Instructor Testimonials

We love our instructors, and if you do too we would love to share that with other families interested in taking lessons at Starfish Aquatics!

Please send us your testimonials!!


PAST Instructor Reviews from Parents:

  • “Lisette has been wonderful working with our son, who prior to starting lessons spent 18 months being treated for Stage III, High Risk Neuroblastoma. Lisette has been so patient with him and has helped him get over his fear of being in and going under the water. Now we can’t get the little guy to come out. Thanks Lisette.” – Sharon S. (Summer 2015)

  • “Joe and Tori, these two have finally successfully have gotten my 6 year old to not be afraid to put his face in the water, and actually swim on his own! they have been so patient with my son and his long time fear of getting his face wet. he is now so excited for swim lessons, all thanks to Tori and Joe!” – Michelle C. (Spring 2015)

  • “Angelica is fantastic with the little ones. She got my son in the water with her the first day even though he was very shy. She is very gentle and sweet… she pays close attention to the kids and gives them (and the parents) great feedback. I highly recommend her!” – Jennifer (Spring 2015)

  • “From the first session, Lisette has always been encouraging my son while ensuring he is comfortable in the water. She has allowed my son to also have a love of water. Lisette has also always been really warm and caring with my son. He has always reacted well with warm and caring instructors.” – Collette P. (Spring 2015)

