Testimonials

Our Family are fortunate enough to have had the guidance of Sarah Sharpe over the past 5 years. Three of our children have had guidance from her in various ways through Kapiti college.  I would not hesitate to recommend her method to any one with specific learning needs. One of my children  was 3 years behind in reading when he went to college and became very distressed about being exposed as dyslexic but with Sarah's discrete help in year 9 he was happy to be in the dyslexic class in year 10 and then in year 11 was so comfortable with who he was and his unique learning style that dyslexia could even be tried as an excuse for not doing the dishes. In year 11 using a reader writer my son was able to pass ncea level 1 with excellence in every subject including external English. Now he is is a confident 17 year old man about to head off to university having passed level 3 with excellence and an academic excellence scholarship for Massey university.

Aside from achieving academically well beyond his potential, my son and many others like him have thrived as citizens under the care of Sarah and her team at KC. I have been a GP and mother of 6 in this small town for 25 years and the cohort that has gone through under Sarah's guidance stands out as from all other schools children I have cared for in terms of academic, social and moral responsibility and acceptance of others. I believe every child should be given the opportunity of having their own personal leaning rainbow analysed and worked with and any one lucky enough to have Sarah on their team would have at least part of that concept understood. 

/DR CHRISTINE COULTER/ parent

James (from a student point of view) has said that the assistance he received from Sarah and the Kapiti College's dyslexia friendly classes and teaching style made achieving the NCEA standards much easier and took the stress out of it all.

From a parent point of view, the dyslexia friendly programme at Kapiti College was one of the attractions for sending our both our sons there. We had come from a primary school where the head of learning recovery didn't believe in dyslexia and we felt it necessary to arrange for the testing and extra tutoring for our dyslexic son independently. Sarah and Kapiti College were great at providing support to both our son, and his other teachers, to enable him to achieve NCEA 1 with minimum stress for both him and us.

/BRONWYN HOEY AND ANDY BITCHENER/ parents

My daughter spent years at primary school struggling, believing that she was stupid and would never do well at school.  Within weeks of working with Ms Sharpe, her confidence had increased and she was excited about going to school.  

Ms Sharpe has given her the tools to help her in class and understand the way she learns.  She now loves school, loves to learn, and believes she can do anything she puts her mind to.  Ms Sharpe is a passionate and inspirational teacher.

/ANGELA MCLUCKIE/ parent

Sarah supported our daughter through her secondary school years at Kāpiti College. Meg struggled through primary school and was thought to have dyslexia. During her junior primary years she was also diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome. Sarah made every effort to accomodate Meg's learning differences. She provided a safe and welcoming place for Meg and empowered Meg to share her story with teachers, students and government officials.

We truly believe that Sarah was the one teacher who made the biggest difference to Meg's secondary school years. Sarah gave her the belief in herself that enabled her to achieve excellence endorsements at Level 2 and Level 3.

/JULIA BEVIN AND BRENDON HARRIS/ parents

In the 3 years we have known Ms Sharpe we have been impressed by her dedication and passion she has for her students and the high quality teaching skills she brings to teaching dyslexic students. Ms Sharpe took an active interest in not only our son who is dyslexic but all of her students. Our son responded well to her engaging approach to dyslexia education while taking a genuine interest in their well being. Under her guidance and encouragement our son responded well in her class. Her close contact with us as parents was undertaken in a very thorough and meaningful way and we never hesitated in contacting her if we needed to know anything.
We would not hesitate in recommending parents and students to her. 

/DIANE AND TOM REID/ parents

I am a Mother of an ex Kapiti College student who has dyslexia.  My daughter came to the decision by herself to go to Kapiti College for her secondary education even though her twin sister went to Paraparaumu College and all her friends did.  It was one of the best decisions she has ever made.

She is off on her next journey in life attending University this year and doing a Bachelor of Arts Major in Education and Psychology, with wanting to do teaching and help the next generation of dyslexic children.  I personally do not think any of this would have been possible without the amazing programs that Sarah Sharpe has put in place at Kapiti College and the dedication and support of Sarah Sharpe herself, who has touched my daughters life in the best way possible.

She is very dedicated and passionate about this field and our family know she will continue to make headway for the next generation and that she will play a major part in our education system going forward.

Our family wish her the best for the future and its great to know that Sarah is out there paving the way in this field for many years to come.

/LORRAINE CULL/ parent

When I first went into college I had the fear in the back of my head that I wouldn’t and couldn’t do as well as the rest because I had a little thing called dyslexia. At first, I thought I was going to fail my test and exams and struggle through the years barely passing anything or being able to get a good grade, but when I got put in the subject literacy while everyone was in philosophy I knew something was up. Turns out my mother had told the college I was dyslexic and they put me in a class with people like me. That’s when I met Mrs Sharpe. Mrs Sharpe turned a class full of people who felt like they were going to fail at school because they didn’t fit into the normal streamline education system into people who can pass an exam or test and actually achieve a grade better than they ever could have thought. Mrs Sharpe helped me and many other before and after myself with new techniques, skills, tricks and abilities to bend the education system from what was once something we didn’t fit in, to something we strive in.  I pretty much owe my education to Mrs Sharpe and what she did, she was able to help me through my college years and will continue to help me with the skills she has passed on. Thank you for something that can only be the most useful gift anyone has received.

