LILY A.

Lily is a NYS-certified Special Education Teacher and Literacy Specialist with 21 years of classroom experience teaching students with a variety of learning needs. In addition, she has extensive experience privately tutoring students, from elementary to high school, to address their unique learning styles. Over the years, she has developed a passion for helping students who struggle with learning how to read, particularly those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. Lily understands that reading is the foundation of success in both the academic and career world. She believes that all children can learn to read, but for some, the road will be more difficult. These are the students that she is passionate about helping to find their way to becoming skilled, fluent readers. She is a strong believer in a “structured literacy” approach to teaching reading as this is a necessary method of instruction for many students. In addition to her New York State teaching certifications, Lily is certified as a Level One Dyslexia Practitioner in the Wilson Reading System. She is also CERI certified by the International Dyslexia Association as a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist.

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.

SARAH R.

Sarah is currently a student at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in the Masters of Teaching program. She has a particular interest in mathematics education and a consciousness of math anxiety and shame within the math classroom, as she is currently working on research on math anxiety in BIPOC students. Sarah truly believes that every student is capable of learning any subject and believes in the importance of building students’ confidence. So, she focuses on connecting with who students are to teach them in a way that works for them.

Before coming to OISE, Sarah taught dance and gymnastics to kids aged 4-12 in a summer camp setting. In practicum experiences, Sarah taught in a grade 5-6 gifted classroom, a grade 7-8 literacy, history, and art classroom and a grade 8 science classroom, with a concentrated focus on math skills within science. With these different age groups and experiences, Sarah has learned the needs of different age groups and is well-equipped at adapting to these different needs. In the future, she hopes to use what she has learned to teach in a junior or intermediate level classroom setting (grades 4-10).

In her personal life, she enjoys baking, watching movies, and seeing live music. She also is active in the UofT community as a Varsity Blues cheerleader.

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!

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!

Chantelle Z.

Chantelle graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Elementary Education in 2020. She is a certified teacher and has over 12 years of experience working with children in various capacities. She has taught Kindergarten to Grade 6 both as a classroom teacher and a teacher on call. Prior to this, she had experience in child care, camp counselling, daycare and tutoring. Chantelle has always enjoyed working with children and has a passion for learning that she wants to pass onto her students to help foster within them a lifelong love for learning. She enjoys finding new and creative ways to engage her students in learning whether it’s phonics and reading or science and math. She also recognizes that each individual learns differently and wants to help set her students up for success by meeting them where they are at. Chantelle personally loves teaching literacy as it was an area of interest and strength for her growing up. She believes that building positive relationships with her students is crucial to creating a safe and fun learning environment for everyone involved. In her free time, Chantelle loves spending time with friends and family or in nature, experimenting with art, listening to music and podcasts, playing soccer, and tending to her tropical plant collection. It also couldn’t go without mentioning that she is always excited to participate in any activity involving animals, especially dogs!

SAWSAN R.

Sawsan R. is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Education (BEd) at York University Glendon as part of the Concurrent Education program. She successfully completed her four-year Honours Bachelor in French Studies, gaining a deeper understanding of the French language and culture. Now in her first year of her BEd program, Sawsan is enhancing the skills and knowledge required to become a successful and engaging educator.

Sawsan has extensive tutoring and teaching experiences, having taught K-12 students at the University of Toronto youth educational programs. With 7 years of experience as an educator, she has developed a strong ability to connect with students and create a positive learning environment.

Her studies have provided her with a strong foundation in both subject expertise and effective teaching approaches. Sawsan is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment where her students are motivated to improve their language skills and succeed academically.

As Sawsan is fluent in both English and French, she can connect with students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. With her profound experience working with students at various proficiency levels and her strong academic background, she ensures that every student receives high-quality instruction meeting each student’s needs. Sawsan is eager to make a positive impact on her students and help them become proficient in French.

ZOYA C.

Zoya received an Honours Bachelor of Arts and Science degree from the University of Toronto with a double major in English Literature and Geography and a Minor in Political Science. Zoya is currently pursuing her Master of Teaching degree at University of Toronto, where she is focusing on becoming an Intermediate/Senor teacher in English and Geography. Zoya’s passion for teaching and education shows through her teaching practices where she approaches every student as individuals who have unlimited potential for growth and success.

Zoya has over nine years of tutoring experience, with two years of teaching experience through summer camps, and teaching in the TDSB and HDSB. Zoya’s strengths lies in her belief in ensuring every student has an individualised lesson plan where they can flourish in their learning and improve their own confidence. Throughout Zoya’s life she grew up in China, Indonesia, Switzerland, and Singapore before deciding to continue her education in Toronto. Thus, Zoya truly believes that fostering an inclusive and open environment that is grounded in trust is of the upmost importance for all students. One of Zoya’s strengths is her experience with academic coaching and learning strategies, where she as a teacher focuses not only on subject related content but also on teaching students what different test/assignment tools and strategies they can use to excel in and outside of the classroom.

When Zoya is not teaching or learning herself, you can find her enjoying whichever book she is currently emersed in, travelling to visit her family, or listening to music. Zoya love for music started when she was three years old, and since then you cannot find her in any relaxing moment where she is not humming a random tune to a random song that is stuck in her head that day.

ANNABELLE K.

Annabelle is an Ontario Certified Teacher with a Transitional Certificate as she works towards completing her final year of the Master of Teaching program at OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education). In her studies at OISE, Annabelle has been exploring accessibility through gamification and how to best ensure students are engaged and ready to learn in the classroom. Through her placements, Annabelle has had amazing opportunities to work closely with students to meet their various learning needs, including providing students with one on one support. Annabelle has always been passionate about education both inside and out of the classroom as seen through her work in museums. Before entering the classroom, Annabelle received her Master of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Information. Annabelle’s museum work centred around making history accessible and engaging to students through creating interactive and informative exhibits, and school programming for students from Grades 3 through 12. Its her passion for history and the humanities that have led her to teaching and she is excited to share this passion with her students. Annabelle has been working with kids for as long as she remembers, growing up as a camp councilor and teaching karate, always looking for ways to make learning fun. In her spare time, Annabelle practices her karate as much as she can and is always looking for a new video game to play!

ANTHONY M.

Anthony Mayadunne is a multi-disciplinary educator up to the university level in Mathematics (ALM, Harvard), English (MA, UBC), and Business (MBA, U of T). He is passionate about delivering a focused and exciting learning experience to his students—whether they are in Grade 6 … or pursuing their PhD. He is also a SAT trainer (integrating both English and Mathematics sections), and University Admissions Coach for undergraduate and graduate programs, having placed many students in leading universities around the world. When invited to teach Calculus in Engineering Outreach programs (Gr 9 – 12) at U of T Engineering, he developed an engaging approach to teach a famously challenging subject: Calculus. Later, completing his Masters in Mathematics for Teaching, he specialized in teaching Calculus to meet rigorous standards: AP/IB Calculus, Engineering Mathematics, and Mathematics in Arts & Science. His warm and engaging manner has led him to mentor many students in their academic and professional careers. He hopes to persuade the world that all people (including parents) are innate mathematicians, and that Calculus can bring as profound joy as Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, or Maurice Sendak’s Night Kitchen. So far, he has succeeded with about 50 people, and optimistically looks forward to the still 8 billion more people to go.
He has traveled extensively, living for many years in Japan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, and uses these experiences to write short stories, essays and poems. He describes himself in four verbs: I teach, I travel, I read, and sometimes, I write.