  • “Ms. Rose is the best! She is so dedicated and patient with the kids.  She is great connecting the kids and has a way of getting their attention. She makes the kids feel at ease and earns their trust in the water.  I’ve seen a great improvement with my son since he has been in her class.  Thanks Ms. Rose” – Damarys G. (Fall 2014)
  • “Matt was extremely patient and helped our son truly enjoy his swim lessons.  He started out nervous and ny the end of his sessions with Matt, he was more confident and looked forward to coming!” – Nury M. (Summer ’14)
  • “Tori, was a fantastic instructor, patient and very encouraging! She helped my son get over he fear of water. Now, he gets excited when he sees pools and is definitely ready to start learning how to swim! Thank you so much Tori!!” – Collin A. (Spring ’14)
  •  “Sara was able to tailor her teaching style to meet my son’s needs.  She was so patient, especially when he was screaming and causing a scene for no reason.  She was able to gain his trust and push him to the limits she and I both knew he could reach. I am grateful for Sara for giving Steven the confidence he needs in the water.  We will definitely continue our swim lessons with her!” – Shannon S. (Spring ’14)
  • “Ashley P has been tremendous to our daughter, who is very shy by nature.  Somehow, Ashley gets our daughter to open up and talk to her during instruction and you can see the comfort level she has with Ashley.  As an instructor, you can immediately see that Ashley enjoys her job and is always 100% focused on teaching and communicating with our daughter, who is six.  She always has a smile on her face and her calm and understanding demeanor go a long way with a young child.  We have re-booked Ashley several times, and will continue to do so.  We highly recommend her.  Thank you Ashley for the attention you give to our daughter…” – Randy M. (Spring ’14)
  • ‘From day 1, Angelica has been very positive and patient, she takes her time to explain what the lesson will be for the day.  She also gives feedback on what is going well and what needs to be worked on or practice at home.  I signed up for another month just because of her;-)” – Marie O. (Spring ’14)
  • “I would like to thank my sons instructor Giuliana, for being so patient, kind and informative during all lessons. She always arrived with such a positive attitude  and big smile, that motivated my toddler and me. I hope to have again as an instructor for another lesson!” – Collin A. (Spring ’14)
  • “Guiliana is absolutely GREAT! Firm and friendly. Very encouraging! Classes always start & end on time. Equal amount of time spent with each child in the mini-group.” – Anita C. (Spring ’14)
  • “Jeremy is a fantastic teacher! Abby calls him “tough but fair.” I credit Jeremy with getting Abby to where she is now, basically an independent swimmer, by not coddling her and demanding from her what he knew she could do. She has a lot of work to do but he is bringing out the best in her. Having taken lessons with other instructors, I feel confident in stating that Jeremy is by far the best instructor at Starfish, at least for my daughter. I am so appreciative of all he has taught her so far! Great teacher. Thanks Jeremy!” – Lori R. (Winter ’14)
  • “Julianna is patient and a great teacher!  My son learned more from her in a couple weeks than he did with a different group session over the summer.  It’s amazing hoe much he accomplished ina short amount of time.  He also has a fun time there, a very positive experience” – Melinda M. (Winter ’14)
  •  “Julianna has been amazing with both my six year old son and my 3 year old daughter.  Neither has had formal swim training, but she has made it fun for each of them and even had my son (who was afraid of water) going underwater!  He laughs with her and has a really good time with her.  She is encouraging and patient with them, and knows when to switch things up.  She has also been super patient with my 3 year old, who has stranger anxiety. She is pleasant, knowledgeable, nice, and my kids really love her – even after just 3 weeks!  We will definitly continue with her.” – Jill K. (Winter ’14)
  • “We love Nicole…she is great with our daughter.  Very patient and sweet” – AnnMarie P. (Winter ’14)
  • “Julianna did a great job teaching my daughter how to swim.  She was kind and they established trust very quickly.  We are looking forward to additional lessons with Julianna.” – Debbie S. (Winter ’14)
  • “Nicole did a great job connecting with my daughter who is four years old. My daughter loved working with Nicole and wanted me to get additional lessons with her.” – Debbie S. (Winter ’14)
  • “Amanda was very good with Krish. She know How to handle with my son. I’m very happy with her.!!” – Sonal P. (Winter ’14)
