Our Teachers

Jen & Shae started Brainastics in 2008 when they were both looking for a program for their own inquisitive pre-schoolers. Their children seemed very ready and eager to learn about words around them, but were still two years off school and the kindergarten teachers had told them it was the school’s job to teach their children to read.

Being primary teachers they decided to research a number of different reading programs in order to find the one that they felt catered best for their pre-schoolers and complied with current ‘best practice’ methods. They discovered ‘Jolly Phonics’ - a program which was achieving fantastic results both interstate and overseas, but was yet to be discovered by Victorian teachers.

After travelling interstate to learn more about the program, they each began using it with their own children. They were so impressed by how well their children responded to it, and how quickly they picked up the basics of reading, that they decided to start Brainastics.

Since then, they have developed a team of enthusiastic and dedicated teachers who love what they do and are passionate about improving our children's literacy levels.

All our teachers are fully-qualified primary teachers, who carry current registrations and have up to date police checks.

Jen Jakobi:
Bachelor of Teaching (Primary), Bachelor of Education

Jen has worked at a number of schools, including Glen Huntly Primary, Malvern Primary, Elsternwick Primary and Blue Gate Fields Junior School in London. At Elsternwick Primary she was a literacy specialist in the junior school, working mainly with Prep students and collaborating with teachers to deliver a comprehensive program.

Jen is a parent of Prep-aged twin boys, so is now seeing first-hand the benefits of providing children a phonics base before entering a ‘whole language’ classroom.

 

 

Shae Langford-Jones:
Bachelor of Teaching (Primary), Bachelor of Arts

Shae started her teaching career in London (where she met Jen), and since returning home in 1999 has taught at Mount View Primary in Glen Waverley, and Brighton Primary. Having taught across all year levels Shae has seen many children struggling their way through literacy, having never really grasped the concept of reading properly, and always trying to ‘catch up’. She says she is not surprised to hear that 20% of students come through our school system functionally illiterate, and she is very glad to have discovered synthetic phonics in time for her own children to benefit.

 

 

Kathryn Williams:
Bachelor of Teaching (Primary), Bachelor of Education

Prior to commencing her family leave from Elsternwick Primary School in Melbourne, Kathryn taught at the Prep level for most of her teaching career.

Over the years she has taught hundreds of children how to read and write, but has only recently started using synthetic phonics. Kathryn is excited by the results she sees a comprehensive phonics program achieving.