/MORGAN BLOXHAM/ student

I would like to say how much of a difference the Dyslexic programme has made to my daughter Zoe. I can attribute the success that Zoe has had to the support and guidance that Sarah has given. Sarah’s guidance has given Zoe confidence in herself and to challenge herself in subjects which are complex i.e psychology.

Zoe came into the dyslexic programme under a dark cloud and ran the high risk of being removed, since then, Zoe has expressed how much she respects Sarah’s guidance and that she has an excellent rapport with her. Over the year Zoe has asked Sarah’s opinion or sought advice in relation to class subjects and personality dynamics with teachers or classmates, Sarah has always been accommodating, open and treated Zoe kindly and as a young adult, which Zoe appreciates.

Zoe has had a great NCEA1 year and that can be attributed to Zoe’s own perseverance and the unwaivering support from Sarah.

I believe Sarah goes the extra mile to give her students the opportunity and the tools to succeed. Sarah is caring and truly wishes to make a difference in her students' lives and I can say she has in Zoe’s.

/SEAN MORAN/ parent

Our son is severely dyslexic, and basically one of the most dyslexic children they have ever had at Kapiti college so far. Sarah came into our sons life at year 10, and has been one of the most amazing influences in his college life. The teaching, the support, the time, the empathy, the calm, the understanding from Sarah has been unconditional at all times. Sarah has the most captivating karma about her and get can get any child to learn even when times are tough for the child. 

George has graduated with Merit for the past two years and we are so proud of him. Sarah has been an integral part of all our lives and she is truly amazing. Sarah has given George the confidence to be the young man he is today, we will never be able to thank her enough. If you are lucky enough to have Sarah teach your child in any way, your child will without a doubt be able to become whatever they want to be in the future.

/COLIN AND SADIE STUART/ parents

For my daughter, school was extremely hard work and often lead to frustration and tears. So to have a teacher such as Mrs Sharpe there who not only understood fully these frustrations but to be able to offer her support in a positive and empathetic manner was extremely significant in my daughter's ability to not only cope with school, but to pass all of her subjects.

Without having the support of teachers such as Mrs Sharpe I would hate to think about what my daughter would've gone through and what she would've or wouldn't have achieved.

We are forever in her debt and know that Mrs Sharpe's knowledge and understanding will provide many more students like my daughter a way to cope and achieve great things during and post their school years.

/KEVIN SMITH/ parent

Sarah is a passionate and dedicated advocate for neuro-diverse learners. She has extensive knowledge about how to help them succeed in the classroom. This has led her to take her knowledge wider, to help schools improve systems and upskill teachers. Sarah is highly organised, professional and delivers interactive PLD in an engaging way. She held PLD sessions for various groups of teachers, supported us to strengthen our screening and I thoroughly enjoyed working with her. It felt like a partnership.

Sarah McBride HoD Learning Support. Aotea College

Testimonials from Aviation Students:

‘Sarah easily sees where you are at with your learning (subject content) – and how you personally learn. Then she explains it in a way you’ll get it. I love it that………she DOES NOT make you feel like a thick dork. You’ll want to keep asking her stuff!’  Fi Watts

‘I was lucky enough to spend some one-on-one time with Sarah to go over Principles of Helicopter flight.  The time I spent proved to be very valuable, learning a new technique/strategy of how to study and capture the information needed and most importantly how to retain the information. The study techniques Sarah showed me have raised my review percentage at end of each chapter from an average of 60% up to an average of 90% plus. I have always struggled with theory and after our time together it really proved a difference.’ Dylan Tovey

‘As a tutor Sarah is wonderful. She is personable and approachable. Sarah tailors lessons and explanations of content to the individual and individual learning style. Sarah is so patient and creative when it comes to explaining, and in the aid of remembering, new concepts and long lists. Her enthusiasm for Aviation is infectious and I certainly feel supported and motivated at the end of each lesson.’               Fiona Kleintjes

 ‘Sarah thank you for your kind hearted spirit. Your teaching abilities are outstanding; I’ve particularly appreciated how you manage with ease to make the complex simple.
I have been very grateful you have bucketloads of patience and are passionate towards helping others. Your skills are genius in the way you can easily adapt and educate those of us who have different learning styles. Thanks again Sarah, I consider myself and anyone else who happened to be fortunate enough to become a learning student of yours extremely fortunate.’ KDAC PPL Student

 ‘Sarah provides a private and supportive environment to tutor students at their own pace, in their own choice of subject. She is patient, flexible and has an innate ability to break down complex concepts into easy-to-understand lessons; providing video tutorials and follow up questions if you would like these. Having Sarah as a tutor has been an incredible help with my exams so far, and I would have no hesitancy in recommending Sarah as a tutor, in both a 1:1 and group setting.’  Stevie R

‘Thank you so much for all your help with my Air Law exam. I don’t think I could/would have got to this point without your help. Having someone to be accountable to, knowing we’ve arranged a time, held me to specific times for study. I loved having you to bounce questions off and discuss ideas. It really helped to embed information into my brain. So thank you so much, you’re amazing!’ Michelle Robertson