Jean Bester, owner of AQUATOTS Norwood in Johannesburg, is a born teacher. Originally qualified as a remedial school teacher, she served as deputy principal at the primary school where she had been teaching for many years before she decided to combine her love of teaching with her love for water by setting up her own swim school, SWIM FOR FUN, in 1998.
Her earlier swim teaching experience of several years both locally and abroad helped foster an approach to teaching swimming that is a blend of patience and dedication characteristic of Jean and the instructors she chooses to work with her. Her subsequent involvement in Clamber Club where she experienced teaching with mother and child groups further inspired her to establish AQUATOTS Franchise at her swim school.
With the help of her two young sons who happily allowed her to use them to try out her new AQUATOTS skills, like that shown in the illustration where one of them is floating without her assistance, Jean was able to achieve excellent results in the relatively short period that she had been working with infants in water.
Jean remains active on many levels of junior swimming. She coaches under water hockey and has coached a South Africa junior side to a gold medal. When she is not in the water teaching swimming she is in the water playing under water hockey. She has played in two world championships for South Africa and won gold medals both times.
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