  • “Julianna is a great instructor.  She is fun, yet focused on teaching my boys new things each week.  If they have a weakness in one area, she pushes them to overcome their challenges.  Thank you for being awesome!!” – Cindi S. (Winter ’14)
  • “Tori is upbeat and has lots of energy an enthusiasm during the lesson. She gave praise and the feedback for my son was great as he worked through trying to do what she was telling him to do. I think he really enjoyed having her as an instructor!” – Kate F.
  • (Winter ’14)
  • “Amanda is kind and caring and very patient with my daughter. She does a good mix of doing things both inside and outside Avery’s comfort zone as she tries to get her to learn new things. Avery is always happy about going to swim lessons which is a huge improvement over last season when she once had a massive meltdown and almost didn’t get into the pool. Thanks Amanda and keep up the good work!” – Kate F.
  • (Winter ’14)
  • “Tori was very patient with Dylan for his first lesson, but didn’t let him get away with his distraction tactics! I think this is the start of a great relationship 🙂” – Poppy S. (Fall ’13)
  • “Jeremy has been such an amazing swimming instructor. He knows when to push your child to do better and makes learning how to swim enjoyable at the same time.” – Depeka J. (Fall ’13)
  • “Moe is good and cooperative” – Chary (Fall ’13)
  • “Kim is Bubbly and encouraging” – Bella (Fall ’13)
  • “Nicole was wonderful assessing my child’s strengths and weaknesses and working with her over the course of the month. I hope we can sign up with her again to keep the momentum going.” – Deb M. (Fall ’13)
  • “Our boys love Jeremy. He pumps them up with lots of confidence and then gives them a gentle push to reach their maximum potential. They can’t wait to get in the pool each week and it’s great to see their progress!” – Jessica Y. (Fall’13)
  • “Johanna is AWESOME!” – Megan S. (Fall ’13)
  • “Paul is really great instructor.” – Janet C. (Fall ’13)
  • “I have lots of fun and learn with Julianna.” – Anna J. (Fall ’13)
  • “Jeremy is great!” – Kelly U. (Fall ’13)
  • “Matt F. was really great with my 3.5 year old daughter” – Vineetha (Summer ’13)
  • “Kim is experienced with little kids, very patient” – Min J. (Summer ’13)
  • “My daughter has made so much progress working with Kim. Kim has been so in tune to her confidence levels and has done a lot to build my daughter’s trust so that she would try to accomplish what she had been too scared to do before. My daughter is now swimming short distances with no noodle and her confidence has grown by leaps and bounds. She really looks forward to class now.“- Maha K. (Summer ’13)
  • “Amanda M. has provided our two year old son with swimming lessons this summer. He went from not loving the water to wanting to jump right in. We contribute this to Amanda’s nurturing, caring personality and patience. She’s great! We look forward to future lessons with her in the near future 🙂” – Larissa (Summer ’13)
  • “All the Starfish Instructors are doing a tremendous job. However this month we would like to recognize Kayla D. for the extra effort and tremendous contribution she has made as a truly superb instructor. Our son made significant progress both in swimming ability and confidence under Kayla D’s mentorship. She exhibits the perfect balance of empathy, direction, and encouragement that inspires children to trust her and want to excel.” -Jerry W. (Summer ’13)
  • “Julianna is kind and patient with kids. She also used every minute to teach my kid.” – Ella T. (Summer ’13)
  • “Paul is a very kid friendly instructor with patience and skills.” – Frank (Summer ’13)
  • “Giuliana is great!” – Halina K. (Summer ’13)
  • “Shell is a great teacher who gives lots of technical tips and encouragement.” – Elizabeth G. (Summer ’13)
  • “Ashley is very good and Patient towards kids. My kids love her sooo much” – Madhuri (Summer ’13)
  • “Paul and Juliana were excellent with my son.” – Lisa T. (Summer ’13)
  • “Moe is good at knowing a student’s strength and plans the classes accordingly. Proactive in communication.” – Chary (Summer ’13)
  • “Matt is an outstanding instructor!’ He was wonderful with my kids! – Lisa (Summer ’13)
  • “Paul M. – He is the BEST” – Deirdre T. (Summer ’13)
  • “My son LOVES Matt. He is a patient instructor with my young son. Even if we use someone else due to schedules, Matt always smiles and makes a point of saying “hello”.” – Meghan B. (Summer ’13)
  • “Kayla D is a wonderful instructor! She is very patient with my 2.5 year old son who can easily be distracted. I trust she is paying 100% attention to him in the water and teaching him weekly how to progress with his swimming.” – Tracy S. (Summer ’13)
