Mieke was born as a Micro Preemie at only 26 weeks and weighed 780g. She spent her first 98 days of being alive in the NICU. She became such a strong little girl after her NICU battles.
It then became time for Mieke to start school. We were so excited, and she could not wait for her first day of Grade 1, but this excitement did not last long. It became clear that she was falling behind and not coping with all the schoolwork. She worked hard to catch up with all the work but simply could not cope. We took her to the school therapist, and it was at this point that the therapist told me that Mieke would never make it in a “normal” school and I should take her out of her current school.
I was extremely upset as I knew my child and knew there was nothing wrong with her. All she needed was some extra one on one time with a teacher. But being in a class of almost 40 other children, the time was not available. She was being overlooked as the classes were too full, and to me, it was easier for the school to show her away instead of giving her that extra bit of help.
I enrolled Mieke in a private school where there were a smaller number of children in the classes. I saw a small change and was excited that this school might be it. But with COVID, the school had to close, and they were only allowed to go to school for one week, and the following week they worked from home. Again, Mieke did not get that one-on-one time with a teacher.
One afternoon I heard one mom telling the teacher that her daughter attends afternoon classes at Edublox, and I started looking into this. I took Mieke for an assessment, and to my surprise, I was told that there was absolutely nothing wrong with my child and that she was, in fact, a clever little girl.
She needed some help with reading, maths and spelling, but she was not “behind” for her age group. When I told the owner of the Edublox branch how I was told Mieke would never cope in a “normal” school, she could not believe this was said. I have never been happier in my life than I was on this day.
Mieke then started her afternoon classes at Edublox. The following year, COVID again kept Mieke from being able to attend school every day, so I decided to enrol in the Edublox EASY programme full-time. This was the best decision I could have ever made for my child.
Since Grade 1, Mieke has been extremely anxious and cried hysterically every morning when I dropped her off at school. It broke my heart to leave her and know she was not feeling okay. But as soon as Mieke started full-time at Edublox, this immediately changed.
My anxious, crying little girl now went to school with the biggest smile, with no anxious feelings and could not wait to see her tutors. For me, this was the best feeling ever. For the first time since starting her school career, I could drop her off knowing she was happy.
Mieke went from almost failing all her subjects to getting some of the best marks in her class. She has made such amazing progress in all her subjects. She struggled with Maths and reading in the past. In her last report we got, she got 85% for Maths where she began the year with getting only 54%. Her reading has improved so much that she now wants to read and does not feel like she must read.
She began the year with an English mark of 61% and Afrikaans at 84%. She now gets 85% for English, and an amazing 90% for Afrikaans because of the extra time her tutors spend on reading.
Edublox has changed my daughter’s life. Mieke is an entirely different child now than she was two years ago. The changes Edublox made to my child, not only in academics but in her emotionally, are unbelievable. I will forever be grateful for finding an Edublox and their tutors. They changed our lives! There is no more crying, no more anxiety and not any negative thoughts about school at all.
Mieke now gets the one-on-one teaching she needs to succeed in school and life; her future has changed.
Nicolene Steyn
Nicolene Steyn Mieke's Mom
