RILEY R.

Riley is currently a first-year Master of Teaching (MT) student at OISE. He has a considerable amount of teaching experience as a private tutor and working at various elementary and secondary schools within the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).

Riley inspires to become a high school biology and chemistry teacher and share his passion for science and learning to his future classroom. His motto is: “Learning does not start until a love for lifelong learning is instilled into the classroom.”

Jasmine E-H.

Jasmine is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Toronto. In June 2024, she graduated from the University of Calgary with distinction, earning a Bachelor of Education specializing in Elementary Social Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Communication and Culture with a minor in Psychology.

She brings a diverse background to her tutoring practice. Jasmine has previously worked as a Child Development Specialist, Developmental Aide, and full-time Homeschool Tutor. These roles allowed her to support students with ADHD, ODD, autism, learning disabilities, and giftedness. Her passion is in creating inclusive and accessible learning experiences tailored to each student’s needs and strengths.

As a certified teacher with both the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Ontario College of Teachers, Jasmine strives to instill a love of learning in every student she works with. Most of her formal teaching experiences have been in junior high settings (i.e. grades 7-9), but she has also worked with elementary and high school students in other capacities.

Outside of teaching and studying, Jasmine enjoys exploring Toronto’s vibrant neighbourhoods, reading across genres, and discovering new cafes and parks. She looks forward to supporting students’ educational journeys and helping them achieve their goals.

Douglas P.

Douglas is a certified teacher, university faculty member, former museum curator, and all-around renaissance man. Few have a professional background like him: Archaeology, Astronomy, History, Paleontology, and Religious Studies are just a few of the subjects Douglas has worked and taught in. After completing a degree in History he went to work for museums in Los Angeles, including the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and Griffith Observatory. During that time he acquired a Master of Arts in Teaching, taught in several school districts, and all while continuing to work in museums. Since moving to Idaho, he has worked in community based mental health, the state prison system, and currently he is at Boise State teaching Human Anatomy and Physiology Labs, (he prefers labs over lectures – they’re more fun!). Douglas’s style is very unique, interactive, and is about inspiring and not just rote knowledge acquisition. From lecturing about Dwarf Planet Pluto at the most visited public observatory in the world, to teaching inmates about fossilization and quantum mechanics, Douglas is available to help you, or your student, find new appreciation for their natural and cultural worlds, create a tomorrow that is better than today, and learn a little along the way!

Some examples of how he works:
Does your student need to work on basic reading and writing? Let’s use dinosaurs to develop those skills!
Does your student need to work on writing proper essays, developing ideas, and forming arguments? Let’s dig up something archaeological and either support or refute it!
Maybe your student needs someone to talk with while learning about the wonders of the past, the mysteries of the cosmos, and other big ideas. Let’s dive in and see where we end up!
From kindergarten to college, Douglas will endeavor to help your student achieve academically – and have fun while doing it!

Karen D.

With a Masters in Education degree from Niagara University and an Honours Music Undergraduate degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, Karen has worked as a special education and elementary classroom teacher for over 20 years, specializing in primary/junior education, early literacy intervention, social-emotional learning and individualized education planning and implementation.

While in the role of Mental Health and Well-being consultant at the Waterloo District School Board in Ontario, over 12,000 students accessed a Social-Emotional Program she created for children and youth in grades one through eight. This past year, Karen was a part-time lecturer with Wilfrid Laurier University’s Faculty of Education, teaching “Mental Health in the Classroom” to teacher candidates.

Karen believes all children can learn and thrive, and it’s the teacher’s role to create a space that is safe, kind and inspiring. Having recently relocated to the area, Karen is thrilled to be joining the team at Prep Academy to work with students here in Whistler!

MADELEINE B.

Madeleine is a student at the University of Toronto pursuing a Master’s in Teaching with a specialization in French education and plans on teaching French at the primary level. Before starting her current program, Madeleine completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at U of T. Having grown up attending French language schools across the US and France, she developed a passion for francophone culture and language. Madeleine taught as a grade 1 to 3 second language teacher at a French language school in Seattle, Washington, before pivoting to tutoring adult English language learners. As a multilingual language learner herself, Madeleine understands that every child’s learning needs are unique and she prioritizes individualized teaching plans to most effectively aid each student in their learning goals.

In her free time, Madeleine has been learning Spanish and enjoys staying active outdoors. She recently discovered crochet and has been learning how to make her own winter accessories!

Katarina S.

Katarina is a Management student at the University of Toronto, currently in her final year on track to complete a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2025. Katarina has completed an education in French Immersion, spanning 12 years, ultimately receiving a Certificate in French Immersion Studies. Moreover, Katarina has received an Ontario Scholar certificate upon Secondary School completion, acknowledging her achievements, which were later recognized by her university in offering her a partial scholarship. Katarina has always had a love and passion for learning languages, with French being her third, beginning her learning of it at the age of 6. Furthering this passion, Katarina had begun tutoring children Grades 1-9 in Core French and French Immersion, and has been tutoring for 2 years now. Katarina’s goal is to pass on her knowledge to help students reach their full potential in french speaking, reading, and writing, all while creating a focused, engaging and supportive environment. Furthermore, Katarina enjoys working with children, showcased through multiple opportunities over the years, most notably during her several year volunteer position as an assistant kids dance instructor. In her free time, Katarina enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going to concerts, and doing puzzles.