  • “Amanda’s GREAT! She was very warm and hospitable which put my child at ease and taught him so much even in the first swim lesson. She had just the right balance of fun and challenge.” – Angela (Summer ’13)
  • “Nicole is so patient and has a very gentle and sweet personality, can’t wait to see her in September! ” – Elizabeth W. (Summer ’13)
  • “Nora is such a kind and excellent swimming instructor.” – Shobhana T. (Summer ’13)
  • “Paul’s calm, happy demeanor is great for the kids. My 2 1/2 year old asks all week when he will swim with Paul. Not only has he already taught my son the basics of swimming after only 5 lessons so far, but his parent communication and partnership is excellent as well. I have recommended him to several people. ” – Ellyn C. (Summer ’13)
  • “I love Julianna, she’s very patient, and supportive. More importantly, my daughter loves her too! – Anne C (Summer ’13)
  • “Joe C. thank you so much for your patience with Alex. He has really become comfortable with the water and looks forward to his swim lessons. Keep up the good work!!” – Jennifer P. (Summer ’13)
  • “Guiliana knows how to get my 2 year old daughter to try new things through playing with some of her favorite characters in the pool.” – Krysta K. (Summer ’13)
  • “Amanda is amazing!! My daughter had a lesson and was scared off but she then met Amanda and got back in the water. Amanda was the right teacher for my daughter who is truly enjoying the water now. Thank you Amanda for being so good at what you do. My daughter has definitely progressed these past few weeks thank you thank you” – Jonel S. (Summer ’13)
  • “Paul has such a wonderful instructing ability. He makes my son feel comfortable and relaxed in the water, while never pressuring him to do any swimming moves that he’s not comfortable with. We highly recommend him as an instructor.” – Christian P. (Summer ’13)
  • “My kid loves Ashley, because she talks nicely and teaches nicely.” – Venkata A. (Summer ’13)
  • “My son was terrified of the water in the beginning of July, and Joe B. has made him comfortable now! He is so patient with my son, and he truly enjoys what he does!!“- Michelle S. (Summer ’13)
  • “Guiliana T. has been great with my daughter! She is accommodating and encouraging with her and takes her time when she needs it to progress with a skill. Excellent job!” – Bari D. (Summer ’13)
  • “Matt is awesome!!!! My son loved working with him!!!– Gayle C. (Summer ’13)
  • “My son loves Amanda!” – Risa B-H. (Summer ’13)
  • “Kim has done a wonderful job giving our daughter the confidence to swim without a barbell or noodle. We can’t thank her enough.” – Maha K. (Summer ’13)
  • “Guiliana was a great instructor! My daughter Gianna loved her and felt very comfortable with her. ” – Tracy R. (Summer ’13)
  • “Joe C. is a really good instructor! My kids find him very energetic & love to learn from him.” – Nidhi S. (Summer ’13)
  • “Paul was fantastic with my daughter Tara. She had been afraid of the water and by the end of her 4 week lesson, he had her jumping in and putting her head under water. Thank you to Paul 🙂” – Dena M. (Summer ’13)
  • “Nora worked so well with my son and always gave him the extra little nudge that he needed. My 4 year old always looked forward to his swim class with Nora.” – Michelle C. (Summer ’13)
  • “Guiliana T. is patient with my timid and sometimes fearful 3 year old. She did a great job with her and she is loving the water now!” – Mena F. (Summer ’13)
  • “Paul is great with kids. He shows them not to be afraid of the water. He motivates the kids to try new things.” – Devin D-R. (Summer ’13)
  • “Kayla K. (also goes by Kayla D) has been our son’s instructor. Under her guidance Brian has blossomed as a swimmer and has shown remarkable impovement and a ew-found excitement about swimming. We find all the Starfish instructors to be of high calibre. Kayla has distinguished herself this month,and we would both be delighted if she were recognized as instructor of the month.” – Janice W. (Summer ’13)
  • “Mr. Joe C. is an awesome instructor.” – Abigail P. (Summer ’13)
  • “Paul is the best… my son flipped out his first time there and Paul was so calm and got him to calm down and now he loves his lessons and Paul!!! His progress is incredible. I would recommend Paul to anyone!!!” – Jennifer M. (Summer ’13)
  • “Giuliana is an enthusiastic teacher and my child has made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. I am very impressed by her courteous and professional attitude!” – Sheri W. (Summer ’13)
  • “Giuliana was just wonderful with my 6 year old son. He loved her classes and his skills’d improved a lot since he starting taking classes with her. We look forward to resume classes after our vacation. Thank you, Giuliana!” – Renata D. (June ’13)
