Melissa NeSmith

Melissa has training and experience in office administration, special education (K-12) and middle-level education. Melissa worked for many years as an executive assistant in an organisation that provided rehabilitative training for people with disabilities in WA.

Melissa also co-taught students with learning disabilities in a mainstream middle school in the US. More recently, Melissa worked as an administration officer at a specialist primary school in Victoria for students with significant social, emotional and behavioural challenges. Besides Tombolo, Melissa also works as ed support in classrooms in other specialist schools, ranging from kindergarten to Year 12.

All these experiences have taught Melissa that almost everyone can learn, given the right guidance and environment. She likes to tell her own children that smart/fast alone doesn’t get the assignments done…it takes hard work and perseverance…much like the tortoise (in the story of The Tortoise and the Hare), who wins in the end through sheer perseverance!