist primarily because my daughter’s standard of reading was below what was expected of her and it was impacting her ability and inclination to complete work on her own. She also avoided certain tasks as she found them difficult. This became apparent to us during lockdown and on-line schooling because she didn’t have friends or teachers to read and explain the tasks to her.
Lianne completed the Phono-graphix programme with E and spent time building her reading confidence and helping her to tackle comprehension tasks.
It was remarkable how much Lianne’s intervention helped E. It has given her much more confidence to tackle work and reading tasks that she finds hard. Her reading has significantly improved. For the first time ever, she has chosen to read a chapter book (novel) and enjoyed it. Lianne has also given E the tools to be able to break down words (multi-syllable) into more manageable chunks so that they are not so intimidating.
I would recommend Lianne because not only has she been great with improving E’s reading, but she also has a kind and gentle nature. This has meant that E has always been comfortable seeing Lianne and has not felt pressurized by the lessons.
Lianne is also great with parent feedback and I have felt part of the learning journey.
Thank you!
– E’s Parent (Grade 5) –
Our daughter was diagnosed as being mildly dyslexic in the middle of grade 6. I found the details for Lianne Bantjes through Seren. Lianne was wonderful with S and she enjoyed the lessons. Lianne encouraged S to read and to be more comfortable with language, reading, spelling and words. Lianne was motivating and encouraging and I strongly recommend her. Thank you Lianne for your help, kindness and support.
– Bridget Clark –
“I attended the ‘READING ALOUD TO CHILDREN WORKSHOP’ with Lianne in Johannesburg on 26 June this year. I highly recommend attending this workshop, even if you think you know everything there is to know about reading to little ones. I have seen so many benefits from doing what Lianne suggested and I really want to share my experience here.
Before I attended the workshop we didn’t read much in our household. I really tried but I mostly ended up reading out loud to myself. My two-year-old son B was easily distracted and would soon start playing, paying no attention to me or the fact that I was reading louder and louder at him or following him around the house.
At the workshop, I learned that I could involve and engage B in reading by focusing first on the pictures and discussing simple things with him using changes in my voice to keep his interest as well as lots of repetition. I also learned how to get something new out of a book each time we read it since toddlers like to reread the same books over and over.
From night one my son loved my new methods. Soon he was asking to read, bringing me books and then not wanting reading time to end. Now we read more than 5 books a night. B gets to choose the books that he would like us to read. We now read whenever he feels like it. Through regular storytime, he has learned a lot of new vocabulary and his language has improved dramatically. I’ve also noticed that he doesn’t forget picture based things once I have told him once. I correct his pronunciations too and he loves to repeat it after me. You should see how chuffed he is when he gets it right. There is lots of cheering taking place each time he remembers something new.
This morning I wanted to sleep in but all I could hear at the crack of dawn was “read for me mama, read for me mama” nonstop. I tried to pretend I was snoring but it did no good. Eventually I gave in and asked him to read to me. He wailed, “Nooooo, you read for me.” Yet again I was forced to abandon my sleep and read a silly elephant book that we have read a million times already. So we started our day on a positive note with giggles, cheers and good feelings.
Book time is now ‘together time’ and we both find so much joy, fun and bonding magic in this time spent together. Thanks Lianne!”
– Mrs. K. Mazhuwa –
“My family is emigrating from Johannesburg to Egypt where I will be attending an international school that uses the Cambridge Curriculum. Lianne has been helping me to prepare for the transition to school life there & the more demanding British curriculum.
She has helped me tremendously with understanding my work & what will be required of me. She has boosted my confidence & ability when it comes to reading publicly, writing essays as well as writing & giving speeches.
She has helped me to understand and apply useful techniques to improve my creative writing & essay preparation strategies. She has also greatly assisted with my ability to spell & self-correct when necessary.
Lianne has made reading & writing in English a lot more fun for me. She is not only a great English teacher but has become a great friend. I would recommend her to any child who needs help with studying English.”