  • “Kim is patient and great with the kids”. – Mildred S. (Spring ’13)
  • “Allie is patient and did a good job with my daughter”. – Agnes K. (Spring ’13)
  • “Paul is great and knows how to deal with kids and is extremely patient” – Nicole R. (Spring ’13)
  • “Julianna was so patient and encouraging with my 7 year old son.  He went from water fearing to a little fish.” – Shalya D. (Spring ’13)
  • “Although all the instructors we’ve had were good, Joe C. really stood out. There is no wasted time during his lessons. He engaged our son and worked with him in a very focused way on taking his skills to the next level. We saw real, visible progress in just two sessions with Joe C. ” – Mary Alice R. (June ’13)
  • “My grandson is 2 years old and she never fails to get him in the water and following her directions! She is patient and kind with him. He loves her, and thinks she’s pretty.” – Kathy M. (Spring ’13)
  • “Paul was very good with my son.  Really pushed him and I felt he made great progress in one lesson.” – Tara (Spring ’13)
  • “Jeremy taught 2 four-year-olds to swim in only 3 sessions!!!!!” – Leah (Spring ’13)
  • “I have learned a lot from Paul” – Ziyad C. (Spring ’13)
  • “Matt was so good with my son, taking the fear out of swimming and breaking up the lesson with games.  My son can’t wait to come back.” – Kelly S. (Spring ’13)
  • “My daughter has had swimming lessons before at other places. Paul (at Starfish) is the first instructor she has had that really taught her proper swimming strokes. This will be the first year at summer camp that she will be allowed to go on the pool water slide and  swim in the deep end because she finally learned how to swim well enough because of Paul. He is the greatest, and my daughter loves her lessons with him!” – Betty L.(Spring ’13)
  • “Joe is polite and kind to me and my grand daughter Cammie
    She trusts him and is making great progress as well as having fun” – Barbara M.(Spring ’13)
  • “Kayla D. is the BEST!” – Tracy S. (Spring ’13)
  • “Amanda was very patient and kind with my daughter.  She spoke with her in a positive way and had a very nice repoire with her.” – Tracy B. (Spring ’13)
  • “Both my girls have more confidence in the pool this summer and we owe it all to Paul. Thank you!!” – Karen D.(Spring ’13)
  • “Matt is very patient and does knows the ways of teaching even little kids. Best instructor.” – Sreeranjani T. (Spring ’13)
  • “Paul is fantastic with my son Jack.  He has taught my son confidence in the pool and Jack just loves being in the pool.” – Gina S. (Spring ’13)
  • “Kim gently but firmly got my 4 year old son over his fear of the water and starting to swim!” – Kim R. (Spring ’13)
  • “Julianna is a great instructor. Also,she is nice and kind, and encouraging and positive instructor. Harsh really enjoyed his swimming lessons. Thank you” – Avnika M. (Spring ’13)
  • “Shell’s awesome!! Though she’s tough, she does it all for the kids and you can tell its not “just a job” for her. “- Leah (Spring ’13)
  • “Kimberly has been absolutely fantastic with my son Garet! Garet has Autism and is sometimes difficult to work with. He absolutely LOVES Kimberly and does really well in the water with her. Kimberly seems to have a knack for working with a child with special needs, and I know she went above and beyond by researching and finding appropriate tactics to work with him. We very much appreciate her work helping to get him water safe! “- Tracy S. (Spring ’13)
  • “Our girls are young (2&4) and new to swimming lessons, but they love class and don’t hesitate to go right into the water thanks to Kayla V.!” – Jennifer H (Spring ’13)
  • “Joe B. worked with my son for approx 5 months.  He started and ended the lessons on time.  He was encouraging, supportive and kind.  My son will join a swim team this summer and I feel he will be able to hold his own with kids who have been swimming longer. “- Kristin H. (Spring ’13)
  • “Simone is awesome – she has a magical way of getting my kids in the water and having fun. Even when two of my three are not her student! Zoe looks forward to lessons with “her Simone” and considers her to be her friend. “- Nancy D. (Spring ’13)
  • “My 2yr old is now happily go in ther water without crying. Kayla has been very patience and gentle.”- Yunhee S. (Spring ’13)
  • “Jeremy L. is a fantastic instructor.  He has been working with our 2 (now 3) year old son for the past few months and our son has made so much progress.  Jeremy L. is patient and caring and just overall the best.” – Sharon (Spring ’13)
  • “My son loves Paul! He was so happy to get him as an instructor this month! He makes swimming class enjoyable for my son while still pushing him out of his comfort zone. Thanks Paul! “- Frances (Spring ’13)

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