Maggie O.

Maggie is an Ontario Certified teacher. Her family emigrated from Ireland to Canada when she was nine years old. Now Maggie lives in Toronto with her eleven year old daughter Aisling and Sammy, their Nova Scotia Duck Toller puppy. Maggie is known for her kind and patient humour and her compelling confidence in children. With strengths across the curriculum, she describes her teaching practice as evidence-based, guided-inquiry as influenced by her lived experiences as a student, parent and academic. For example, her primary school language learning in Irish Gaelic and high school exchange in France, where she completed the Baccalauréat de langue et litterature francaises, planted seeds for her later interest in ethnomathematics and culturally responsive teaching. In 2003 Maggie graduated with a BA in Fine Art History from the University of Toronto, and went on to teach yoga and mindfulness in newcomer, youth and justice-adjacent facilities. Twenty years later she completed an Honours BA in Political Science and Indigenous Studies also at U of T, where she became a learner of a local Ojibwe language (Anishinaabemowin). This June 2025, she will receive an MA in Child Study and Education from the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE, U of T. During this degree, Maggie’s studies focused on themes of student equity, motivation and peer-based learning and she further developed her knowledge of play and arts integration. Additional defining characteristics include her unreasonable enthusiasm for diving into icy cold water, and her favourite sock colour being tie-dye-rainbow. This summer, Maggie and Aisling are competing in their first triathlon events.

ELECTRA W.

Electra is currently pursuing a Master’s of Child Study and Education at the University of Toronto. She has completed a Bachelor’s of Early Childhood Studies with a minor in English accredited by Toronto Metropolitan University. Through her Master’s studies, Electra has completed a teaching practicum in a kindergarten classroom and is currently completing her second practicum in a grade four classroom. In her undergraduate studies, Electra completed placement experiences in a grade 1/2 classroom, a kindergarten classroom, and an EarlyON Child and Family Centre. Electra has a plethora of diverse employment experiences with respect to teaching and learning. Electra has hired, trained, and managed instructors for Engineering Outreach programs (STEM-based additional programming). Through this employment, Electra reviewed curriculum outlines, activity sheets, and material requests for grades 3 to 8. Electra has experience as a Senior Program Instructor for Engineering Outreach programs, where she created, developed, and delivered STEM programming to students from grades 1 to 12. Moreover, Electra has experience as an Emergency Supply Teacher, where she covered the duties and responsibilities of absent teachers ranging from kindergarten to grade 12. Electra has extended knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy, and best practices. She is culturally responsive and always incorporates an equity lens into her practice. Electra is highly experienced with children with exceptionalities and always implements strength-based approaches that consider the whole child.

ALYSSA P.

I am a cerified francophone teacher. I have helped students from preschool to university. I am currently completing my masters in intercultural studies focusing on Métis Francophone relations. I write for a paper in my spare time and currently am a grade 2 homeroom teacher.

DARREN W.

Darren has been a classroom teacher 9+ years and a soccer and flag football coach. He has a BEd, BA in History, and additional certification in Special Education.

Namam P.

Namam Palander is a thoroughly experienced advocate for holistic education; something she passionately aims to facilitate. Using this Scandinavian model of pedagogy, she has taught English all over the world including Sweden as well as South Korea. She holds a Double Undergraduate Degree in Political Science and Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University as well as a Master’s Degree in Sociology of Education from University of Toronto.

ANGELO K.

Angelo Kontos is enjoying a long and rewarding career in education. Angelo has worked in a variety of roles for over twenty years, including being a Global Studies and English teacher, and curricular head. After gaining several years of experience teaching and developing courses, Angelo realized how important it was to a school to have passionate and caring vice-principals and principals, so he made a rewarding transition into administration and works as a secondary school principal with the Peel District School Board. He thrives on the daily challenges of leading a busy high school and the energy of his students. Angelo is a passionate learner, and often says the best school leaders always think of themselves as teachers first. Before completing his teaching certification, Angelo earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours Degree with York University. Over the years Angelo has added several qualifications to his professional practice, including specialists in Writing and Contemporary Studies. Angelo loves writing and he recently self-published a novel called The Tournament. In his spare time, when he is not writing, Angelo is reading, exercising, or taking his adorable but highly sensitive dog for walks.

KYLE X.

Kyle is a multilingual professional with a wealth of experience in leadership, networking, and tutoring. He was born in East Asia, speaks English, Cantonese, and Mandarin fluently, and is actively learning Italian, Arabic, Spanish, French, and Korean. With six years of tutoring experience teaching students from primary, university, and ESL adult backgrounds, Kyle is passionate about teaching English, social sciences, history, and economics as a result of his academic background. His love for teaching is evident in the way he connects with his students and fosters a positive learning environment. Kyle’s leadership skills are also impressive, having founded and served as the chapter president of My Networking Club, a registered charity where he managed a team of over 20 executives to craft growth plans for six key events that connect university students to industry professionals for networking, mentorship, and internship opportunities. Under Kyle’s leadership, the club achieved membership growth of over 100 members and 300+ attendees from top companies in Canada. Kyle’s academic achievements are equally notable, with a GPA of 3.9/4.0 and a place on the Dean’s Honor Roll at York University. With a genuine passion for education, coupled with his leadership skills and academic achievements, Kyle is poised to make a significant impact in his future endeavors.

ALICE D.

Alice is a teacher candidate in her final year at the University of Toronto. She will be a high school science teacher specializing in biology and general science, and will also be teaching social sciences. She completed a Bachelor of Science degree specializing in Biology at the University of Ottawa but had a wide range of interests and took a variety of courses including math, physics, chemistry, psychology, anthropology and history. In addition to academics, she is an RCM certified piano instructor and has worked as a certified ski instructor. Alice believes that learning is most successful when a teacher explores and draws upon the students’ interest. She believes that it is also essential to make learning fun and to tie the content to everyday life making it meaningful and applicable for the student. In addition to teaching and learning, she enjoys, reading, waterpolo, crocheting and music.

JAMIE Z.

Darien K.