JAMIE Z.
Jamie is currently a grade 2/3 teacher with the Toronto District School Board. He holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Teaching in Elementary Education, and is currently completing his Master of Arts in Social Justice Education. He also holds additional qualifications in Special Education, Primary/Junior Literacy, Mathematics, Reading, ESL, and Kindergarten.
During the summer months, Jamie fulfills the role of Program Director with Westcoast Connection. Over the past 10 summers he has directed programs all over Canada, USA, Europe and Australia.
MAGDA L.
Magda has 11 years of teaching experience as an elementary French Immersion teacher. She completed her undergraduate degree, which includes a specialization in French, and her Bachelor of Education degree here in Ontario. Over the course of her career, she has worked with a variety of students, differentiating her instruction based on level, needs and goals.
Darien K.
Darien has been teaching for 5 years. He also has a Psychology degree and is certified by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. He developed a Mindfulness Committee throughout his school’s community to better support mental health initiatives.
Darien has the experience to understand and tailor instruction to the many different learning styles, abilities and backgrounds. He has taught people with various and complex disabilities for 10+ years, is comfortable teaching various levels of English Language Learners and can teach foundational knowledge through Indigenous perspective.
As a teacher his focus is on an well rounded educational plan that consists of physical and mental wellness, cultivating self-worth, morals, values and supporting students’ expressions of identity. He received multiple scholarships based on athletic merit as a member of the University’s Cross Country Running team. He loves to take his dog paddle boarding and hiking. When they are not in the sunniest spots, he’ll likely be found playing Arceus or Zelda on his Nintendo Switch.
SUSAN G.
Susan is, Hispanic, was born and raised in El Salvador, and moved to Canada at age six. She speaks and writes Spanish fluently. She is a passionate teacher who loves working with students. She graduated from Humber College and achieved a diploma as an Early Childhood Educator with honors. Susan then continued her studies at Guelph-Humber, where she completed a bachelor’s degree in the Science of Early Childhood Education and graduated with honors once again. She continued her studies even further and is a recent graduate from Niagara University, where she achieved a master’s degree in Education with a 4.0-grade point average. Susan is also trained in Direct Instruction and has experience working with kids at Vincent Massey where she works with kids on one on one. Susan’s goal is to help students learn and understand the curriculum to become successful individuals in the near future.
BETH C.
Beth is an Ontario Certified Teacher within the Primary/Junior division. She graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Anthropology and Philosophy. Beth then traveled to Asia, where she discovered her passion for teaching. She taught English in Taiwan for over eight years before returning to Canada in 2012 to become a certified teacher. Beth received a Bachelor of Education from York University in the Urban Diversity program at Regent Park in 2013. She has since volunteered as a classroom teacher in Regent Park, worked as a childcare provider for two pre-school aged children, and most recently returned to Taiwan last year to complete a one year contract teaching grade one using the Ontario curriculum.
Beth is an experienced teacher with a strong commitment to students and their learning. Having worked with children of all ages, she believes in creating an atmosphere where students participate actively in their learning. She feels students should see themselves reflected within the curriculum in order to enrich their learning experience. As a teacher, Beth also strives to provide a variety of differentiated instruction and positive reinforcement to support student achievement and learning.
In her spare time, she loves listening to music and enjoying the outdoors. She is also passionate about the arts and is an avid storyteller.
DANIEL C.
My name is Daniel. I am qualified to teach Grades K – 12. My teachable subject areas include the Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Law. I also hold additional qualifications in special education (I have my special education specialist), religion, and autism. I have taught a diverse range of subjects. I have experience working with students in the Moderate Communication Program and the Planning for Independence Program in the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board. I have both in-person and virtual teaching experience with special needs and mainstream students in multiple school boards. This includes the Halton Public, Halton Catholic, Peel Catholic, & the Hamilton – Wentworth Catholic District School Board. I have had IEP students with various learning needs in many of my online and in-person classes. I also have diverse teaching experience as I have worked with students across the GTA from grades K-12 through the publicly funded education system and private tutoring. I am now a permanent secondary teacher with the Hamilton – Wentworth Catholic District School Board. As a tutor, I am experienced in delivering customized learning plans designed to address each student’s needs. I strive to support students in developing self-confidence in their academic abilities, and work hard to improve their study habits with the goal of achieving academic success.
Bianca P.
Bianca has over 15 years of experience in education in both Toronto and internationally as a certified Teacher. She spent 7 years in the Middle East at international schools in various roles of teaching and leadership. Bianca has a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and her thesis is focused on equitable leadership.
Bianca began her career as an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) to develop a deep understanding of the mindset of a developing child. She is consistently upgrading her education and experiences to remain current in her professional practice. Bianca believes that education is the foundation of society and understands her role in shaping the future through the education of students.
CAROL ANN C.
Carol Ann is an Ontario Certified Teacher. She has focused her more than 25 year career on two distinct curriculum areas: Special Education (Grades 6,7,8, all subjects) and English as a Second Language (Grade 7 through University). She has also been a School Librarian for grades K-5. Teaching in these areas has taken Carol Ann to many parts of the world. Her classroom in the Bahamas sometimes had goats walking through. In Greece, the siesta meant she started work at 4:00 pm and finished at 10. In New Zealand, kea birds pulled the rubber windshield wipers off her car in school parking lots. Along the way, she earned a Masters of Education degree (in Toronto) lectured at several universities (Monash and University of Sydney in Australia). She earned her PhD. while traveling regularly between Rhodes and the University of Toronto. Her students were her very best teachers. Everywhere she went students, despite differences in culture and language, responded positively to to her belief in them as capable learners.
VANESSA B.
In 2017, Vanessa received her Bachelor of Education at Lakehead University in the Primary/Junior division. As well as having received her Bilingual Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Hispanic Studies from York University’s Glendon Campus in 2015, Vanessa was previously working as a Dental Assistant at Mount Sinai Hospital before deciding to go back to school to become a teacher. She was motivated and became passionate about teaching after her experience working at the hospital, alongside resident doctors, faculty of dentistry students and assisting in running a weekly specialty clinic for patients with developmental disabilities.
Vanessa is currently teaching in the Toronto District School Board. She has further developed her teaching skills by continuing to work on her professional development. She has attained her additional qualifications in Special Education: Part 1, Mathematics Part 1 & 2, Environmental Education Part 1, First Nations, Metis and Inuit Studies, and has training in Literacy Programs, Wilson and Direct Instruction: Expressive Writing and Corrective Reading Comprehension. She has built a variety of strategies and resources in working with diverse learners and has been able to apply them to all areas of her teaching. She is able to create fun, educational and engaging lessons for her students while simultaneously following the Ontario Curriculum and IEP guidelines. She respects that each student is unique in their process of learning and believes in the importance of creating an inclusive environment that values the individual learning needs of each student.
“Learning is fun when students see themselves reflected in the concepts and themes that are being taught and how they relate to real world issues. Using visuals, technology and hands-on materials enable students to engage all their senses in their learning. Busy hands, busy brains.”
During her free time, Vanessa likes to spend as much time outdoors as possible. She enjoys hiking, camping and exploring with her family, as well as working out regularly to stay active and mindful. She believes that good health and well-being is key to being successful in all other areas of life.