I build the kind of classroom children can't wait to walk into.
An early-years educator who creates joyful, inclusive spaces where children grow in confidence and belonging, and who makes the team, the families and the whole school community part of it.
“Such a kind, patient and caring teacher. We've seen wonderful growth in their confidence, social skills and early learning development.”
Four ways I strengthen a school or project
I contribute across the whole of school life, not just my own classroom. Each is a distinct strength; together they describe an educator who makes learning warmer, more joyful and better designed, and who does it alongside colleagues and families.
Belonging & community
I build warm, inclusive classrooms where every child and family feels they belong, and where children grow in confidence, friendship and a shared love of learning.
Play-based inquiry & STEM
I design hands-on investigations children drive themselves, from density jars to construction challenges, where curiosity does the teaching and every child can take part.
Cultural & global learning
I design immersive country and culture experiences: rich, hands-on displays and activities that open children's eyes to the wider world and celebrate every family in the room.
Experience & learning design
This is where I light up: choreographing concerts, building backdrops with my team, designing resources, and running seminars that bring parents right into their children's learning.
The Flourish Compass™
A reflective practice model I designed to help early-years educators turn safeguarding and wellbeing from a policy on a shelf into something lived every day. Four bearings keep practice oriented toward the child: Notice, Nurture, Empower, Safeguard.
Notice
Safeguarding begins with knowing every child deeply. Attuned, everyday observation, noticing what's typical for a child and what's changed, is the first and most powerful protective act an educator makes.
- “Known Child” one-page profiles capturing each child's baseline, interests and relationships
- A weekly noticing & wellbeing check-in grid for the whole class
- Observation-to-action reflection prompts for team meetings
Draws on relational safeguarding and the “serve-and-return” work of the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, and NSPCC guidance on recognising and responding to signs of concern.
Nurture
A child who feels they belong is a child who is safe to learn. Emotional safety, warm relationships and a predictable culture of care are the conditions in which wellbeing and development flourish.
- A belonging & emotional-safety classroom audit (a reflective self-review, not a checklist)
- Morning check-in and co-regulation routines with visual emotion supports
- A calm-corner and self-regulation toolkit for early years
Informed by the Anna Freud Centre's work on mental health in schools and UNICEF's child-friendly, rights-respecting approach to wellbeing.
Empower
Protection and agency are partners, not opposites. When children have a voice, understand their bodies and feelings, and know how to seek help, they become active participants in their own safety and learning.
- Age-appropriate “my body, my feelings, my helpers” circle-time sequences
- Child-voice routines: choice boards, floor books and “you said, we did” displays
- A trusted-adults & help-seeking mapping activity for young children
Aligned with the IB PYP's emphasis on agency and student voice, and grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (child participation).
Safeguard
When a concern arises, a calm, ethical and well-understood response protects the child. In 2026 this must include the digital world: using technology and AI in ways that keep a child's data, dignity and development at the centre.
- A “notice, record, report” quick-reference card that sits alongside the school's policy
- An ethical EdTech & AI use reflection guide for early years (data, dignity, developmental fit)
- A family-partnership pack: welcome conversations, digital-wellbeing tips and open channels
Connects to Council of International Schools safeguarding principles, Common Sense Education's digital citizenship work, and my Master's research on ethical AI, algorithmic personalisation and educator judgement.
Ready to lead this as professional learning
The Flourish Compass is designed to scale from one classroom to a whole team. I can facilitate staff CPD, model the tools in practice, and support a phase or setting to embed child-centred safeguarding and wellbeing into everyday routines. It's a way I'd love to contribute to whole-school improvement.
Professional learning resources
The Flourish Compass is my own framework. These globally respected organisations inform my wider professional learning. They're shared here as further reading, not as authors of this model.
The Flourish Compass™, a Brownie Bear Academy framework, is a reflective implementation and professional-development tool created by Amara Scheer. It supports, and never replaces, the statutory safeguarding and child-protection policies of a school or its local authority. In any setting, a school's designated safeguarding lead and official procedures take precedence.
The work itself
A curated selection from classrooms across South African and international settings. Children's faces are protected for privacy. Tap any image to view it larger.
The difference families see
What I lead with, and what parents say about it, in their own words. Every review below comes from an end-of-year survey where every response rated the experience five out of five stars.
I build belonging: classrooms where every child and family feels part of something.
The work I care about most is creating spaces where children feel safe, seen and excited to arrive, where friendships grow, families feel welcome, and a class becomes a real community. Parents describe their children as happy, confident and reluctant to leave, and for me that's the truest measure of a good year.
