Garoes brings a fresh approach to Grade 3 teaching
Caroline Angeline Stevny Garoes took up a post as a Grade 3 teacher at Van Rhyn Primary School in Windhoek in July 2025, bringing experience in education, learning support and community counselling to her classroom practice.
Garoes (26) is responsible for planning and delivering lessons, assessing learner progress and maintaining communication with parents. She places particular emphasis on emotional development and mental wellness, and creating a safe and inclusive learning environment.
“I was deeply attracted to the opportunity to work with Grade 3 learners, a crucial stage for developing independence, critical thinking and problem-solving skills,” Garoes said.
She is particularly passionate about integrating mental wellness into teaching.
“I am most excited to build a classroom culture where mental wellness and socio-emotional intelligence is at the forefront, creating resilient, empathetic and self-aware learners,” she added.
Holistic education
Garoes holds a Level 7 Diploma in Education (pre- and junior primary) and a qualification in community counselling.
Her earlier experience includes working at Keep Them Busy Academy (K.T.B.), where she supported learners in learning support classes, and teaching multi-grade Grade 0 and Grade 1 classes at Springvale Private School in Rehoboth.
“My professional journey has been diverse," she explained.
She said her experiences have helped to hone her ability to manage varied learning needs.
Garoes said these roles shaped her understanding of differentiated instruction and individual learner support, while her counselling background strengthened her focus on emotional wellbeing in education.
Her long-term goal is to specialise in child development or child psychology and incorporate creativity into learning.
Outside the classroom, Garoes enjoys self-care routines, listening to podcasts and music, and drinking ginger and lemon rooibos tea.
She also hopes to maintain her career as a professional singer.
“The core values that guide my work are firstly God, empathy, respect, integrity, creativity, and a belief in every child's potential,” she said.