Amy H.

Amy grew up with an ardent love for reading and the English language. Thirsty for knowledge, Amy pursued a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Hodges University, graduating magna cum laude. She fulfilled a life-long dream of becoming an educator when she received her teaching certification in English/Language Arts. Amy’s expertise includes not only raising test scores but also cultivating enthusiasm for learning in her beloved students. She has supported students on every level from kindergarten to college, from whole-class to specialized one-on-one instruction. Her passions? Though she has many, Amy will tell you about her three Ps – poetry, photography, and pollinator gardening. Amy believes that kindness beats unkindness every day of the week and that kindness coupled with love can accomplish much.

Monica C.

I believe in holistic education that engages learners cognitive, physical, emotional and social needs in an intimate classroom community. I became an educator so I can create the inclusive environment that I longed for as a child where students diverse needs and strengths are welcomed. Compassion is at the heart of my practice. Creating a culture that is safe and supportive helps students feel as though they can take risks and make mistakes because success and failure are merely viewed as information as opposed to reward and punishment. I aim to educate in a manner reflecting the diverse identities and lived experiences of all students through culturally sensitive pedagogy.

I aspire to foster learner’s social emotional development. At the heart of this growth is validating learner’s feelings and experiences, as well as teaching the essential relational skill of problem solving. I believe there are six fundamental elements of problem solving shared between educator and learner: (1) listening to student’s feelings and needs; (2) summarizing their point of view; (3) teacher expressing their feelings and needs; (4) inviting the class/student to brain-storm with the teacher to find a solution; (5) writing down all ideas without judgment; and (6) together deciding which ideas will be used and how to implement them.

Assessment is as a pathway of communication between educator and learner. Students must clearly understand expectations so they can be actively involved in achieving these goals and feel a sense of responsibility over their learning. I invite students to be active participants in their educational journey (thinking, discussing, questioning and creating). I believe assessment practices need to be fair, transparent and equitable for all. Providing ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, actionable, timely and varied is essential to support learning and achievement. This feedback will develop students’ self-assessment and reflection skills to enable them to evaluate their learning, set personalized goals and plan next steps.

Teaching is a process of learning from students, colleagues, parents, and the larger community. This enduring growth is an avenue through which I pursue my goal of being a lifelong learner. Open dialogue creates opportunities for knowledge transmission. Reflection is key to learning as it requires deep critical thinking about one’s beliefs and experiences. Upon reflection I discover new insights of self, practice and areas for growth. I believe I cannot effectively teach others if I am not evolving beyond my current mindset. Walter Lippmann says, “Education should create an interest in all persons in furthering the general good”. I believe teaching is one of the most important professions in society because teachers directly shape the future of our world by shaping the children who will create this future. Being reminded that creating good human beings is the larger goal of teaching grounds me in my practice.

EMILY M.

Emily is a graduate from the University of Toronto, with a honours bachelor’s degree in earth sciences and environmental geography, and an M.Sc. in Earth sciences! She also completed a minor in Spanish and is fluent in French – she adores languages and wants to learn 8 in total! Emily taught earth sciences at U of T as a teacher’s assistant for 2 years, and also has experience helping younger ones in learning elementary-level material in all subjects.

Aside from her passion for learning and academics, she is a varsity volleyball player at Seneca Polytechnic, and she coaches the sport to youth and adults when she isn’t training and playing herself! Emily is an artsy person at heart though, and is self-employed as an independent recording artist, while also working as an actor and a model part-time (she really like to keep busy if you can’t tell!) Emily can’t wait to meet you, and work with you on stimulating topics and any academic difficulties. Let’s learn together!

Sakshi K.

Sakshi is a graduate of McMaster University’s Master of Health Sciences program and York University’s Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences program. She has seven years of tutoring/mentoring experience with high school and university students. Her qualifications include Biology, Chemistry, General Science, Mathematics (grade 9-11) and English. She has worked as a teaching assistant and has both volunteering and employment experience in teaching students. Sakshi has also worked as an orientation leader for incoming university students to aid in their smooth transition from high school to university. Additionally, she has served as a Science Student Ambassador and as a peer leader where she has given leadership training to students in order to prepare them to uptake leadership roles throughout their academic careers. She is enthusiastic about enlightening students with knowledge and is motivated to fulfill the purpose of education. She believes in empowering students and is ready to help them achieve success in their academic endeavors. Her goal is to facilitate learning and motivate students to reach their full potential, guiding them in a positive direction.