Confidence, communication & social skills
Parents consistently report real development in conversation, early writing, social skills and self-belief over a child's year with me.
Concerts, culture & parent seminars
I choreograph and stage whole-school concerts with my team, design immersive culture experiences, and run seminars that bring parents into their children's learning.
Coaching young problem-solvers
I lead hands-on STEM and inquiry that builds teamwork and resilience through play, including coaching my students to a first-place finish in a robotics competition.
across parent survey responses
“We are truly grateful for the time you spent teaching Calla and Ai. You have been such a kind, patient and caring teacher, and it really shows in how happy and comfortable the children felt in your class. As their first school experience, it meant so much to us as parents to see how much they enjoyed learning every day. We've seen wonderful growth in their confidence, social skills and early learning development, and we know you played a big part in that.”
“You already did so much for the kids! I can see a very significant difference in her, and I'm so happy we got you as the first teacher of her journey. The only thing you could have done better is to not leave her, as she has such a strong bond with you.”
“Ms. Amara did great things with Misk. She was caring and lovely with the kids, and made real progress with my daughter in conversation, writing and being confident.”
“No, she did everything for the children's happiness. My son is very sad because his teacher left the school. He liked her very much and misses her a lot.”
“We've known Ms. Amara for four years and she was a great teacher to both of my kids. We will miss her.”
“Ms. Amara has supported my child very well this year. I appreciate her care and dedication, and I don't have any suggestions for improvement.”
“Thank you for your great efforts. Everything was excellent.”
References from school leaders and colleagues
Named referees from my IB PYP leadership team in Riyadh, alongside written recommendations spanning international and South African settings. Recurring themes: inclusion, whole-school contribution, calm professionalism, and warmth.
Please note: recommendation letters are issued in my maiden name, Amara Brown (now Amara Scheer). Both names refer to the same person.
Direct supervisor and PYP Homeroom lead who observed my teaching across several academic cycles, and can speak to my classroom practice, inclusion work and whole-school contribution.
Contactable on requestA colleague able to speak to my day-to-day professionalism, collaboration and the culture I help build within a team and school community.
Contactable on requestIn colleagues' & leaders' words
Short extracts from written recommendations. The full signed letters are available to view below.
Her practice is firmly rooted in the IB Primary Years Programme, with a strong focus on inquiry-based learning, inclusion and student agency … her impact extends beyond the classroom, leading initiatives that support whole-school improvement and mentoring colleagues.
An outstanding educator with deep knowledge of the IB PYP framework … her ability to make every child feel seen and valued, and her unwavering kindness, naturally draw in students, parents and colleagues.
She consistently demonstrated exceptional commitment, patience and creativity in meeting the individual needs of our learners … a nurturing and empathetic approach that created an inclusive and supportive classroom.
Strong leadership, organisational excellence and a clear vision for impactful school events … a reliable and driven professional who brings creativity, structure and purpose to every project.
Read the letters, download the CV
Five written recommendations from principals, department heads and colleagues across OWIS Riyadh, Happydale Special School and Papenkuil Primary, alongside a copy of my CV, viewable in a shared folder.
Referees' full contact details are shared directly with prospective employers on request, out of courtesy to those who kindly act as references. Written recommendations and my CV are held in a secure shared folder; access can be updated at any time.
Building Brownie Bear Academy
My educational brand, at browniebearacademy.com, is where classroom practice turns into something other teachers and schools can use directly: resources, professional learning, and a planning platform I designed and built myself.
Master’s in Educational Leadership
My dissertation explored educational technology, personalised learning and how schools can evolve to serve every child better. That research continues to bring a leadership and evidence-based lens into my everyday practice.
Brownie Bear Academy
My own educational brand, built to turn what works in my classroom into resources and professional learning that other teachers and schools can pick up and use directly.
The Teacher Hub: planning built around the whole child
A planning workspace I designed for Brownie Bear Academy that moves between IB PYP, EYFS and National Curriculum formats in one place, and carries the Flourish Compass tools I use with my own classes. It includes a built-in ethical-AI reflection check, so any technology used with young children is weighed against their data, dignity and development before it ever reaches a lesson plan. The goal throughout: smart tools that give teachers back time for the children in front of them, never a replacement for the judgement only a teacher can bring.
Looking for an educator who'll contribute beyond the classroom?
I'd love to hear from you. I'm open to teaching roles, curriculum and learning-design work, and partnerships with schools, consultancies and educational projects, especially the ones focused on making learning environments better.