Amber’s story, summarised:

From a young age, Amber’s creativity and love for people stood out — but sitting still to read or write was always a struggle. School became even harder after her mother left, and by Grade 4, she was years behind in reading and spelling. An ADD diagnosis brought some clarity, but repeating the grade would’ve meant separating her from her twin.

Then Edublox entered the picture. Sandra didn’t just assess Amber — she encouraged her, believed in her, and helped rebuild what had been missing all along: confidence. Today, in Grade 7, Amber reads aloud with pride, loves learning, and — in her own words — no longer feels stupid. Her transformation is a powerful reminder of what can happen when the right support meets the right child at the right time.

The unedited version:

Chevon Brown, Amber’s aunt, wrote:

Amber has always been a delightful girl. She is very creative and loves chatting to people. However, since she was very young it was a struggle to get her to sit down and focus on writing or reading because she would rather be doing something practical with her hands. When she started school, it was a difficult time for her because her mother left, and it was very traumatic for her and her sisters. Amber’s grade R teacher told me that Amber is going to need a lot of help when she starts Grade 1.

Amber struggled a lot through her foundation phase. She could not read, spell or complete her work at the same level as everyone else in her age group, she was always behind in almost everything that she did. She had to spend most afternoons catching up on the work that she couldn’t complete at school.  

Grade 4 came and after many parent evenings with teachers saying that Amber would fail if her marks didn’t improve, I contacted an educational psychologist who assessed her and confirmed that Amber has ADD. She was also many years behind her actual reading and spelling age.

It was recommended that Amber repeat the grade, but because Amber is a twin the psychologist said that this would have a lifelong impact on Amber. It was then that I decided to contact Edublox in Somerset West. I had heard of Edublox before when I took another child there for a study course. I contacted Sandra and told her Amber’s story. Sandra invited Amber and I to visit Edublox, where Sandra assessed Amber. I got a full report from Sandra with a very detailed description of Amber’s strong suits and where Amber needed improvement. Sandra never made Amber feel stupid or slow; she uplifted Amber and took her time to build the foundation that Amber lacked.

Amber is now in Grade 7. Although she had a rough first term, with determination and self-belief Amber managed to improve throughout the year. She now reads every day (and loves to read out loud), she is steadily improving her spelling skills and is a lot more excited about her academic future! The thing I am happiest about is that Amber no longer calls herself stupid; her self-confidence has gone up tremendously and it’s all thanks to Edublox!