MADDISON M.

Maddison graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Behaviour, and a Minor in English and Cultural Studies. She also concurrently completed her Diploma in Early Childhood Education at Mohawk College, and she taught in a Montessori school’s Toddler and Preschool rooms shortly after. In 2026, she will be graduating from OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) at the University of Toronto with a Masters of Education in the Intermediate/Senior grade levels. Throughout her life, Maddison has developed a deep passion for working with young children and guiding them to reach their full potential. In recent years, this has expanded to a love for working with older students to refine their skills and hlp them engage critically with the work they complete. Maddison truly believes that engaging students using their curiosity and interests is crucial in helping them gain the confidence they require to succeed. In her spare time, Maddison enjoys reading, journalling, and thrifting, as well as spending time with her friends at cafes or new restaurants, or taking time to visit family.

NICOLE D.

Nicole D. is a former Montessori teacher currently completing her Masters in Teaching at OISE. She grew up in New York City and moved to Toronto in 2012 for her Undergraduate Degree at The University of Toronto, focused on a multidisciplinary study of Food Justice and Sustainability. She then went on to complete her Casa (ages 2.5-6) diploma from the Association Montessori Internationale, as well as her Infant/Toddler diploma from the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education. She worked as a teacher in a Montessori toddler room before returning to school full time for her Masters degree. Nicole has worked with children since she was essentially a child herself. (Fun fact: Her first childcare job at age 10 was as a mother’s helper to Stanley Tucci’s three children.) She has worked extensively with children ages 0-10 as a teacher, nanny, camp counselor, workshop guide, and birthday party performer.
As a neurodivergent student who struggled in school early on (particularly with math), Nicole especially enjoys working one-on-one with young neurodivergent students, and has developed an arsenal of tricks to make learning more approachable and enjoyable for those who struggle like she did.
As well as her passion for working with children, Nicole is a self-taught musician who sings, plays bass, guitar and ukulele, and accordion. She is currently in four bands—including a Bug-themed pop band—but she loves singing and writing songs with kids the most.

Alanna D.

Alanna is an OCT‑certified educator and experienced tutor who brings over eight years of expertise in early childhood and elementary education to Prep Academy Tutors. With a Master of Arts in Child Study & Education (in progress at the University of Toronto) and a strong academic foundation in Early Childhood Studies, Alanna specializes in helping learners build self-confidence, independence, and a genuine love for learning.
Alanna has taught and supported students in a wide range of settings that go beyond the classroom. She excels at adapting lessons to meet diverse learning needs—whether supporting language and literacy through phonemic awareness and multimodal learning or guiding individualized math instruction and supporting students to find their voice across areas of curriculum.

Her tutoring approach is warm, relational, and highly individualized. Drawing on her background as both an educator and a former private tutor, Alanna collaborates closely with families to create customized learning plans that honor each child’s strengths, interests, and developmental needs. She uses tools such as anecdotal notes, checklists, photos, and student work samples to track progress and ensure her instruction is responsive and meaningful.

Beyond her classroom and tutoring experience, Alanna has worked extensively in enrichment settings, including STEM‑based programming, creative arts learning, and physical activity programs. She is passionate about fostering confidence, curiosity, and resilience in every learner she works with.

Alanna believes deeply in inclusive, equitable education and strives to create learning environments where every child feels seen, supported, and capable. As both an educator and former English Language Learner herself, she brings empathy, cultural responsiveness, and a strong advocacy mindset to her work.

In her free time Alanna is passionate about fitness, health and wellness. As a personal trainer she aspires to open a children’s gym for typically developing as well as neuro-divergent children in her future. Warm, patient, and deeply committed to student success, Alanna ensures that every learner she works with feels celebrated, supported, and empowered to grow

KATRINA S.

As a dedicated educator and instructional designer, Katrina is a certified and experienced tutor specializing in personalized in-home and online learning. With a Bachelor of Education and over two decades of experience in curriculum design and differentiated instruction, she excels at creating engaging, tailored learning experiences for students of all ages. Katrina is highly skilled in using educational technology to build a positive and supportive virtual or in-person environment where each student can thrive.

THOMAS J.

Thomas J. is an Ontario Certified Teacher. He grew up in Toronto, he studied at TMU (Ryerson) to complete an Undergraduate Degree in History. As well, he completed Bachelors of Education (Intermediate-Senior) and Masters of Education specializing in Social Justice Education at Lakehead University. Thomas grew up with a deep love of travel and took the opportunity to explore the world through his love of soccer, often watching as many games as he can while away, especially Fulham FC in London. When he decided to pursue teaching as a career Thomas emphasized dynamic learning, where the teacher and students engage in a mutual learning environment. It is through teaching that Thomas has been able to foster his love of history, social studies and language comprehension. During the summer Thomas teaches at Continuing Ed, encouraging students to prioritize using learning as a way to survey their post-secondary interests. In his spare time Thomas plays tennis and works one-on-one with children ranging from 6 years through high school. He has supported the improvement of their reading, writing, vocabulary and math skills. Thomas believes that by building a strong relationship with his students he is better able to meet their needs and grow their learning. This has been displayed at Caring and Safe Schools where Thomas was not only a teacher but a mentor in helping students develop socio-emotional skills and academic skills. Thomas sees every opportunity to continue to develop his skills for empowering students academically and through confidence.

Julia P.

With over a decade of experience tutoring learners of all ages in literacy-based subjects—including English, Geography, History, and Social Studies—and up to Grade 6 in Math and Science, I bring both expertise and enthusiasm to every lesson. As an OCT-certified high school teacher with a Master’s degree in Education, I am passionate about helping students succeed not only academically, but also in building confidence and curiosity. My approach is rooted in kindness, fun, and meaningful relationships, because I believe learning flourishes when students feel supported and inspired. Alongside academics, I also bring a love for teaching yoga, encouraging balance, focus, and wellbeing as part of the learning journey.

Robert J.

Robert has a Bachelor of Arts and Science from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Education from Laurier University. He is an OCT certified teacher, currently doing supply work in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. His main teachable areas are J/I/S English, but he also has plenty of in-classroom experience with the intermediate math and sciences curriculum. Robert is excited to be joining the PAT team and help students throughout the region achieve their goals.

HELENA P.

Helena is a Teacher Candidate at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, with a specialization in history at the Junior/Intermediate level. She brings over a decade of experience teaching in private schools across Toronto, where she has developed a patient, supportive, and engaging approach to working with students. Helena holds a Master of Arts degree from the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science, also from U of T. Drawing on her academic background and years of classroom experience, Helena is committed to helping students build confidence, develop critical thinking skills, and achieve their academic goals. Outside of teaching, Helena enjoys music, reading, and biking around the city.

MATTHEW H.

Matthew Houk is a 28 year old substitute teacher in Saskatoon, SK. They graduated from the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan with honours and have a wide range of experiences in elementary classrooms (K-8) both in the city and in rural areas such as Hutterite Colonies. Matthew’s strengths as an educator are finding connections with students, connecting students interests/needs to learning, and using real-world scenarios to help students understand what they are learning. They feel that if learning has connections to reality it makes it easier for learners to understand it. The Social Sciences are their primary teaching areas followed by Fine Arts; but Matthew is able to pick up and teach just about anything if needed. When not teaching they enjoy painting, reading, playing tabletop games with friends, and camping.

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.