– Zayan S –
“When my daughter was in Grade 2, I realised that the pace of the school lessons were too fast for her to follow. She was falling behind with her reading and writing. That is why I reached out to Lianne for assistance. This is the 3rd year that Lianne has been working with my daughter, and I cannot be happier with her improvement. Even the school teachers have noticed the remarkable difference. When my son started Grade 1, I didn’t hesitate to have Lianne start reading lessons with him right from the beginning. I would recommend Lianne to any parents in Johannesburg who find their kids struggling.”
– Cynthia Fonseca–
“Lianne has been my teacher for more than 11 years now. I started English lessons with her while I was at kindergarten. At that time she lived and worked in South Korea. While I was in elementary school she held lessons at her house, which I attended for many years. When she moved back to South Africa my mom requested Skype lessons with her. So, we have continued with our lessons this way for all these years. I am now 19 years old and in my last year of Korean High School, preparing for my University Entrance Exams.
Korea is extremely competitive academically. Thanks to Lianne’s lessons, I have always received excellent English grades, close to 100% and I’m usually top of my class. I originally did not like English and my scores were not good. But, through her lessons, I became fond of English and my English grades began to rise. The style she uses to teach is professional and caring. She ensures that her students gain a lot of confidence. She is such a responsible and patient teacher that she will never give up on you.”
– Seo Jung Min 서정민 –
Dear Miss Bantjes,
I’m Amira Mohammed. This is just a short note to say and express my feelings as the parent of ‘A’. I appreciate and have a heart full of thanks because you gave us light and hope in the darkness.
I want to explain. We arrived in South Africa from Sudan on 20 May 2017. I am here studying a
You, as the school teacher, supported ‘A’ in the classroom and then he also got extra English lessons after school. He was very successful in improving his English language skills in a very short period of time. I appreciate that you worked incredibly hard with him, even in your spare time.
The most valuable thing I have learned through ‘A’ studying with you is that he seemed very engaged in your teaching methods and loved to be with you. As you supported and taught him with your compassionate heart, you have been an inspiration to him as well as to all your students.
I just wanted to thank you again for a wonderful year for my son and all the students lucky enough to be in your class. I wish you the best in your future life.
Sincerely,
Amira Mohammed
28 February 2019
“I found out that my employee could not read well, so I was very pleased to meet Lianne and hear that she could help him. Reading is such a basic human right and necessity for life in today’s world, and so I wanted to offer the opportunity to Mr J. to learn more.
Lianne has such a friendly nature, that she not only put myself at ease, but more importantly, Mr J. too. And I would hear them laughing often as they had their lessons.
Mr J. is now a confident and avid reader, and spends hours reading books and the newspaper at night, and has even joined the local Library.
Thank you Lianne for touching Mr J’s life in such a profound way!”
-Telana Simpson, Courage Coach, Inner Coaching –
“Lianne is an excellent teacher with a great passion for teaching. She is a warmhearted person who fosters a secure and comfortable learning environment. With a great sense of responsibility and dedication she facilitates dramatic growth in language skills as well as in the emotional, intellectual and social aspects of her students. She shows a special interest in helping people in need. Lianne is one of the most responsible, supportive and reliable teachers I have worked with. Perhaps the ultimate recommendation I can give for Lianne is that I am personally inspired by her passionate and innovative teaching.”
– Mrs Paik, School Principal –
“Lianne is a passionate and dedicated teacher. Creating a safe learning environment is one of her many strong points. She is goal driven, dedicated and well organized. She has excellent interpersonal skills and truly believes that all children are capable of learning. She is known to be open minded, caring and supportive and is always looking for opportunities to improve her learners self-esteem and confidence. She has been the driving force behind improving the reading, speaking and writing ability of the students at our school.”
– Mr M. Song, Principal –
To explore working with Lianne face-to-face in Parkmore (Sandton, Johannesburg) or ONLINE (nationally), contact her for a consultation to discuss how she can assist you.
I recommend Lianne because she is highly professional, thorough, dedicated to her work and has a heart for children. We have seen measurable improvements in D’s reading, comprehension and spelling skills. I am so thankful to Lianne for all that she has done as it has been miraculous to see the growth and change in my son. We have so appreciated her consistent, dedicated approach and the encouragement she has offered. She has literally been a Godsend, an offer to a prayer! We will miss our Thursday sessions with her.
– Angela Morgan –