Kristen Mantell

From the age of 6 years old I have wanted to teach. Whether playing teacher-teacher with my cousins or teaching my friends about coral reefs while growing up the the Seychelles, I have always found a way to wiggle education into my life.

I started my official education journey as a tutor in horticultural sciences at a local university in South Africa. I then went on to do a diploma in early childhood development and have spent the last three years studying a BSc/BA at the Open University while working as a literacy teacher at a local school. I adore my students, but I feel I can make a bigger difference by helping individuals across the world.

My lessons are structured around academic literacy, fun and catering to the individual needs of each student. Being able to personalize each lesson for a students' specific needs is something I pride myself on. I use interactive games and notes which I have made myself and accumulated over the years, as well as bringing in my own life experiences on the subject matter.

I have found the more fun you can bring into the lesson, the better the knowledge retention. With that in mind, I follow a three part structure when teaching: Warm-up game, attending to specific subject areas that need work and ending the day with a fun recap. This three part set-up has worked for me for over 4 years and I think I enjoy it as much as the students do!